Make Your Own Backdrops

When I had my daughter, I started taking "Month to Month" photos of her.  At first, I was propping her up in the corner of our LazBoy recliner, like this: 

As she got older, though, she wouldn't stay put, and I was worried she was going to fall off the chair while I was busy snapping photos!

So how do you get a background to stay put and also look nice behind your toddler or small child?

Like this:
Buy a thin piece of plywood at your local lumber store.  (I bought the thinnest kind I could find and had it cut into a 4x4 foot square.)  Paint it, if you so choose.  I painted one side gray and the other side blue, and then on a second 4x4 foot square I painted it light pink on one side, and white on the other.  That gave me lots of great options to choose from.  The small sample jars of paint you can get mixed at Home Depot are about $3.00 a piece, and they will cover one side of the board with no problem.   I also bought a four-foot strip of rail to put on the bottom of the board for when I want it to look like they are sitting up against a wall.  I just clamp it on.

Clamps are only about a dollar a piece at Home Depot, and they allow you to clamp other backdrops to your board as well.  Most often I clamp blankets or quilts for a different look.  (Just make sure you put your board securely against the wall so it doesn't fall on your baby or child!!!)

I use my backdrops all the time and have even taken photos of a few friends' kids.  I used it like crazy when I had my baby boy, too.  It's so nice to just run up there and snap a few photos when he's in a good mood.

So here are some examples of how I've utilized my backdrops:

Quilts:

  Plain Gray:

Notice the rail at the bottom?  It helps it look more like a wall.

Blue:

 Using the blue as a floor.

Pink:

 So there you have a quick and easy way to help the cute pictures you are taking of your child(ren) look more professional.  I think the whole project cost me around $30.00 and it's been worth every penny.