Who starts a business during lockdown, whilst having to home school a 7 year old during load shedding in the midst of a recession?  Well, that was the opportunity of time, given to me during the 2020 Lockdown and I had to grab it with both hands and run with it!

Hi, I am Madré, and this is how Studio Backdrops came about.

Like everyone else I was frustrated with the whole lockdown situation in 2020. I’ve been waiting all my life to spread my creative wings and fly.  After years of really hard work and late nights, my photography business was finally picking up speed, only to come screeching to a halt as a result of the Covid19 Pandemic.  From being fully booked to sitting at home.  Everything I planned for 2020 went haywire and it was extremely discouraging.

I have been a creative person, literally all my life.  There is just an overwhelming strong urge in me to create art.  I took up photography in 2012, while still being employed by a large corporate company.

Growing as a photographer, I found that very often I had a particular idea for a photoshoot, but then wasn’t able to find the photography backgrounds I was looking for.  I became obsessed with backdrops.  There seemed to be plenty of beautiful overseas backdrop stores, but in South Africa our choices were very limited.  In 2017 I created my first backdrop design and my client loved it!  To see how their eyes lit up when they step onto a set and see a backdrop, is very fulfilling.

I started creating backdrop designs that would work for me. Unique, vibrant, beautiful, colourful Studio Backdrops.  I found that creative photography backdrops were what people were looking for and why clients came back to me, again and again.

Studio Backdrops are such a key part in any photoshoot, whether you do portrait photography, food photography, product photography, creative photography, fine art or any form of visual concept story telling.

A backdrop creates mood, style and sets the scene of the story you want to tell or concept you want to bring to life. It contributes to producing striking pictures. The right backdrop takes a photo from average to WOW!  Anything is possible with the right backdrop, from creating photoshoots with fairy tale scenes for kids where one’s imagination can come to life, to the more serious corporate headshots.

Studio Backdrops helps to create an overall image that is consistent, uniform and professional.

By 2020 I’ve had this idea of selling my own studio backdrops, for a while. But I was so busy with taking photos, that the idea was put on the back burner.  Then complete lockdown in March 2020!  Unable to do my photography work, I realised, that now, right now is the time to do what I wanted to do for such a long time.  Create a website and offer my backdrop ideas to other photographers in South Africa.  Why not?

When I mentioned this to my ever supportive husband, he was on board immediately.  A very good friend of mine, suggested I should build my own website. What? She builds websites for clients and believed I could do it.  Well, with her website guidance, my husband’s valuable business insights and my ideas, everything seemed to come together and things started to happen.  I registered my business and we started building the website. What a terrifyingly exciting time!

I am a firm believer that when we surround ourselves with great people, we will be amazed where we end up. This truly was the case.

We went live with the website on 14 September 2020.

The first orders, started to come in!  How exciting is this!  Seeing the magic photographers create while using Studio Backdrops was just amazing!

I realised that so many people were also starting out in photography just the way I did in 2012.  Unsure of themselves, on a limited budget, thinking everyone else has the best equipment. Sometimes fellow photographers would say to me “you probably have a very expensive camera?”.  No.  Not the case.  I told them how I started, an entry lever DSLR camera, never in a million years thinking people would ever pay me for photos and that in turn would lead me into creating Studio Backdrops.  By the way, I still don’t have the “pro-body” camera. Work with what you have, until you can take the next step.

The surface is barely scratched with what I have planned for Studio Backdrops’ designs and products and is super excited for the future, looking forward to serving you, our clients.

So here it is…. Studio Backdrops.  A brand new company with fun, fresh ideas for the best backdrops for your photography studio! Anything from seamless paper backgrounds, Poly Fabric backdrops and PVC prints for  cake smashes, maternity photos, school photos, family photos, product photography and corporate photos.

We look forward to meeting you!

Kindest regards,

Madré