For Bloggers: How to Make a $20 Photo Studio
As a DIY blogger I need to take lots of photos and needed a handy place to quickly take the step-by-step project shots that has a plain background and lots of light.
When my worktable in my craft room was in the middle of the room and I took photos of projects I made, there was always a distracting background. Having the worktable against the wall solved this.
The magic of this mini photo studio is the addition of a white roller shade to the top of frame. When I want to take a project shot, all I have to do is roll down the shade – voila a mini photo studio.
When the area is not being used to take photos, I can roll up the shade and use the frame as a pretty place to pin inspiration and memos.
How to Make a Mini Photo Studio in a Craft Room
supplies needed:
- Large Frame
- Roller Shade
- Outside Mount Roller Shade Brackets
- White gloss spray paint
- Foam block
- Cardboard
- Fabric
- Staple gun
- 1/2-inch heavy duty staples
- Damage Free Picture or Frame Velcro Hanging Strips
I hung 3 frames on the wall in my craft room above the worktable. I made one a gift wrap organizer, the middle one a pegboard tool holder and the third is the photo studio.
1. Spray paint the shade brackets with gloss white paint.
When spray painting small items like brackets, nail heads, etc. Attach them to a piece of Styrofoam for easy spray painting. I used the nails the brackets came with to attach them to the foam. They stay in place making it easy to paint all sides without anything falling over and making a mess.
2. Measure the width of your frame to determine what length roller shade you will need. I figured out that I needed to place the shade brackets on the flat part of the frame – and then measured side to side.
Make sure when you go to get the shade cut that you tell the person cutting it that it will be on an “outside mount” as well as how wide you want the actual shade to be. They will figure out the rest.
3. Two small nails come with each bracket. I used them to attach the brackets to each side of the frame. One side of the shade has a pointed end that goes into the bracket with the hole. The other end has a flat protrusion (see below) that goes into the slot bracket.
4. I added a saw tooth hanger to the back of the frame to hang and four picture hanging strips. These are needed so that when you roll the shade down, the frame stays in place.
5. Once the frame was hung on the wall, I removed the label that kept the roller shade rolled up. I kept it on so the shade would not flap around while I worked on it.
The main reason I placed the photo-taking frame last on the wall is because it is closest to the window and gets plenty of light, especially in the late afternoon.
If I need more light or want to bounce a shadow away, I place a dollar store foam board parallel to the window. My IKEA light on the worktable holds it up.
Here is one of the photos I took.
Without the light bouncing board.
With the light bouncing foam board.
I don’t have a photo of this, but I can clip a yard of colorful fabric or paper to the roller shade to create interesting backdrops when needed.
