Photo Pie Photography Backdrop Review

I have been specializing in newborn photography for several years, working primarily with fabrics and props, but not many actual backdrops. Now that I’m also offering glamour and makeover sessions, I thought this would be the perfect time to try a new backdrop. That’s why I was really excited about the chance to try a Photo Pie backdrop. This PrismaCloth 9’x16′ Shabby Chic backdrop to be specific.

The backdrop did arrive creased and wrinkly, but after about a day and half hanging in the studio, most of that had worked itself out. I clipped the backdrop quite taut on my stand and that was that. I didn’t even need to pull out my steamer.

It’s a beautiful, classic design that leaves room for adding your own artistic touches. I had a ton of fun planning a set around the backdrop and have several other looks I’d like to use for future sessions. The doors are slightly blurred on the drop, making it easy to create a nice soft look behind your subjects. When shooting wide open, the design did almost completely disappear. It took a little playing around to find the perfect shooting setup to achieve the desired look but that’s the case with every new setup or backdrop.

Despite its massive size (9’x16′), this backdrop is surprisingly light and portable. The size did make it difficult to set up alone and required a lot of moving my step ladder from one side to the other to readjust to ensure the wall/floor line was both straight and realistically placed. After the setup, I loved that there was so much “floor” space to work with. With about 8’ of floor space, you could easily add a small sofa, or a couple of chairs, if you wanted to and still have plenty of space to play with! For this particular session, I was shooting a 9-month-old baby so all this extra space was really unnecessary and likely made it more difficult to keep the wrinkles out.

As someone who does not have a lot of experience with using floor drops, I did have some difficulty keeping the floor section wrinkle free while my 9 month old subject tried to escape. I ended up taping along the entire edge of the floor portion and found that helped quite a bit but I did still end up with some wrinkles that I had to remove in post. I think it would have helped if the material were a little bit thicker/sturdier. I don’t see this being such an issue with older children or adults.

Overall, the beautiful design completely outweighs the slightly tricky setup and the ideas continue to flow! I can’t wait to use this backdrop for my next glamour session! I’m thinking beautiful vintage sofa, sparkly chandelier and stunning tulle gown…

Visit Photo Pie Backdrops to browse hundreds of designs in three fabric options and premade or custom sizes, or create your own custom design!

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Disclosure: I received a sample item for review. All opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ.

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Rachel is a portrait photographer at Rachel Lee Photography in Maple Ridge, BC. Connect with her on her website or on Facebook.