Low budget does not mean low quality. Here’s a handy tip to keep your wallpaper interesting.
brick for texture
Having a small budget doesn’t necessarily stop you from taking interesting still-life photos. With a little extra thought, you can find all sorts of props that can be creatively used to perfect art without spending a fortune. All images accompanying this article were created using inexpensive or sometimes free wallpapers.
A good background needs some color and texture interest. One that I’ve found to work well is a brick. They come in a wide range of colors and with a variety of finishes and textures. Wall tiles, garden slabs, roof tiles, etc can all form the perfect backdrop for still life and product photography. I tend to choose ones that have a marbled look or a slightly broken color, as a flat color area is less interesting to me and is done easier and cheaper with paper.
There are two main ways that I use things like tiles as background images. I shoot them as part of a scene with the product, and I add them to a uniformly lit photo as a layer in post-production in Photoshop for more texture and interest (usually as a single layer). soft light layer is slightly transparent). Of course, you can combine the two. It can be difficult to have multiple backgrounds for your photography. Yes, you can buy everything, but financial constraints mean we only have a handful at most and so all of our photos can start to look pretty familiar. if we can’t add more variations. Texture layers are a quick and easy way to refresh the background.
Where to find them?
Depending on the style you’re after and what your budget is, there are different ways to get tiles that you can use as a background. Some kitchen and bathroom stores allow you to buy individual tiles instead of the whole package. If you’re lucky, they might even let you try out a few free samples. Unless you are shooting very small items such as jewelry, I recommend getting larger tiles (typically, larger floor tiles).
Reclamation yards or scrap yards are good places to find things that are a bit old. Photographers tend to prefer things with a bit of wear and tear, as they add character. The urban exploration trend is a classic example of this. If you want to try something less risky that you can also do in the safety of your own home in warm and dry conditions, then buying some antiques or used materials can help. Can be a great way to experiment with old looks. I bought used slate roof tiles and floor slabs from the good looking scrap yard (rust layer) used and in great working order. Sometimes you can even pick up odd freebies like I did when I found a scrap of wood. You don’t want to bring home a woodworm or a smelly piece of rotting wood, but if it hasn’t gone too far, it’s definitely fair game!
This image uses a patterned surfaced glass brick that I bought cheaply from a reclaimed yard. It has a smooth, wavy surface that resembles a lake. So you get some interesting distortion of light through refraction.
From outer space to abstract shapes
When I took a series of promotional photos for Booja-Booja (a UK chocolate and ice cream company), we used inexpensive props from a DIY shop to style the chocolate. We have laminate flooring for Christmas pictures and slate tiles for New Year photos (shown below). To create space large enough to style the Earth, surrounding stars, and moon with chocolate and cream, we stitched together four slates. I edited the splice between the cells using Photoshop. The slab was also edited in post-production to look greener.
Sometimes I use two slightly different tiles in the same photo to add a bit of contrast and to create some geometric shapes. You can stack them on top of each other or push them on top of each other depending on the effect you want. The diamond pendant on the necklace is simply rendered with dark bricks that make the necklaces and pendants stand out. I placed a tile in one corner overlapping the other to create this look.
Color Harmony
Working with complementary colors or some other form of color harmony can enhance a composition and unify elements. If you’re not sure which colors go well together, you can easily find complementary colors and other groups using Adobe Color Tools. Click on the wheel and then select the mix you want it to show you. You will then see the appropriate colors associated. As an example of this in practice, for gold items, something a bit bluish can accentuate the yellow color more. The ocher color can go well with many different themes, such as food. Something bold and bright might work in some cases, but you’ll likely get more out of something a little more neutral, as it’s better suited to a wide variety of audiences. more form.
Follow the bargains
I’m not trying to make us all hoarders, but it can help with your creativity having as many different backgrounds at your disposal. Yes, of course, you can buy beautiful hand-painted fabric or printed plastic or paper to fold flat if your budget allows. Sometimes, you can even convince customers to buy one for you! However, if you pay attention and think a little further, you can find all the possible sources of inspiration that can allow you to style your photos to look interesting and unique. Bricks, pieces of wood and stone can all be very affordable props for still life photography, food photography, and product photography in particular. Sure, there are expensive versions of them as well. However, a stroll around the scrap yard or bathroom showroom might be all you need to find your next favorite prop.
All images © Joe Lenton
