Studio Organization | DIY Backdrop Storage

Studio Organization | DIY Backdrop Storage with Lindsay Walden

Few things can make my heart sing the way it does when I walk into my studio. It just makes me happy. Partly because I love my job and feel blessed every day to do what I do. But also because I love how it is organized. A well-organized, color-coordinated studio brings such a sense of peace and tranquility.

If you are a bit of a prop addict like me, you will appreciate the challenges of keeping your space organized. With a limited amount of space we need to find a way to keep our beautiful things properly and safely stored. I also love to have them displayed so I can see them. This makes designing sessions easier when everything is visible and within reach.

I have an extensive collection of gorgeous backdrops from Intuition Backgrounds. For my smaller backdrops, I came across an ingenious method for both storing and displaying them on a wall. Another photographer shared this idea on social media and I do not recall the original poster so cannot give them credit, but bless them for their creativity!

This storage solution was relatively easy to do.

 Items Needed:

• A thin, long piece of wood (we used a flat piece of molding)
• A lot of short screws
• Some longer drywall screws
• Small clamps
• Power drill/screw driver/nail gun

1. First thing, measure the wall space where you want to hang your backdrops. Decide if you want it going all the way across the wall or just a section of the wall. We filled our wall but left about a foot on the side near our exit to stay in compliance with city codes.

2. Take that measurement to your local hardware store. You will want to purchase some kind of thin, long board. We looked in the molding department and found a flat molding that was about 2 inches by ¼ inch. We needed more than one board to fill our large wall so we used about one and a half of the molding pieces.

3. Next, cut your molding to fit your wall (if needed). If you do not have a saw you may be able to get the hardware store to cut it for you.

4. Mark on your molding how far apart you want your backdrops spaced. Initially we did several inches but realized quickly that we would run out of space too soon.  I have a lot of backdrops! So we re-did it with everything only about an inch apart. This requires us to roll up the backgrounds super tight to fit.

5. Mark on your wall where you want to install the molding. Make sure it is high enough to accommodate your backdrops. When ours are clipped to the wall they are about two inches above the base molding. Use a level to make sure you put it on straight. 

6. Install the molding on the wall using drywall screws and anchors.

7. The small metal clamps you can buy at any hardware store come with a little indention on the rubber area you squeeze to open them. We used a power drill to drill that indention to create a small hole for the screws to thread through. This made it easier to get the screws drilled in.

8. Paint the board to match your walls.

9. We then attached each clamp to the board using small black screws. 

10. Roll your backdrops up and then push the clamp and slide them in and close it. Voila!

Hope you’ve found this tutorial helpful. If you have any questions feel free to reach out at lindsay@lindsaywaldenphotography.com.

About the Author

Lindsay Walden is the owner of Lindsay Walden Photography based in Colleyville, Texas. She specializes in fine art, newborn, and maternity photography with a heavy emphasis on creating custom photo sessions.