Stacking the deck for fall photos

 We recently lost a big oak tree in our back yard-it just fell over one day and, although it proved to be eaten away inside by ants, you would never have known from the outside that there was anything wrong with it. From the rings, it appears to have been 170 years old and I really miss it. The kids used to climb it when they were younger, birds sat in it and my son had senior pictures taken in front of it. Now it is almost all cut up and removed and the garden looks kind of empty. We had another tree taken down earlier in the summer so I wanted to plant some more trees that will eventually fill in some of the space. We chose two red maples and a willow. The willow is in a part of the yard that floods and the maples are where we can see them against the other trees. In the back of my mind I was setting up a backdrop for future fall photo sessions.

 The trees are just coming into their full fall glory as I write but rain and cold wind are threatening to undo the magic. I started thinking about how to stack the deck a little, in case my clients leave it too late for fall family pictures. I bought an inexpensive backdrop which looks like a window with a bright fall scene outside and set about trying it out with the grandchildren. What a fun concept! An outdoor session certainly has more room for creativity but when the weather doesn't cooperate, it is a great option!

I must admit, I am a little obsessed with these backdrops. They have a limited use, so I have to control my impulses to stockpile them. I have another backdrop that has a weathered blue door surrounded by bougainvillea that instantly transports my subject to the South of France! My studio is small, so I buy smaller sizes, good for a couple of people at most. The backdrops I like are sold by a company called Kate Backdrops.  They are printed on a wrinkle-resistant microfiber material with no shine, machine washable, made in China. Many of the designs are available on Amazon, hundreds more from the company direct.

When I take pictures at events, there is often a "selfie station" with a backdrop for portraits. These backdrops tend to be rather shiny plastic and intended for one time use. At some point in the event, I will be asked to take portraits against the backdrop and those pictures often require the most work to edit, removing wrinkles and straightening edges. 

With winter approaching, I will be doing more indoor sessions. My business headshot clients may choose a plain backdrop but the fun backdrops will liven up my sessions with children and families!