Budget DIY Photography Props

Backdrops

• Go to a fabric store and browse the quilting section. Choose muslin fabrics to use as backdrops; they're inexpensive, durable and easily dyed. You'll pay less than half for a muslin backdrop at a local fabric store than if you order photography muslins from a studio prop supplier.

  Use dye to create a variety of backdrop colors, including black, white, gray and brown. Fill a five-gallon bucket with water and dye, and use rubber bands to tie off areas of the muslin to create lines and patterns on the fabric, if desired. Sew a slender three-inch-wide pocket along the length of the muslin, at the top, to accommodate the cross bar of a portable studio stand. Use bags of sand to weigh down the bottom of the backdrop prop.

Chairs

• Browse the furniture section of local retailers. Look for back-to-school sales of dorm-type furniture for funky chairs and bright, colorful pillows. Look at kitchen table sets for high-back wooden chairs. Consider wooden kitchen bar stools and folding stools instead of expensive studio stools. Wooden stepstools with cushion tops work well to have a person kneel on during a portrait.

Children's Props

• Visit a teacher supply store or craft retailer for large foam letters and numbers to be used as props. These work well for birthdays and graduation portraits, and for spelling out names. Add paint to reflect local school colors or garlands of flowers for a feminine look.

  Purchasing child-sized chairs, tables and stools at photography prop retailers can be costly. Consider shopping at your local furniture retailer, in the children's bedroom section. Miniature wooden chairs, rockers and even recliners are available, many of which match with adult-sized pieces of furniture. These sturdy, real furniture items are often more durable and better constructed than chairs sold as props.