On Cloud 9 - Dreamy Photoshoot and DIY
Nothing but blue skies…?
Some clouds may give us rain, but usually a blue sky with some fluffy clouds makes me feel like springtime, laying on a blanket somewhere watching the clouds go by. Still, sometimes we need to make our own blue skies if we don’t want to rely on the weather. And this is exactly what I did for my “Dreamy Cloud Nine” Photoshoot and DIY.
I have been working in my own photo studio since 2022, using lots of colorful backdrops for my portrait photography. And it’s been such fun! But as I am growing as an artist, I wanted to challenge myself to create more sets, invest more time in creation and concepts to make my vision come to life even more.
For the longest time I had this DIY in the back of my mind, lots of filling cotton already in my atelier, yet I didn’t dare to start. I had no idea how to create a photo backdrop with handmade clouds and I was afraid it might look cheap or like a kindergartener made it - which is always risk when you are making stuff yourself I guess.
Before going on my four week trip through Asia a rush of motivation captivated me - and I finally dared to start realizing this project. My collaboration with jewelry designer Valerie Vienne gave me the final inspiration for the color scheme and overall look of the project. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
The DIY
First of all I had to figure out how to make the clouds. I knew I wanted to hang them from some C-stands in my studio, but therefore they had to be 3D, so using a paper template was not an option. Luckily, I came across the idea to use paper lanterns. The right form, different sizes and incredibly easy to glue stuff onto them! Perfect base secured.
If you think these clouds are going to be easy - there are going to be incredibly easy to recreate. I promise!
All you need is a minimal amount of tools, only two main ingredients and a little time on your hands to create extra fluffy clouds.
Materials used:
-filling cotton (I used polyester as it was way cheaper - but 2kg but only used a fraction of it)
-hot glue
-paper lanterns in various sizes
Once you got all the materials ready, it’s time to warm up your glue gun and go for it! Depending on the size of your lantern, take some filling cotton and start glueing directly on the surface of your lantern. Take your time to fill every spot with filling cotton. If there are some thicker or thinner spots that’s totally fine, it will make your clouds look even more realistic. So don’t make them too perfect.
Happy with your clouds?
Let’s add the transparent string so we can hang them up for our photoshoot.
If you like you can also add some fairy lights for some additional sparkle!
Time to take some photos
Set building and outfit choices
I adore dreamy, playful photography! Still, I didn’t want to be too literal and decided to go for a rosé pink seamless paper backdrop. Cause baby blue would have been just too obvious and expected, right?
Combining this with a pink and green outfit, minimalistic make up and Valerie Vienne’s lovely earrings, the clouds had the perfect little photo set to really stand out.
When first hanging the clouds along my C-stand, I realized that it still looked way to organized and clean. That’s why arranging the clouds to be of different heights and positions was essential to create the feeling of truly being on a cloud.
Good thing I bought wayyy too much filling cotton, since holding a mountain of clouds turned out to be a great image variety.
Equipment
For the studio lighting I wanted to go for really soft, diffused lighting. Which is why I went for my big soft box on my Godox studio flash. The double layered diffusor panels add an incredible softness to the imagery, and as we were also filming video, it was perfect to create a consistent look.
I used my trusted Nikon D850 camera with a Sigma 24-700mm Zoom to be able to try different focal lengths. I ended up photographing mostly on 50mm and 35mm.
Ready for the results?
