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Rustic Photography Background

August 25, 2015 by Barb 17 Comments

When shooting still life, I love using a rustic photography background. Therefore I’m aways on the lookout for new and unusual pieces to add to my collection. I have a lot of barn wood in the form of coffee tables, side tables, and potting benches. I use old doors (front and back), and my recently acquired old table, covered in scratches and paint splats. But it seems I’m never satisfied!

So begins my (shameful) story of … dumpster diving … . As we live in a rural setting, we don’t have garbage pickup, and I have to take our garbage to the dump once a week. Well, at said dump, there’s an area called “take it or leave it” and I’ve done my share of leaving (mostly junk that could go into the landfill, but with a little tlc, could be salvaged.)

But on occasion, my eye wanders as I’m dropping stuff off … and one day I spied these … and of course it’s not the poppies … or the books …

Rustic Photography Background, Keeping With the Times

kk_MatterFact

At the back of the building sat a pile of something … something I recognized, but couldn’t quite believe. It was an old Hoosier, falling apart, and not all there. I gasped. I have a Hoosier, and it’s a treasured family heirloom from my husband’s parents. Check it out here if you feel the urge to see what I’m talking about.

With a sinking feeling, I knew in my heart I wasn’t going to be able to drag the whole thing home. I’m not physically capable, my car isn’t big enough, and I couldn’t involve the hubs. On top of that, it would need to be completely restored with new pieces built from scratch … just.not.going.to.happen. What to do.

Well, I knew I could not walk away from the enamel table top, so I sheepishly dragged it to the car and hoisted it into the trunk. This table top sparked a whole series on white enamel #fromtheenameltabletop so I have no regrets about it. I know I’m going to be using it all winter, it’s easy to move, and will work extremely well with the changing light in my home.

After that,  I couldn’t stop myself … into the car went all the drawers … the pile was impressive …

old hoosier pile

When I got home, I washed the pieces, and proceeded to hide them under the deck, all the time wondering what I was turning into … an eccentric hoarder perhaps? During the summer I felt guilt and angst every time I saw the pile … but I knew … I knew I’d be using pieces of it sooner or later. And what the heck, I could always take all of it back to the dump.

So, the background for my images today is metal … a metal drawer and a metal lid. I think it looks beyond amazing, especially when one of Kim’s Lightroom presets is applied. Pure magic.

Rustic Photography Background, Keeping With the Times

kk_Truly

Rustic Photography Background, Keeping With the Times

kk_MatterFact

Rustic Photography Background, Keeping With the Times

kk_MatterFact

My only regret is I didn’t drag home more.

Filed Under: Photography Resources, Still Life Tagged With: lightroom preset, photography background, poppy

Welcome! I'm Barb, and this is where I practice my mantra to "learn something new, try something different". It's my hope that something I do here may inspire you! Read More…

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