I find that there are about a million little chores to do in a photography business. Something I have been meaning to do for a little while now is dedicate a some time to making backgrounds for my overhead food shots. You know the kind, sort of like cement or metal with lots of texture but fairly harmonies and not too distracting. I started with a roll of vinyl and some acrylic gesso in white and black. First I painted the vinyl a solid dark gray. The first coat isn’t vital, you just need to cover the vinyl. I did it with kind of a stipple with a 2” natural hair brush. Then my philosophy is to add lighter paint thinly to the dar undercoat and try and disguise the fact that you didi it with a paint brush. I get the white or light gray paint and water it down so it settles in bubbly little patches then quickly grab a sheet of paper and cover my wet paint, I rub it down and pull the paper back up. The result is a texture that feels very organic and unlike a paint brush. I finished two backdrops today. I am not sure if they are perfect but they have a lot of depth and I am inspired to use them soon.
Here is one of the backdrops with a plate for context,I think it looks a bit like an old piece of metal.
Next I plan on trying some lighter and darker versions. I think it might be smart to try using different papers for blotting up the lighter paint. I have been using glassine and have also tried butchers paper but it might be interesting to try some plastic wrap because it doesn’t absorb and should have a higher contrast look.
Now to experiment and see what I can come up with. In the coming months I plan to make some wood tops and product photography backgrounds as well. I will post my process when I do. Thanks for joining me.