Save Money, Go The DIY Route!

Today I wanted to bring you another great way to keep more of your hard-earned cash in your pocket.  If you haven’t already noticed, I’m big on DIY projects for my photography as opposed to spending a lot of money on things I can make (even create) myself.  I’m not the first to do what I’m about to reveal, so you can stop holding your breath.   

For a couple of bucks you can go to your local Wal-Mart and pick up some nice material for next to nothing and by doing so you will have yourself a new background.  For example, I went out today about bought 2 yards of this nice black material that cost me a whopping $3.00 per yard.  So for $6.30 (including tax) I now have a very nice black background.  Be careful of what you buy though, you want to pick a material that is tightly woven and doesn’t let light through very well.  Especially if you need to light your new background. 

As I always have to do with new toys (I mean, serious photographic equipment), I set it up and got right to playing (er, testing) it.  My house has low ceilings so I just pinned it up to the ceiling.  It’s still about 2 feet off the floor, but it works great for headshots, waist up, etc.  Here’s a couple of quick shots that I was able to pop off with my kids:

For what it’s worth, kids, family, and friends all make really great models as they are usually available and they typically will work for free.  At worst, you may have to feed them.  It’s a small price to pay for the experience you gain. 

That’s it for today, I hope you have a great week and come back tomorrow for some more great photography gouge!