One thing that’s “all the rage” for photographers, is vinyl or poly-paper drops that look like wood flooring. It’s actually very impressive how realistic it can look! I’ve been so impressed that I’ve spent hours browsing “drop shops” that carry faux floors. From barnwood, to distressed white wash, they have just about any kind of “wood” that you can imagine in an easy to use, easy to store format…..
….for a big buck! 🙂
I admit that I was drooling over these floors and the shots that other photographers were achieving with them, but my budget for props did not include a “cha-ching” fake floor drop. So, I tried to get a little creative with my options and I picked up a box of handy-dandy snap together flooring from a local DIY store. 🙂 I really had no concept of how large the flooring would be, so I only grabbed one box, and got it for around $16.
As it turns out, it was the perfect size! I eventually snagged another box a different store in a darker wood, so I’d have a couple of options. The second box was a little larger square footage, but they both work great for what I’d like them for, which is kids and baby portraits. If I wanted to use the flooring for adults and groups, I’d likely need more of it.
This is a great option for non-permanant floors that you can change out, to keep things fresh. It does require a bit of storage, though nothing I couldn’t easily fit in a closet. And it does require a little time to set up/tear down. Still it’s only a few minutes. And it can easily fit in a car trunk for toting to clients homes, which I have done! They may think I’m attempting to move in with them for a month, but it all goes together and comes apart pretty quickly. 😉
I like to put the floor down first and then set up other “set-ups” on top of it, using it as the last. It provides a firm surface even when on carpet, and thats nice too! Wipes clean after a cake smash no problem. Bonus, I don’t have to worry about bumps, lumps or wrinkles in it that might occur with a vinyl drop.
All in all I’m glad this was the way I went, and I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for a couple other “wood” options that I have in mind as well. 🙂
