14 photo props & background ideas

I always like to change around my backgrounds and props that I use for photos. Sometimes I like to add a lot of props and sometimes I like to have none and have my photos simple, it just depends. I've rounded up 14 of my favourites to share with anyone who might need ideas. 

1. Tray and dish: Trays and dishes are a good background/prop to use. You can take photos in them, in front of them or on the edges of them (I guess it depends on the tray/dish). I use a tray and a dish, however I use the dish more. 

I use my Ikea dish so much. It's probably my most used prop in my photos. I did actually buy it to use in my photos. I like using the whole dish in photos or even just the edges. This was inexpensive and it's actually a candle dish. The small one is £1.50 and theres a larger and similar one for £4 (I have the smaller one).

The tray that I occasionally use, is this white wooden tray from B&M. I don't use it that often, although I want to start to more. This wasn't expensive at all. I can't find it on B&M's website, but it was definitely under £5!

2. Book and magazine: I really like how books and magazines look in photos. I use my Tanya Burr book sometimes for photos as it's mostly white and fits well into my photos. I love having things on it and next to it.

I've used my Vogue and Glamour magazines before in photos. I think I've used a couple of different pages. There's so many pages that you could use in magazines or you could use the covers. If you have any magazines, then they'd be really good for photos.

3. A scarf: Scarves are one of my favourites to add in photos during the Autumn/Wintertime. They look nice in the corner of photos, or with things on.

4. Mini pinecones: These mini pinecones are so nice for adding into photos during the Autumn and Wintertime. They're good for filling in small gaps or to just look nice. These were inexpensive and these were from Garsons.

5. Fairy lights: Fairy lights look so lovely in photos. I think I've only done this a couple of times, but it just looks so pretty.

6. Marble sticky back plastic: Marble backgrounds are very popular. Last year I decided to make my own marble stuff for backgrounds. I bought some sticky back plastic from Amazon. It wasn't expensive and I've put it on a glass chopping board that had never been used, a coaster and the back of an old whiteboard. It's a really nice background to have and just adds a nice effect if you don't want an all white background.

7. Coasters: Like I said in the previous idea, I marbled a coaster. Coasters are really nice to use in photos. I just love having a simple background, with my marble coaster in the middle with a makeup item on.

8. Box: This pink box is one that I've used a lot in the backgrounds of my photos. It's a baby pink, quilted Ariana Grande box. I got this with the ARI perfume box set. I love having this in the backgrounds of my photos, it gives a nice bit of colour.

9. Top of my chest of drawers/desk: One of my all time favourite backgrounds is my plain white top of my chest of drawers/desk. Sometimes I just want a simple, white background.

10. Rug: Rugs are also good for backgrounds. I used to use my rug a lot. This is a faux fur rug from Ikea and it was £10! Rugs are good for flat lays as nothing will roll away.

11. Bags: Bags look really nice in backgrounds. I've used a bag a couple of times and it just adds a bit of colour (well, this pink one does).

12. Throws: Throws are also good to use as backgrounds. If you're taking photos of products then a throw will stop them from rolling away, however your products wont stay stood up on a throw. For flat lays this is good.

13. Fake flowers: Fake flowers are a good background prop. During the Spring and Summertime I like to add these in the background, it gives my photos a bit more colour.

14. Wallpaper: If you have patterned wallpaper then that'll be good for backgrounds. I like to sometimes add my floral wallpaper in the background of my photos.

What is your favourite background/props to have in photos? 

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