15 Photo Props and Backdrops to Enhance Your Shoots

Lollipop Props by Westcott – Little Studio
No space? No problem. The 42 x 42 x 42-inch Little Studio unfolds to deliver a corner studio setting in any location. Its metal frame is shrouded in white diffusion fabric and has hook-and-loop edges so you can mount backdrops and floor mats with ease. When the shoot is over, the Little Studio folds down and slips into an included nylon carrying case. You can completely disassemble the studio if you really need to pack it down.

Price: $50
www.lollipopprops.com

Denny Manufacturing – Fairy Tale Trail
Among a raft of new products, Denny’s Fair Tale Trail puts your subject in a whimsical (dare we say Hobbit-esque) setting. The backdrop is available in your choice of three materials: Freedom Cloth, which is a wrinkle-free polyster that’s washable and dryer safe; Twist Flex, which uses the Freedom Cloth material but mounts it to a wire frame that can be folded down tight if you envision travelling a lot with the backdrop. Lastly, it’s available in canvas, which is a more delicate backdrop that ships with a wood mounting and Velcro straps. Sizes vary with Freedom Cloth, giving you the widest selection of size options.

Prices: start at $50
www.dennymfg.com

Lastolite – Out of Focus Background
Breaking news: Bokeh is in! With Lastolite’s Out of Focus Backgrounds, you won’t need to fiddle with your camera’s aperture to mimic that dreamy depth of field. There are a pair of double-sided backdrops in the Out of Focus line: one features a blurred seascape/autumn foliage, and the other sports summer foliage on one side and city lights on the other. At 4 x 5 feet, these backdrops should handle close to full-length portraits and will collapse to about a third of their size for transport. They weigh in at 3.3 pounds and come with their own carrying case.

Price: $181
www.lastolite.us

Photo © Lopshire Photography

Savage Universal – Translum Backdrop
Made from styrene, a wrinkle-free plastic, this versatile backdrop can be used as a light table, prop setup or a seamless background. Props or people on the other side of the backdrop are seen as shapes and eerie silhouettes. Placed in front of a light, it delivers a frosted glass effect. You can cut Translum with scissors, so you can whittle down a roll into any shape you desire. It’s available in three grades: lightweight, for a soft light effect with a 3/4-stop light loss, medium grade that eliminates most of the shadows and delivers a 1.5-stop light loss and a heavy grade that knocks back two stops of light (this grade is recommended for shooting tables and is cleanable). Medium and lightweight grades are sold in 60-inch x 18-foot rolls while the heavyweight grade is available in 54-inch x 18-foot rolls.

Price: $58 (60-inch x 18-feet)
www.savageuniversal.com

Backdrop Express – Football Field
Football season is nearly upon us and Backdrop Express’s sports and stadium-themed printed backdrops are a great way to capitalize on the bone crunching. They’re available in poly paper or vinyl in either 4 x 5-foot or 5 x 6-foot sizes, or a fabric with sizes ranging from 5 x 6.5 feet up to 10 x 10 feet in a choice of light or heavyweight. The poly paper version is water resistant and has a matte finish. If you opt for vinyl, you’ll get a more durable backdrop that’s also water resistant and has a matte finish. The heavyweight fabric is a polyester/cotton knot that’s washable and wrinkle resistant with a sewn-in rod pocket. The lightweight fabric is a 100 percent polyester weave that Backdrop Express likens to a tablecloth. It, too, is wrinkle resistant, though less than the heavyweight fabric. On the plus side, Backdrop Express says the printed design is “slightly clearer” on the lightweight version. Decisions, decisions.

Prices: Start at $50 
www.backdropexpress.com

Ink & Elm – Dip and Dots
Summer may be drawing to a close soon, but ice cream is everyone’s year-round fave. Unlike the real stuff, Ink & Elm’s Dip n Dots backdrop won’t melt on you and its matte vinyl is tear resistant, so you can use it as a floor drop, too. It’s water resistant in case some real ice cream spills from your subject’s hands (or yours, we’re not judging). You can order the backdrop with grommets along the top for an extra $8, or spend $15 to get a pole pocket along the top. Sizes range from 3 x 2 feet up to 10 x 6 feet. Yum.

Prices: Start at $20
www.inkandelm.com

PhotoPie Backdrops – Bird’s Eye View Floormat
You don’t have to browse Instagram long before you see images of people in dangerous places. You can satisfy the thrill-seeking selfie shooter with PhotoPie’s vertigo-inducing Bird’s Eye View floor mat. The bottom is made of non-slip rubber that will stay in place once it’s on the floor. The top material is felt and is imaged using a fade-resistant dye-sublimation process. Sizes range from 4 x 5 to 8 x 10 feet.

Prices: Starting at $95
www.photopiebackdrops.com

Photo © AXSYSDESIGN Newborns

Custom Photo Props – Faux Fur Mat

You can channel our cavemen ancestry with Custom Photo Prop’s Faux Fur Mat, safe in the knowledge that no animals were harmed in their making. These synthetic mats are PETA-approved, machine-washable and hypoallergenic. They can be ordered as a basket stuffer in a 20 x 32-inch size. It’s sold as a 15 x 15-inch layer or in 3 x 5-foot and 5 x 6-foot sizes. They’re super comfortable on baby’s skin as well.

Prices: Starting at $13.75
www.customphotoprops.com

Photos © Canary Gray

Drop It Modern – Sunray Fabric Panel Backdrop
Everyone wants to feel special, and when you buy a Drop It Modern fabric backdrop you’ll be one of 15 photographers to gain access to that style—the company maintains a limited inventory so that each style is more exclusive. These non-reflective canvas linen fabric backdrops are sold in 54- or 98-inch widths and 108-inch lengths. Wrinkle resistant and seamless, these backdrops can be machine washed and tumbled dry on low heat. Pictured here is Sunray.

Prices: Starting at $165
www.dropitmodern.com

Photo © Lori Dorman Photography

Blueberry Hill – Thick Knit Brown Blanket
Knitting instantly invokes homemade comforts, and Blueberry Hill’s Thick Knit Brown Blanket will shroud a baby. Ideal as basket stuffers for newborn photo shoots, this 24 x 24-inch blanket is best hand washed and air dried.

Price: $40
www.theblueberryhill.com

ProStudio USA – Hard Rock Poser
Express your love of geology with ProStudio’s Hard Rock Poser. They may look back-breaking, but these posers are made from plastic and are hollow inside so you can move them around your studio, or to a location, with ease. (Pro tip: Pretend they’re real and lift one over your head to impress friends and clients.) The poser has a flat top and is sturdy enough for an adult to sit on. The small rock measures in at 19 x 14 x 12 inches while a large model is 27 x 21 x 25 inches. Additional sizes and rock colors are also available.

Price: $59 (small); $99 (large)
www.prostudiousa.com

Photo © Shannon Bower Photography

Mr. & Mrs. And Co. – Branch Bed Prop
Mr. & Mrs. And Co. focuses on handmade backdrops and props, like the Branch Bed, made from real branches. It has a flat space that’s roughly 18 x 10 inches for a newborn to lay down on. It takes between one and three weeks to get it delivered to your studio.

Price: $65
www.mrandmrsandco.com

Photo © Vicki Taufer

Backdrops by WHCC – Through the Woods
It may be our summer issue but winter isn’t all that far off (sorry), and with White House Custom Color’s Through the Woods backdrop, you can put your subjects in a Robert Frost-esque scene without the frostbite. Like the other backdrops in WHCC’s collection, this one is made of wrinkle-free, 100 percent polyester fabric. It’s sold in either 10 x 8-feet or 6 x 8-feet sizes.

Price: Starting at $175
backdrops.whcc.com

Background Town – Wall Yellow
Get an austere rustic look with Background Town’s Wall Yellow. It’s available in two materials. NewFab is a tear resistant “paper-like” substrate that’s wrinkle resistant and won’t reflect light. It’s sold in 3.9 x 5-foot and 5 x 6.8-foot sizes. NewFab backdrops won’t come with rod pockets and aren’t machine washable. If you need a backdrop with those attributes, spring for Background Town’s UltraCloth material, a machine-washable backdrop that’s wrinkle-free and has rod pockets sewn in. It’s sold in sizes ranging from 6 x 8 to 8 x 12 feet.

Prices: Starting at $72
www.backgroundtown.com

Backdrop Outlet – Western Steam Train
We’ve warned photographers before about the very real danger (not to mention illegality) of photographing on railroad tracks. With Backdrop Outlet’s Western Steam Train backdrop, you’ll get all of the folksy wanderlust of a track shoot without the immense risk. Like other backdrops in the company’s Western collection, the Steam Train is available in sizes ranging from 5 x 6 feet to 10 x 20 feet, depending on your backdrop material. You’ll have a number of different materials to choose from, including Baby Drops, which is a heavy matte vinyl; Candy Drops, printed on a thin nylon-polyester material; and Candy Stick, a film-backed drop that can be stuck to a wall and peeled off for reuse up to 15 times. If you need something larger, the company’s Platinum is a wrinkle-free fabric that is washer- and dryer-safe.

Prices: Starting at $89
www.backdropoutlet.com