Home >> Hobbies >> Photography

DIY: Foam for Props

You can use props in your pictures to create a certain look or replicate a particular style or era of picture. Props can be found in a variety of places from antique or secondhand stores to every day retailers. If you need to create a specific prop, you can use foam shapes to recreate items from the past that either no longer exist or simply are too expensive to buy or too valuable to risk in a photo shoot.

Things You'll Need

Utility knife
Medium grit sandpaper
Spray paint

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the size of the prop you need to create. If you are not able to locate the original you want to recreate, search for pictures of the item on the Internet or in libraries so you can approximate the size and shape of the object.
- 2
  Go to a local craft store and look for the section containing foam shapes. Locate the basic shape that replicates the prop you need to create. Whether it is a tall cylinder shape or more of box shape, purchase the one that is larger than the prop you need to make.
- 3
  Trace or draw the basic shape of the item onto the foam shape. Use a utility knife to cut away the excess foam until a rough version of the prop begins to appear.
- 4
  Take a piece of medium grit sandpaper and further shape the foam until it resembles the final shape and size of the prop you are creating. Paint the prop, using a can of spray paint and further paint or decorate the foam prop until it accurately resembles the item you need in your photograph.

Photography