How To Make A Photography Backdrop Or Reflector For Your Photo Studio 

8 Years later, and still relevant. Thank you Tiffany ❤ sending love from South Africa.

I have watched a LOT of these videos on how to make these back drops, and yours is the most practical! Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video! I am so grateful that I found it today! Blessings to you.

Finally getting the stuff for this. I'm using 2" boards. Can't wait to play!!! Thank you SO much Tiffany for the detailed video. Helped immensely.

wish i could see how pictures turned out that took you with this backdrop but this video is by far the most helpful and off all that i've watched today (about 6). Straight and to the point. You go Tiffany Angeles! :)

This is the most informative video I've found!

This is the most clever and helpful thing ever. I'm looking to start a photography studio in the basement where I live without painting any walls. So awesome, thank you.

Thank you!!!!! No one on RU-vid shows how to make the support just how to do the project. I’m using the foam to make a flower wall for my wedding but I need to have I.t stand alone at the venue. Thanks again you rock!!!

This is exactly the video I have been looking for! Thank you!

Couple of tips I learnt the hard way: 1. To get around the foamboard warping when it's painted, simply paint both sides. I painted one side black and one side white. 2. Matt black paint scuffs really easily I found - just with normal finger pressure. Use an eggshell finish rather than matt to get around this.

Awesome Tiffany! Thanks for sharing this! now I have to go buy some Polystyrene

Finally got this project going... Just waiting for the paint to dry!!!!! Thanks Tiffany!

Awesome diy project. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day.👍

Thank you, i have been searching for this, its exactly what i needed.

Thank you for the instructions and materials listed...some of us are beginners!

Really important explanation ! Thank you Tiffany !

Nice video! Thanks for the explanation. I'm thinking of doing this for a video backdrop

When I tell you this has been the video I’ve been looking for for months!!!

Simple, yet effective. Like it!

omg this is exactly what i needed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tiffany, great tutorial. would love to see some of your photography work or videos using these backdrops/reflector boards. Thanks! :)

Thanks Amanda! Glad you like it!

THANK YOU SOO MUCH ! THIS IS AMAZING !!!

thanks for this great DIY advice!

Thanks for sharing your video that was very helpful to me easy and cheap to make it.

Thank you Tiffany! I saw Sue on CL and was dying to know how to do this in the US.

Hello. You have a top notch channel with a very good look overall. Keep up the great work and have a great day.

maaan this is great! :) Cheep and effective!

You know? Even if this was 10 years ago but it still super useful for me thanks for sharing this

amazing, great idea!

i used to walk by the Home Depot store aisles full of those panels and I´d ever considered using them as light reflectors, great tip :)

Oh I am sooooooo going to try this!

Wow this video help me a lot thank you

This is Brilliant, thanx for this RU-vid!

just a few quick corrections/suggestions in case they hadn't been mentioned. don't use screws, use BOLTS :-) - bolts take a nut on the other end; a screw just digs in and holds to whatever you are screwing it in to. iow u can't use a nut on a screw. - and if you use a large FLAT washer on both ends, the foam will last longer. - if you want to make them easier to store, use different thicknesses of wood for the stands so the legs will go together and they will sandwich next to each other when not in use

Fantastic, thanks!

Hey Jarrett, I actually used regular house paint and I don't have a problem with it eating the plastic. I have painted directly on the boards and also on the plastic and both ways still have shown no issues.

Great simple idea.

nice stuff!

great tips . thank you

Out right Dope Thanks

awesome! thank you so much!

Stefon, if you cannot find the thicker ones, you can always get the thinner (and too flexible) ones and glue two or more pieces together with construction adhesive. Works like a charm! AND...if you want variety...instead of 1.5" board, get THREE 1/2" boards,. Paint each side a different color/shade, and use The Black BINDER clips (called Bulldog Clips) to secure the 3 together. Then All you can flip, turn, and exchange them easily, as needed. Literally, you now have SIX backdrops in one!

What you're looking for in Europe is 2400mm x 1200mm insulating board - it's a standard size but you might need to got to a "trade" builders merchant. In the UK we have B&Q (which is at diy com) which sells these for about £20 each. You'll need a decent size vehicle to move them around if your store doesn't deliver. They're BIG....

Ok - did the 2" board instead and they stand very straight (and they are very light). He bought the silver lined one. I just peeled off the coating on both sides of the board and rolled it with black paint on one side. Worked perfect. For the holes, if you put a piece of straw in where your drill for the screw to attach the bracket in the foam, it will keep the foam from tearing if you remove and attach the bracket for transport/storing. We used a straw from 7-11 (the big gulp size).

Excellent!

Great idea! It so light, it wouldn't need very big wheels. I use furniture pads on the bottom of mine so I can slide them around. :)

Great idea about using the shelf brackets for feet. Any suggestions on what kind of paint to use to make one side black (I don't know very much at all about paint)?

Hey Chad, I have painted both on the plastic and directly on the surface without plastic. Either way works. Don't get the silver stuff, that's a different type of insulation and it's true the silver doesn't rip off. If your Home Depot doesn't have it, maybe try Lowes.

Thank you Tiffany! I'm so excited to make V-Flats, I'm in RI/MA and the closest material I've found is 1-in x 4-ft x 8-ft Expanded Polystyrene Insulated Sheet. Have you tried using this or tried doubling them? Thank you

Thank you

Thanks do much for this

Genius!!

We use this kind of foam in the model airplane hobby and there are some tricks we can borrow from that hobby to help use the foam for photo/video uses. Often, it turns out the inked logo printing on one side of these can be removed with isopropyl alcohol, if you want to keep the plastic outer layer. The isoprop will also dull that plastic a bit but should not dissolve the foam. You can "melt-proof" polystyrene foam with a coating of Elmer's glue, thinned with water. Or the water-based latex version of "Kilz" wall primer will also work. There are hobby products specifically made for coating foam, to make it paint-able, but they tend to be expensive in the amounts you'd need for panels this large. There is also a version of Krylon rattle-can spray paint that used to be foam safe, it was called H2O, because it was water-based, not solvent-based. Finally, a very cheap way to coat this foam and make it harder and able to take paints is to use water-based polyurethane furniture stain/coating. Minwax Polycrylic is the brand model airplane makers like to use. Brush on, let dry, then you can paint it with latex house paints, any colors. You can also make the foam panels SUPER strong if you lay brown kraft paper (brown shopping bag paper) on them and brush the polycrylic over that to adhere it. Sort of like papier mache'. When it dries it will be almost like fiberglass; stiff and super light and paintable with anything. As to transporting the large panels, that is a major issue and car-topping is generally not safe or successful. It may work better with the thicker-foil-backed insulating panels, especially if first sandwiched between two 4x8 sheets of wall paneling for transport. What I'd suggest is get some wall paneling with the "brick wall" pattern on them, cheap at around 12-15 bucks a sheet, ( and most photogs will find a use for the brick backdrop at some point) and make a v-flat from those after using them to transport your foam sheets. You could cut the foam into smaller chunks with a very sharp razor blade to make them fit inside the car, and glue them back together at the destination, sanding the joints if a uniform surface is important. But it's simpler to pay for the home center to deliver the clean, whole sheets on a truck, or rent a u-haul van for 20 bucks for a few hours.

Great! Thanks!

Good job girl !

wowwww thank you :D

Nice work, Tiffany. One note. Add a strip of 1" or 1 1/2" wood across the bottom, under the polyboard, from 2x4 to 2x4 to take stress off the poly where the screws go through. Will probably add some lifespan to the rig. Cheers.

thank you very much for this great DIYvideo! do you have any idea where I can buy these huge polyboards in europe (especially switzerland)? i'm going crazy because anywhere i go, they only have small sizes... :(

Hi Stefon, because it is sheet insulation, you should be able to find it at most hardware stores. B&H would carry other large reflectors, but not like this. I would try other stores or try your Home Depot a few times and see if they have straight ones come in. Good luck transporting across NY! :)

Pia Bovis-Hostettler.....In reading your question I see that you are only able to find the smaller sheets of insulation. Here is a suggestion: Take two pieces, lets say 4'x4', because you desire a 8'x4' piece, and on one edge a piece apply a thick (though not too much) construction adhesive made especially for building materials. Then join two edges together of each piece, creating a "top and bottom" piece. Then, purchase a roll of craft paper and glue it to the front and back of the boards....

Thank you. Off to home depot I go!

Hey, the sound is in mono so it's possible that it is only coming out of one speaker. And if that speaker is blocked in any way it might be harder to hear. Headphones might help.

Well you answered a question from my thoughts. I was wondering how to pull this off the other day

carolytree, I think I'm falling into this as well. Were you ever able to find the right board?

thanks so much

can i use this for outside? and if so how can i get still so that the wind doesnt knock this down?

I clicked on the link to see how to use this as a reflector (since I've never used a reflector) but it came up with classes you have to buy. Any thoughts on how I use these are reflectors?

If i wanted to turn one of these into, say, a green screen, what would you recommend as far as how to color something like this?

What kind of paint do you use?

nice work your

Will it be fine to stick wallpaper adhesive on a styrofoam?

Good job,

Hi Pia, Did you found a suitable polyboard in Switzerland? I have the same problem. Thanks

I've been looking for something just like this! I currently use big, bulky and very heavy boards as my set backdrop. I will be looking into this for my next season! :)

what kind of paint are you using to paint those?

bravo!

(cont) to create a seamless board 8'x4'. You can then paint, decorate, etc. I have also used Tiffany's method to create a backdrop, but instead of painting, I have sprayed a tacky adhesive spray on one side, and laid fabric (smoothly or crumpled and wavy) on the board...creating beautiful and unique backdrops. GREAT TUTORIAL Tiffany! And Pia, if you have any questions, send me a message!

All the insulation that I've found has a silver layering on one side. Can that be removed or would I need to paint over it?

Hey Tiffany I have went to lowe, home depot and Menards and I havent found any polystyrene boards with the plastic on it! I either found the one with the white side with writing on it and then it has a silver side on the other or I have found a blue and pink one? which do I use? Please help!

Tiffany, On CL the one Sue uses appear to be painted and smooth. Can you tell me what paint you use on the foam core. The foam core I purchased from the store doesn't have a smooth surface after you pull the plastic off. And I know you can't paint over that plastic, can you? Thanks for the help

What kind of paint did you use to paint the back of the board?

i ordered a white backdrop which was advertised with stands and white sheet and it came today with just a sheet and no stand and i need to hang it up for a shoot in like 3 hours what should i do

very clever..

Hey , what store can I find those materials ?

Good video

yeah, same problem in czech republic. But I found company that makes polysteryne products they maybe can make the 2m high desk

Once it's bolted to the base does it stand straight?

awesome and informative video! Question, will this backdrop hold a paper flower backdrop? thanks!

Hi Tiffany , which store did you go to get your Polystyrene board ? I'm in New york and home depot Ploy Bards are all bent and will not stand straight. would store like B&H have them ?

so you paint over the plastic?

How can I cut this and get clean edges?

Can you arrange a floral wall for this?

You can pain over the smooth plastic....if you choose to leave it on...with a spray can paint that is meant for plastic. Rust-O-lium sells a wide variety of colors. And if one does not match exactly, after applying the closest color, you can use "regular" paint (acrylic or other) on TOP of the plastic spray paint application. But, often after removing the plastic sheet, the texture creates a unique and pleasant painted backdrop too, once painted.

What is the best way to paint foamcore boards? I know for certain spray paint is out of the question because it will eat through the foam.

what's the density of the styrofoam ?

Also how do you make your boards stand up perfectly straight? Mine is leaning a lot :/

Did you buy the supplies at Home Depot?

You definitely can hook some together if you are not able to find the large ones. Be careful about covering in paper if you are using as a reflector. The reason these make great reflectors is because of the uneven styrofoam surface throws light in multiple directions creating a better light than flat paper. If you are just using as a backdrop, then paper away! :)

BOLT. The word you're looking for making the feet is a bolt (that goes with a nut) not a screw. That could be pretty confusing to a newbie asking for help at the hardware store.

Great idea! (but it's a bolt that goes through and is fastened by the nut. Not a screw)