How to Make a Rustic Photo Backdrop for Dark Food Photography by Brooke Lark

6/25/2016 ISO 1200 Magazine 0 Comments

Stop paying hundreds of dollars (and hundreds of hours) hunting down rustic barn doors for your food photography backdrops. With a 14.46€ sheet of galvanized steel (purchased from your local hardware store) and a handful of easy-to-find tools and paints, you can create stunning, perfect-sized sheets for your shots.

When trying this at home, Brooke Lark recommends working in the sun on a warm day. Your paint will dry so much faster. And, as mentioned in the video: this is an art, not a science. Use these basic techniques and start playing. You really can't mess these backdrops up.

Wondering about the bleach spray? She sprays a light bleach-water rinse between layers to create a variety of textures on my backdrops. Water or water+salt solutions work, as well. No matter what you use, always work outside, in a well ventilated area. And don't forget the mask and plastic gloves. (She didn't wear gloves and had stained hands for weeks. Damn! There were no syrup-pouring shots for days!)