Easy Christmas photos at home with a DIY string light backdrop

Studio photos can be fun for Christmas. But if you’re more of a DIYer and have some string lights lying around, you can easily create a fun Christmas backdrop at home for your own mini session.

Here’s how to create the simple and fun backdrop. You’ll need two flat white sheets, safety pins, a long length of string lights and somewhere to take your photos. A bed with a neutral quilt cover and a blank wall behind for your backdrop to go on would work good.

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Making the easy DIY string light backdrop for your Christmas photos

Start by spreading one of the sheets out flat on the floor. Working back and forth in a zigzag, safety-pin the string lights to the sheet. You are aiming for an even spread of lights all over the sheet.

Keep track of where the light power lead leaves the sheet. This will need to go near your power source!

Next, place the other sheet over the first and pin it around the edges. One at each corner and one or two in the middle of each side should be enough.

Setting up your DIY string light backdrop

In your photo location, lift the backdrop up and hang it behind your set, with the top sheet (the one without the lights pinned to it) facing out. You could use a backdrop stand, or clip it using strong clamps to a high bed head, or thumbtack it to the wall.

Turn the lights on — the fabric should diffuse the light through the material creating a beautiful, soft, Christmassy effect!

Use soft fabrics like a plush quilt, fake fur blankets, cushions, soft toys and so on, to create a cute photo space in front of your backdrop.

Tips for your DIY Christmas mini session

Get the kids dressed in cute Christmas outfits, and have them sit in the photos space. Set your camera to the widest aperture you can (an f/1.8 lens helps) to blur out the background and get beautiful bokeh from the light backdrop.

Give the kids something to do or hold, like a book or Christmas baubles, to distract them. Watch for the smiles and then click away. For more tips on how to photograph kids, check out my blog.

Add a tripod to get in the photos yourself. A remote or an intervalometer will help! An intervalometer works by triggering the camera every second, twice a second, etc. You’ll have a heap of photos to sort through, but it’s worth it to get yourself in the shot.

Storing your DIY string light backdrop for next Christmas

If you don’t need your sheets back for your bed, take the backdrop down carefully, lay it flat on the ground, and then carefully fold it up. The lights should all stay in place and it will be ready to unfold for next year!

For more no-stress Christmas photo ideas, check out this article, or this one on capturing the little moments of Christmas. And here’s another DIY to get you warmed up for the festive season!