How to Make Dyed Photography Backgrounds
Professional photographs seem to have a number of things separating them from those taken by amateurs. However, did you know you could make the beautiful background used in your photographer's studio with just fabric and dye? Just think, a simple way to help your family pictures look better and it costs you very little. A great way to liven up a party or create one of a kind photos to send out as gifts. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Determine how large of a background you need to make. If doing portraits of one person at a time, you do not need as large a background as you would if you were doing multiple people. Unsure of how many people you may decide to photograph at one time, larger is better.
Some suggestions:
Headshot: 3-feet wide x 3-feet long.
Single portrait: 4-feet wide x 8-feet long.
Multiple person shot: 8-feet wide x 8-feet long.Each of these is calculated to give you some edging around the person(s).
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2
Purchase your fabric. Consider using sheets, they are already hemmed, come in sizes from twin to king, and clearly state their thread composition.
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Decide on your color(s). Darker backgrounds may make your subject standout more, but they will also absorb your light. Too light of a background tends to look more like a passport photo or driver's license. You may want to pick out something that goes with either a holiday or the colors of your party.
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Dye your fabric. You can use your washing machine to dye fabric by setting it to wash with hot water and rinse with cold. The wash cycle needs to be at least 30 minutes long. Pre-dissolve your dye in hot water and wet your fabric before adding them to the machine. Once the machine has finished, take your fabric out and rinse in cold water, best in the bathtub, until the water runs clear. Then you can dry either in the dryer or by hanging it out.
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Tips & Warnings
The best fabric to use is cotton because of how well it holds dye. However, if you choose to use a different type of fabric, stay away from synthetics. They do not dye well if at all.
With a big enough pot, you can dye your fabric on the stove top.
Dye stains. Be sure to clean out your washing machine with a combination of hot water, detergent, and chlorine bleach immediately after you finish dying. Otherwise, you may end up transferring dye to other fabrics.
