How to make a do-it-yourself photophone: a master class, interesting ideas and recommendations

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:40

If you are into food photography or product photography, you know very well that one of the most important components of a good shot is the right and beautiful background. Moreover, if you use it from shot to shot, then it is the background that can become the calling card of the photographer.

Which background to use

For photographs, you can use light uniform surfaces or original textured ones: you can use an old wooden table, textured fabric with an original pattern, brick and even artificial marble.

It's good if the photographer's studio already has original textured surfaces, and if not, how to make a photo background with your own hands. Very often, photographers use artificial or real pieces of various materials. But the question arises of storing such items. However, there is another way out: original photophonesyou can do it yourself, while the cash costs will be minimal, and storing and moving them is quite simple.

How to make a do-it-yourself photophone out of wood

Wood backdrops are one of the most sought after today. Most often they are used in food photography, as well as to create a photo in the style of flat lay. You can make a wooden background yourself using the most ordinary boards. To emphasize the texture, the finished surface can be coated with acrylic paint or stain.

Production method

If you do not know how to make a wooden photo background with your own hands, then you can use one of the easiest ways. To work, you will need several wooden boards, liquid nails, sandpaper, a special matte wood varnish or stain.

The boards are sawn according to the dimensions of the desired result, if necessary, each must be sanded with sandpaper. If desired, the tree can be aged as much as possible by treating its surface with a brush for brushing wood.

When the boards are ready, they need to be fastened together. For this, it is best to use liquid nails, especially if you need to make a double-sided background. The boards are laid out next to each other face down (should be a square or rectangle). Liquid nails are applied perpendicular to the first layer and fix the second layer of boards (also perpendicular to the frontside up). When the liquid nails dry, the background surface must be stained.

If you have been wondering how to make a do-it-yourself photophone out of wood, then you should know that your background is almost ready. At the discretion, the stain can be applied several times, allowing each layer to dry. To emphasize the texture of the surface, the boards must be thoroughly sanded with sandpaper. Double-sided background can be painted in two colors. In conclusion, each side is covered with a matte varnish in two layers, so the surface will be protected from grease, water, etc.

How to make a do-it-yourself photophone for concrete

Photophone is of interest to many photographers, it can be a great location for a wide variety of shots. Such a background looks quite aesthetically pleasing, does not distract attention from the main model of the shooting, while perfectly shading it.

It is quite easy to make such a background from improvised materials at home. And although the name contains the word "concrete", however, for such a background you only need putty on wood. Additionally, “color” is useful - this is ink of a certain color, which will give the background a special shade. Suppose, in order to make a gray background, you need to purchase putty, spatula and black color. When mixing white putty and black dye, you get a gray tint, which is applied to a wooden base.

Required materials and manufacturing steps

To make a background for a photo under concrete, you need to prepare:

• wood background;
• a can of wood putty;
• colour of the required color;
• spatula.

Thinking about how to make a photophone with your own hands, first of all you need to choose a base, for these purposes you can use sheets of chipboard, plywood, etc. Everyone chooses the sizes on their own, but the most optimal one is 50x50 cm. so that the wood is not wet, otherwise the putty will fall off. The same will happen if there are greasy stains on the wooden base. The background can be pre-treated with a primer - it will improve the tenacity of the putty with the background.

Next, you need to use putty. It is applied in a thin layer, covering all cracks and potholes. As a result, you should have a flat surface in front of you.

The second layer of putty creates a pattern on the background. In this case, you can work with white putty, or dilute it with black paint to get a gray tint. The background is covered with small movements, while the tree should not be visible.

When the work is finished, the background is given 5-10 minutes to dry. Then the spatula is moistened in water and once again passed over the surface to form stains on it. You should not form them too high, strokes about 0.3 cm high will be enough. The finished background is allowed to dry for about 1-2 days at room temperature.

Paper backgrounds

If we talk about paper, then this is perhaps one of the most budget options. It is perfect for occasional filming and home use. If you don't know how to dodo-it-yourself photophone made of paper, then do not be afraid, because it is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. The most commonly used in the work are wallpaper rolls, whatman paper, corrugated paper, etc.

The paper is light, easy to install, store and transport, but its main disadvantage is the lack of strength and soiling. If such a background is laid out on the floor, then it will most likely be disposable, since stains and marks in the photographs are very noticeable.

If you don't know how to make a do-it-yourself photophone out of cardboard, then you can use the most ordinary wallpaper to make a background at home. Moreover, they can not be covered with anything, because today there are wallpapers with a wide variety of textures and patterns that will look very nice in photographs. Of course, it is not advisable to purchase a whole roll for several shots, but you can also find the necessary wallpaper trimming at home, because many people have such trimmings after repairs.

Fabric Photophone

A fabric base for a background or a fabric with a pattern printed on it is used quite often. This is not surprising, since it is quite durable, ironed and fairly easy to transport. What's more, the fabric backing is fairly easy to attach, looks great in photos, and doesn't scatter or reflect light. You just need to figure out how to make a fabric photophone with your own hands.

Fabric background or canvas is enoughjust hang it on a wooden or metal frame and your own portable backdrop is ready. It is best to choose a textured fabric, of course, you can also find fabric with patterns, but it is worth remembering that the background should remain the background, and the patterns should not be too noticeable (you cannot “interrupt” the subject of filming).

The downside of the fabric can be its breaks and irregularities, which are not intended by the plot. The advantage is that such a photophone can be absolutely any size, while it can be mounted on a wall, gate, etc.

How to quickly make a photophone: the easiest way

To get a beautiful photo, it is not necessary to make a background of wood, paper or fabric. If you are interested in how to make a do-it-yourself photophone quickly and at no cost, then this method will be a great find for you.

Without much effort, you can get a wide variety of background colors and textures, and you can make a lot of them, since such backgrounds do not take up much space.

You just need to prepare a camera with a good resolution and wait for good weather. The main task is to choose the necessary textures. You can take pictures of an old fence, a crumbling wall, a large snag, etc. In this case, the photos must be clear, sharp and not overexposed.

And then it's a matter of technique…

At home it remains only to view the photos. You need to select only those areas in the photo that are suitable for the background. With photoshopyou can remove all unnecessary (leaves, stones, etc.), and make a suitable background by applying different filters, tones, contrast, etc.

The finished files are to be taken to the printing house and printed, choosing the appropriate size for yourself. However, in order to use photophones in further work, it is necessary to use sufficiently thick sheets of paper for printing.

If you figure out how to make a photo background with your own hands, then you can get an impressive option. However, you need to remember that a good background and the presence of a professional camera will not become the basis of a beautiful picture. In addition, you need to follow the basic rules of photography, think over the composition and put an idea into the photo, and then the photos will be interesting not only for you, but also for others.