20150407

26 Easy Blog Photo Background & Prop Ideas

  

I often get asked on my blog and Instagram where I get my blog props and backgrounds from, so I decided I'd do a post showing you what I use as they're either really cheap or just everyday items. I'm going to shoot the same lipstick (MAC Jubilee) with all the different backdrops so you can get an idea of how you can play around with just the one product. 


Obviously I'm not saying I'm the best photographer ever (some of these are questionable, it gets boring shooting the same lipstick over and over...) but these are just some of my ideas! I'm sure a lot of you could take these ideas and do something a lot better with them than I have in this post.

1. Artificial Flowers


I picked up these from IKEA for a couple of pounds each - I think this is a really good idea with Spring/Summer on the way and there are so many ways you can incorporate them.

2. Magazine


Fashion magazines have gorgeous covers, adverts and editorials so grabbing one for a few pounds is a good investment as you can shoot against a new background just by turning to a different page. You can even pick these up for free, like the ASOS and Topshop magazines I often use.

3. Favourite Jewellery


Dot around the jewellery you've been wearing recently in the shot. Mine is just affordable costume jewellery from Accessorize and River Island.

4. Decorative Plate or Tray


There are loads of ways you can incorporate a pretty tray or plate into the shop and here are just a few. In the first image is an IKEA candle holder (less than £3), the middle image shows a H&M Home marbled plate (I think this was £4) and the final one is a tray from George at Asa (£12). 


5. Dressing Table


A simple classic: just show the product on your dressing table! This is a nice way to get to know you a little better by having a peak at where the makeup magic happens.

6. Favorite Candle or Tea Lights


A variation is to have your favourite decorative candle burning in the background. If you don't have one you think would work then try H&M's Home section for affordable, Instagram-worthy candles. If you prefer flat shots you can light some tea lights or buy some decorative ones like these floral ones from Urban Outfitters.

7. Favourite Fragrance


My third variation is to show the product with your favourite perfume or fragrance in a stylish bottle. 

8. Wallpaper Sample


You can pick up free wallpaper samples from large DIY stores, this one is from B&Q.

9. Flooring Sample


I'm sure you'll have come across this one! This is another B&Q sample, this time of laminate flooring and will set you back just £2.

10. Makeup Brushes


This is maybe one better for relevant products you'd use the brushes with, but still! Pretty brushes like these from Zoeva can really add something to your image.

11. Fairy Lights


Another really easy way to add a little extra to your image is to throw some fairy lights on it! These are from Urban Outfitters.

12. Placemat


If you've been reading my blog for a while, this Sainsbury's placemat will look familiar! If you don't have some pretty placemats lying around your house, you can pick up some lovely ones from any supermarket.

13. Fabric or Bedding


Pick up a fabric sample or use your bedding! I sometimes use my bedding from George at ASDA or Urban Outfitters and in the above image I've used a throw from Primark that only cost me around £12.

14. Paper


Simple, but seeing the product swatched on some paper can be really helpful.

15. Photo Frame & Postcard


Grab a pretty photo frame and if you're feeling extra creative, put a pretty postcard in it too. In my image I've put a postcard from Paperchase in a photo frame from Urban Outfitters.

16. Beauty Storage


 

You can photograph a product standing up in front of your storage, or if you have acrylic drawers like these ones from Muji you might want to try putting some pretty products in them and laying the product on top. If you have removable drawers you can also take a photo of the product in the drawer.

17. Trinkets or Ornaments


Any kind of ornaments you can find around the house. In the first image I've used the lid off a glass jar from Home Bargains that I store cotton wool pads in. In the second, a decorative seashell I got on holiday. If you can't find anything lying around the house you can pick up decorations very cheaply, like the filigree heart in the third image for £2.50 from Primark.

18. Notebook


If you have a pretty notebook, try using that. Mine is from Paperchase.

19. Book


Coffee table books generally have really nice photos and illustrations so can  make great backgrounds. Here I've used the cover of Fleur de Force's Glam Guide.

20. Poster Paper


Mine is in a poster frame, as I have these for my wall decorations it would've been too hard to get it out again but you can get stuff like this from Paperchase and Urban Outfitters.


21. Potpourri


You can use a bowl of potpourri in the background of busier shots or put the product in it. My bowl and potpourri were both very cheap from Matalan.

22. Matching Accessories or Products


If you have a product with gold packaging and brushes with a gold finish then you can pair those together or put similar products in the shot (just make sure it's clear which one you're talking about!)

23. Purse (and Contents)


If you have a nice purse then it might be an idea to include it in your shot. If you used a points card to buy it then you could include that too.

24. Shopping Bag


I often include the shopping bag of where I bought the product in haul posts.

25. Makeup Bag



The one I've used here is from Alphabet Bags, however if you don't already have a pretty makeup bag, Primark has some lovely ones for as little as £2.50.

26. Brochures or Adverts




Promotional materials can look really stylish and you can get them for free easily (I was randomly sent this one from Jo Malone in the post). If you have one for the brand/product you're featuring then even better!

Of course you can experiment and mix things up to work out what you like but I hope these little ideas are a good starting point if you've been lacking in inspiration. It's always good to have a refresh, as I think most of us tend to default to doing the same thing. Even writing this post has given me some new ideas! I really recommend Homesense, Matalan, Primark, H&M Home, IKEA and Asda if you need to buy anything but don't want to spend too much money.

What props and backgrounds do you use in your blog photos?


 


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75 comments

  1. I always wonder where people get their props from! Great post. I think I'm going to take a trip to B&Q for some flooring!

    Jenna xx | Jenna Loves Beauty

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow you have some great backgrounds, I generally use wallpaper or just a white table but I might have to invest in a few more from this post :)

    Pams Stuff and Things

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's quite fun to play around and switch things up if you get bored :) xx

      Delete
  3. I always really love your photos, so thank you for sharing your ideas :)

    Gill x EyelinerFlicks

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  4. Your photos are such high quality! These will come in helpful, thank you x

    Jasmine || blogsallbeautyy.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  5. I really like the backgrounds and props in this post. I use some of them but these days I am so lazy!! I am planning a similar post soon but with a little spin...lovely post as always!!!...xx

    http://www.fashstyleliv.com/

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  6. Such a great post! I love trying out new backgrounds x
    Emma | Emmys Blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's definitely the first thing I switch up when I start to feel things getting stale! xx

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  7. Such an interesting post. Love your pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you so much for this! I have struggled with my photography since the beginning, no idea what to use or do for props so this post is so helpful and informative for me. I will be bookmarking this for future references and I assure you that it will be many! xx

    Shireen | Reflection of Sanity

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  9. I love this post, just goes to show that you can use practically anything as a background for your photos! I tend to use magazines for my photos but you've given me a lot of other ideas x

    Blushhx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to have helped :) and yeah there are so many things you probably have lying around in your house that would look fab! xx

      Delete
  10. What a coincidence! I just wrote about this topic a couple months ago, I'm exploring my photo background at the moment. Trying every possibility with every property I've already had at home :)

    Here's my post about Blog Photography, it's in Indonesian actually but you can use the translation tool on the side bar ;)
    http://silvertreasure.blogspot.com/2015/01/blog-101-blog-photography-part-1.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah it's always good to see what you might already have that can be used :) xx

      Delete
  11. I've always thought your props and photo backdrops are top! Your list here is endless, love it! :)

    Style Sunrise ☀

    :)
    x

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great post! I used my £5 white ikea table and sometimes flowers as props - I am definitely looking into more props though x

    Heather | Of Beauty & Nothingness x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. £5 is amazing for a table! I may invest in one for blogging purposes! xx

      Delete
  13. This is a super helpful post! I'm definitely going to be using some of these ideas :) I usually just use a wallpaper sample as my background, but I'm slightly bored of it now haha.

    Emily//Beauty and Lifestyle Blog

    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah getting new props is an easy way to spice things up if you're getting bored :) xx

      Delete
  14. Thank you for posting this tips! Really useful for me
    Nice post! xoxo

    B E A U T Y B L O G | www.nonahitampahit.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. You've got some great background ideas. I try to experiment a good bit but my favourite ways have got to be simple & bright background. Love using the B&Q floor sample haha x

    Beauty with charm

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh great post as sometimes I need some inspiration for pieces to include in photographs to make them a bit more visually attractive. I sometimes take photos against magazines, or with jewellery in the background. I like taking them against patterned wrapping paper or have colourful postcards as props as well.

    Sarah xo | PolkaDotLemon

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah they're all really good ideas for brightening things up a bit :) xx

      Delete
  17. This is a great post. I'm always trying to keep my post visually interesting and these are great ways to do so. :)
    http://www.lipstickisalife.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah it's nice to switch things up regularly xx

      Delete
  18. These are some really helpful ideas that I might have to use. Lovely post.

    olivia - mycluelessmind.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is such a great post! Thank you for some brilliant ideas

    Nikita | nikitabatavia.com

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  20. This is such a great post! I love using flowers and magazines but will also have a look at B&Q for flooring samples. Thanks for sharing your great ideas. :D x

    Renata | Speaking Beauty UK

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome - I'm glad it's been of use :D xx

      Delete
  21. Fab post hun, some really great tips :) I do love artificial flowers and Ikea really do the best :) I did not know you could get wood samples - I’m definitely going to B&Q now haha. My favourite way is by using fairy lights, have a slight addiction to them ;)

    Charlee XO | CharmedCharlee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love fairy lights too - must use them more as they're so pretty! xx

      Delete
  22. My fave post today some amazing tips and I have loads of these items at home

    Who would have thought samples of flooring im goung to b & q this weekend xx

    Laura@ Liberty Loves Makeup

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww thank you :) and it's great if you don't have a super-stylish table/surface already in your home as it allows you to fake it! xx

      Delete
  23. Fab post, Jasmine! I'll be saving it for later when I'm stuck in a photography rut! x

    Always, Alice x

    ReplyDelete
  24. Such great ideas!

    shewhoisshort.blogspot.co.uk

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  25. My current favourite background is my DIY marble worktop! So pretty xx

    Halcyon Velvet

    ReplyDelete
  26. Great post. Really good ideas.

    Jenn | Jennifer Jayne

    ReplyDelete
  27. nice post honey!!! cool pictures ;)
    Check it out my new
    post: http://www.honeyandcotton.org/cheap-and-glamour-wedding-dress-only-in-cocomelody-com/
    Big Hug.
    Nunù.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thank you so much for these tips! It's definitely something I need help with haha

    Tara Eavan x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww I feel you - though if I can improve, I'm sure anyone can! xx

      Delete
  29. I tend to stick to a white background (I know) but I've been trying to incorporate some props here or there, especially as I can't always achieve that brightness that I want. Thanks for the ideas!


    Beauty Isles | An Island Girl's Beauty and Lifestyle Blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well everyone has their own style :) a plain white background can really showcase the product xx

      Delete
  30. I have been looking for the faux wood for a while now! Thanks for the heads up!!

    Angie x | Chocolate & Lipstick || UK Beauty and Lifestyle Blog

    ReplyDelete
  31. I went to B&Q for that floor sample too after reading about it. I couldn't figure out which blogger recommended it but I guess I've found my answer. Thanks for sharing these amazing prop things all from the house.

    Liza | www.yaalia.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've seen it around quite a lot :)
      And yeah you'd be surprised the things you can find without spending a penny! xx

      Delete
  32. Wow, this post was so helpful with the pictures photographing the same product!
    RachelShuchatMakeup

    ReplyDelete
  33. Such a brilliant, helpful post. Your blog is quickly becoming my go-to for inspiration, love it :)

    Elle
    www.theellenextdoor.com
    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww thank you so much - such a lovely thing to say :D xx

      Delete
  34. Amazing ideas! I always struggle for backgrounds so this post is really helpful :)
    Daniela xo
    danielascribbles.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  35. This is such a great post, definitely got some new ideas! Love the flooring/wallpaper sample idea. Thanks for this Jasmine, must have been a bit annoying taking so many photos of the same item haha!

    Emma x
    Writing Essays With Wine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you :) and yes it took some patience haha xx

      Delete
  36. Great tips ! I really like helpful post like this one . well done !:)

    http://allornothing-blog.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  37. This is really helpful as I have been trying to make my photos look more professional and interesting :)

    Sarah | sarahanne14.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  38. Great post! This is something I really struggle with. Definitely going to put some of your tips into practice, thanks :)
    Kirsty x


    PrettyBugBlog.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I found this really useful as I normally struggle for inspiration but this has really helped

    http://vintagefleurx.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
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