Some of the newer trends tend to be leaning more towards the urban or industrial looks. I personally love these looks and try to get at least one or two new backdrops for the studio each year, while removing one or two of the oldest. This keeps the studio's options fresh and changing and you force yourself to not shoot the same backdrop all the time. As a studio you want to provide a wide variety of options for your clients, but at the same time you do not want every photo you take to look exactly like all the others.

So bottom line - spice up your studio a bit with some fun backdrops, and have the old standbys on tap as well. White, Black, Gray all still need to be the go to back drops. That doesn't mean however, that you can't have an urban sidewalk or wood flooring looking backdrop hanging around to be utilized as well.

Here are a few links to some great deals on photography backdrops - some of these sales will not last long so make sure you take advantage while you can!

Westcott 9x20 Feet Wrinkle Resistant Cotton Background, High-Key White #139    US $129.90

Westcott Modern Vintage 5512 Polyester Background    US $99.90

JTL 48" Photo Tent Black White Backdrop #2948    US $58.50

Capaturing Couture Sofia Blue Sky 2in D/SLR CameraStrap #SLR20-SOBS    US $49.00

Photoflex DPMCK001 Solid 10x20 Dyed Muslin Background    US $129.95

JTL 60" Photo Tent Black White Backdrop #2949    US $84.50

FXhome Ltd Photokey 4 Pro Green Screen Removal Software #PHOTOKEY4PRO    US $299.00

Westcott Green Screen Software Kit with 9'x10' Green Screen and Free Bonus CD    US $129.90

Photoflex BackDrop Cross Bar Pole, Extends from 50" to 12'-6" #DPBP412    US $72.95

Photoflex DPMCK002 Solid 10x20 Dyed Muslin Background    US $129.95

Fallen Into Vintage

A great way to start a shoot with a new model or even a client you've shot in the past is to ask them to go shopping for two outfits before the shoot and bring those outfits with them. What model doesn't like to shop? Tell them to go to ebay and look up some vintage clothing stores or retro outfits and combine it with some contemporary accessories or shoes etc. Combining shopping with clothing is always a good way to prep a model for a new shoot and make them feel comfortable in what they will be shooting since they picked it out themselves!

As a photographer, I'm always on the look out for shops that are inexpensive and can provide me with quick service for my next shoot. I've listed three of the shops that I use consistently to get great vintage clothing for photo sessions at the bottom of this post. Here are some ideas for a quick and easy shoot setup:

5 Ideas to bring in more money to your photography studio:

1) Find a nice urban spot with contemporary lines and visuals. Put your model in some interesting corners or entryways - this will produce a great contrast of solid machined lines versus soft and sexy lines of your model.

2) If your model buys some outfits from an ebay store, send a photo or two from your shoot to that store and offer to let them use those photos as promotional shots for their store. They can get you a link to your website which is always beneficial and could turn into more business for your studio.

3) Work with the 40 to 50 somethings in your local area to relive their youth in portrait sessions. A lot of them have really nice vintage outfits that they would love to put on one more time and get some great photos of.

4) Depending on your studio size and setup, vintage clothing is a great low cost way to expand your studio's wardrobe offerings. Having a small collection of clothing and accessories can add fun and unique look to any of your shoots.

5) If you've got a good senior photo business at your studio, offer a return package at a discount price for the seniors when they are in college. Most college students are poor, but could get you some great promo photos for your studio at a very low cost!

Here are some great vintage and clothing shops that have low cost apparel for your studio or models - if you find any good deals please comment below!

Fallen Into Vintage

Nanettes Vintage of Penney Pane

Trashy Vintage

B&H Photo Gift Cards

Memory Cards

Lenses

Acessories

Radio Triggers

Flashes

nikon coolpix camera 3100 k1.34 door broken    US $14.50

Soft Flash Diffuser 4 Nikon SB24 SB25 SB26 SB600 SB800    US $2.50

Grip for Nikon D40 D40X D60 D3000+2 EN-EL9 Battery B3G    US $42.99

Nikon COOLPIX P500 12.1 MP Digital Camera - Black    US $400.00

CAMERA 1/4" Tripod screw to Flash Shoe Mount Adapter    US $5.99

Bounce Flash Diffuser Dome Softbox For Nikon SB800    US $2.35

2 BATTERY CR123A 123 for Motion Detector Alarm System    US $.99

Nikon COOLPIX L22 12.0 MP Digital Camera - Champagne silver+Leather Case&2GB Mem    US $80.00

Off Camera Flash Extension TTL Shoe Sync Cord for Nikon (High Quality)    US $24.99

Triple 3 Axis Bubble Spirit Level f canon nikon olympus    US $4.98

Take it one step further and run a color transparency through your handy printer and you can get patterned backdrops. Ebay is definitely your friend on this one. I've listed a few of the better deals out there below:

900W Strobe Studio Flash Light Kit For Bowens Accessories Photography Lighting    US $434.48

750W Studio Strobe Flash Light Lighting Kit (3 x 250W)    US $394.79

1320W STUDIO FLASH STROBE LIGHT KIT 4x 330W SOFTBOX SET    US $620.08

1200W STUDIO FLASH LIGHTING KIT 4X 300W LIGHT STROBE SILVER REFLECTOR UMBRELLA    US $541.76

900W Flash Photography Studio Strobe Light Kit Softbox    US $423.76

540W STUDIO FLASH LIGHTING KIT 3 X 180W LIGHT STROBE + CARRY CASE    US $380.84

AHI Photo Studio Lighting Kit AHI-88 New    US $317.90

960W STUDIO STROBE FLASH LIGHTING KIT 4 X LIGHT SOFTBOX CARRY CASE    US $504.22

990W Photography Studio Flash Strobe Lighting Kit 3x 330W Light    US $488.12

Honl Photo Color Correction Filter Gel Kit HONL-FILTER2    US $19.95