in-lala-land

I have been into photography for a while now.  I love the process of taking pictures, editing them and sharing them with others.  One downfall to my love photography is that it is an expensive hobby.  I saw a tutorial for DIY studio equipment and couldn’t get more excited.  Studio equipment can be pretty pricey and making it at home is an inexpensive solution.

What you need

• 4 PVC Pipes (I used 3/4″x10′ Sch. 40 for all parts)
• 2 Elbows
• 2 T-Connectors
• 8 Caps (make sure they are not threaded, I made that mistake)
• 2 Cross Connectors

You will need either a hacksaw or a PVC pipe cutter to cut PVC pipe

First, make the supporting base.  Cut eight pieces about 1 1/2 feet in length, and put a cap on one end of each.  Once the first piece is cut you can use it to measure for the next pieces.

I tried to use a pipe cutter… I soon found out I didn’t have enough “man strength” and had my husband cut it for me .

Cut two pieces of pipe about 2 inches in length, and firmly stick them into a cross connectors.

Put the T-connectors on the 2 inch pieces of pipe, and stick one of your 1 1/2 foot pipe sections into the other end of the T-connector.

Put the other 1 1/2 foot pipe sections into the other open holes on the cross connectors with a T-connector on the same side of each.

For the PVC pipe frame cut two pipes to whatever size you’d like.  I made mine short enough to fit in the room in my house with the shortest ceiling height so I can shoot anywhere indoors.  After completing my stand I also decided to make a smaller frame for smaller projects.

The length of top pipe depends on how wide the fabric is. I used a twin sheet for my fabric and added a few inches to each side.  For the frame take the two side support pipes and stick one elbow on each pipe, then stick the crossbar pipe into the two elbows.

Lastly, put the two side support pipes into the tops of the T-connectors on your base, and see how your backdrop stand looks.

Finally add the fabric to the backdrop.  I bought a plain twin sheet from a thrift store for a fabric backdrop with little sewing.  Make sure the fabric is as wrinkle-free as possible.  Open the sheet pocket by using a seam ripper to open both ends of the pocket.  Slide one end of the top pipe through the sheet pocket.

If you want different heights for your backdrop use the tallest height pipes and cut it down.  Then use a coupler to attach the pipes to the tallest height again.

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