DIY Photo Backdrop.

One of my favorite monthly (or more) DIY activities are our mini-photo shoots.

I love to take photos of my kids and almost every month there is some holiday, birthday or other special occasion that merits photos for memories. 

Knowing that photo shoots, even mini sessions, can run from $40 to $100 for a half hour, I knew I had to find an alternative to getting cute "in studio" shots of my kids.

With a little help from my favorite site, PINTEREST, I found the perfect solution for at home inexpensive photo shoots. 

My awesome husband picked up some PVC pipe at Home Depot for about $15.

We then cut the PVC pipe into 12 pieces based on the width and height we wanted our backdrop to be.

 4 feet 5inches x 2.

2 feet 5 inches x 4.

1 foot 5 inches x 2.

1 foot x 4.

We chose to make the height adjustable for kid sessions or adult uses. The backdrop can easily go from 4 feet tall to almost 7 feet tall with a simple attachment.

We made two legs to help the backdrop stand on its own and take the weight of the backdrop paper/cloth and also any accessories. 

For the legs and adjustable heights, you'll need the pictured below PVC attachments

When the adjustments are added to the correct pieces they will look like this. 

The simple design of this photo booth stand allows for multiple uses and heights, accommodating not only our little ones during family mini sessions, but also backdrops for adults at baby showers and blogger parties. 

The Standard design measures:

Height: 4ft. 9inches Width: 5ft. 3inches.

The Adjusted Standard (with attachments) measures:

Height: 6ft. 4inches.

Width: 5ft. 3inches.

If you're hosting a party for GIANTS there is one more adjustment you can make for an extra tall photo backdrop .

This Extended version measures:

Height: 6ft 10.5inches  Width: 4 ft. 8.5inches

The backdrop easily can be taken apart and stored without taking up tons of extra space in your home or a closet. 

To finish off the "in studio" look, we purchased a small rectangle piece of pexi-glass.

The pexi-glass is sturdy enough to support the weight of children for any shots being taken while sitting! It really adds a polished finish to the photos. 

The pexi glass is a little more expensive, but if you keep your eye out at the hardware store, sometimes they cut pieces in usual sizes that they have a hard time selling and will discount down. Also if you find one with a small scratch or nick on the outer sides you can get it for cheaper.

My pexi glass piece is 32inches by 44inches. Was about $15.

Between the PVC pipe and Pexi glass, we spent about $30.

$30 for something I can use 100 times vs the alternative is a great deal. 

I use my iPhone for all my photos and buy most of my props and backdrop cloths in the dollar section.  On average I spend about $10 for specficic themed (seasonal/holiday/celebration) backdrop accessories. 
Here are some of the fun times we've used our photo backdrop.

We hope this posts gives you an idea of how you can make cute photo shoots with your kids for a price you can afford! 
Be sure to share with us photos if you make a backdrop of your own! Happy DIY photo taking!