Fold Down Photography Stage

You read this blog long enough and you soon realize that I am primarily a craft blogger. I do an occasional house project here and there but power tools are not necessarily my favorite thing nor is photographing large projects. I just love working on small craft projects from beginning to end and being able to photograph them on a small table to share with you guys!

The biggest problem I always run into is that my craft desk in the studio is always a mess and it’s hard to find empty space to photograph on. That’s why I made this Fold Down Photography Stage for The Craft Cottage! It’s a dedicated space that is always ready to stage photographs on plus when not it’s use, it’s a great way to add some art to an otherwise blank wall.

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Here’s what the Fold Down Photography Stage looks like when not in use:

I made an XL Vinyl Stencil with stencil vinyl from Expressions Vinyl that says “Crafte Diem” (Fake Latin for “Craft the Day”) with my Cricut Explore Air 2. You can see the full tutorial for how to make your own XL Vinyl Stencil here!

The making of this Fold Down Photography Stage is relatively basic and straightforward. We just got a section of plywood cut down into two equal 4’x4′ squares at our local home store. After screwing one into the wall, we added large hinges to the bottom and connected the second panel.

We had a hard time finding large locking hinges so decided to go with supporting chain on either side of the stage. I’m not planning on putting anything too heavy on the stage so these will work just fine!

The final finishing touch was adding a lock to the top to keep the entire stage securely closed when not in use.

Here’s what the stage looked like before I added the “Crafte Diem” stencil. The perfect blank slate for custom artwork!

The stage worked great from the very beginning but as I use it more, there have been some addition pieces added. I glued these little clips to the top of the board to help hold background fabrics in place. It’s a little awkward getting the fabric up there but nothing I can’t manage on my own.

I use a variety of different backdrops for my pictures including fabrics, papers, Oly-Fun, and most of all, black and white foam core.

Occasionally, I use the plywood grain in my pictures but usually find that to be a bit distracting so I’m planning on painting the interior sections solid white. I’m more likely to use solid white in my pictures so that’ll be helpful!

If you’re a blogger, Etsy shop owner, photographer, or Ebay reseller, I highly suggest making a Drop Down Photography Stage. That way when your desk is a mess, you’ll always have a dedicated space to take your photographs!