Photo How To

If you’ve ever tried to set up your own photography studio, you’ve probably run into a few problems, pro photographer Jessica Kobeissi notes in the below tutorial video.

“Problem number one, you can’t afford all the expensive equipment,” Kobeissi says. "Number two, you’re just not emotionally physically prepared for everything that comes with a studio setup. And problem number three, you just honestly don’t know what to buy because it’s so overwhelming.”

No truer words have been spoken for the neophyte studio photographer. Fortunately, Kobeissi has an easy and very cheap solution to this dilemma. Take a trip to your local dollar store, and there should be enough materials there to start your photo studio for just five dollars.

Kobeissi does just that and returns with a sponge, plastic table covers in different colors, a  jump rope, binder clips, and washable kids paint. With these simple items, Kobeissi creates a cool backdrop, hangs it in a corner of her apartment with the help of the jump rope, and arranges a quick photo shoot with models, using a simple flash system combined with natural light.

“Traditional backgrounds can cost up to $100 and that doesn’t even include the amount of the setup and all the equipment you have to get for it,” she says. “With something like this, you can set it up super-fast and super easy, wherever. And it’ll cost you less than $5, so the creativity here is endless.”

See more of Kobeissi’s fun and helpful photography videos on her YouTube channel. You should also check out this video from yesterday, explaining how to use natural light to shoot professional-looking portraits at virtually no cost.