Kate Christmas Tree Photo Backdrop Review for Seasonal Portraits

My wife got into matching Christmas wear for our Christmas photos when our kids were born.

It started as ugly Christmas sweaters for fun, and then we went into Christmas pyjamas or found backdrops in the local malls that we could have fun with. 

The Christmas obsession aside, we moved to a small town a year ago, and my option of getting Christmas backdrops at the mall disappeared.

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to test the Kate Christmas Tree Elk Brick Fireplace backdrop.

Backdrops like the Kate Christmas Tree Elk Brick Fireplace Backdrop aren’t only targeted towards individuals looking for Christmas photos.

The bigger market amongst the photographic community for people coming in and having their holiday Christmas snaps.

Families, kids, babies and pets are where photographers find themselves busy at Christmas.

So let’s take a closer look at this photo backdrop to see if it’s worth your time and money.

• Kate abstract textured backdrop review

About Katebackdrop

Katebackdrop was founded in 2013 and offers high-quality, elaborately beautiful backdrops. The owner of Katebackdrop, David, started the company after sourcing backdrops and photographic equipment from overseas.

The company was named after David’s wife, Kate, hence the name Katebackdrop. The company provides a variety of backdrops in both plain colours and printed designs, with a wide selection of sizes.

Options include the traditional hanging styles of backdrops, along with the newer popup designs and rubber floor mats. Katebackdrop even offers hand-painted backdrops.

Shipping

Shipping is excellent by post-Covid standards. It took about 7 working days to ship from China to Australia, and I’m located in a regional area away from city centres.

Shipping is free for orders over $180 and $15-20 for orders under $180

Shipping will vary based on location, design and type. It’s also worth noting that the production time impacts the duration from order to delivery.

For example, the production time of Printed Backdrops takes about 2-5 days, whereas a collapsible backdrop takes about 7-10 days.

Hand-painted takes 15-30, likely due to the effort to paint and dry before shipping.

Size Information

Katebackdrop provides a large selection of options when purchasing a backdrop, as shown above. These allow you to select a size as big or small as you need. 

It’s worth noting that bigger is typically better unless you have size constraints in your studio. Of course, you can change the perspective with lenses, but using too small a backdrop for a group photo won’t work without a green screen defeats the purpose.

Katebackdrop provided a small version suitable primarily for photos of children and pets. It was 7′ wide by 5′ high.

The Kate 8.5′ x 10′ Frame Kit

With a price of $129, the backdrop frame kit isn’t going to break the bank. The backdrop stand itself is what I would consider a reasonable lightweight backdrop stand, but it is at the lower end of the price range. 

These stands don’t tend to be too robust outside of dedicated studios because you aren’t carrying anything heavy and expensive or in adverse conditions. I also tend to favour lighter versions over heavier-duty versions for travel as the light weight makes it easy to transport, and the risk associated with them falling is zero.

The stand includes a lightweight bag with space for the two stands and a centre column. The bag does the job, but I would like to have seen a little more durability, as poles tend to poke through bags like this after some time.

The poles have a pretty good construction but wouldn’t be recommended for anything heavier than backdrops. They are stable, but they aren’t designed for anything heavier. 

One nice feature about the stand is the ability to use it at 3/4 length by only using three poles instead of 4. This helps when using smaller backdrops, like the one tested here.

Kate Christmas Tree Elk Brick Fireplace backdrop

The backdrop is the main focus of today. The model is called the Kate Christmas Tree Elk Brick Fireplace Backdrop, Designed by Emetselch. That’s quite a mouthful.

I’m not sure who Emetselch is; the website doesn’t specify. Perhaps this is a missed opportunity, but the backdrop is beautiful. The quality of the print is fantastic, and the material is excellent.

The backdrop does come with some creases due to the extended period of folding, but Katebackdrop gives some simple guidance on how to remove these. It’s a simple case of inserting it in a dryer for 20 minutes with a damp cloth. 

If you make the mistake of bribing your kids to do photos before getting rid of the creases, there are some photoshop guides on how to remove this. I’d suggest the dryer option as it provides less work in post-processing. The creasing is minimised due to the material.

As mentioned above, Katebackdrop provides numerous sizes. I would suggest going for an adult size unless you only intend ever shooting children. The child size will work for adults seated, but having the flexibility is good. 

One thing I liked was the addition of the loops at the top. Having had previous experience with backdrops that don’t have these, I can tell you first-hand that this is important. 

Size & Handling

(For its purpose, is the size adequate? Is it easy to pack in a bag? Is it easy to use?)

Setting up the stand and backdrop is relatively easy. The stands extend telescopically like most stands, and the cross poles attach securely with a wingnut attachment. It’s a simple and effective setup, although I suspect most of the time, you won’t need the wingnut.

A popup backdrop is quicker, but both options have advantages and disadvantages. Typically, these kinds of backdrops aren’t suited to popup backdrops.

This style of backdrop does have a more compact form for travel and would also allow you to carry 5 or 6 different backdrops with almost no additional footprint.

In conjunction with this, a popup will still need a backdrop stand; the type of stand required to hold the weight is more substantial, closer to that of a light stand.

Katebackdrop Photography Club

Along with selling backdrops and accessories, Katebackdrop offers a helpful club at no cost with a near-endless supply of tutorials and ideas to help you set up your stand and photograph different setups. 

I find the ecosystem surrounding these accessories becomes an integral part of ensuring your customers are happy, and Katebackdrop has done a great job of doing that.

Value for Money

The 7′ x 5′ version of this stand we tested retails for just $32. It almost seems like a mistake when you read it for the first time, given this is a printed high-quality backdrop. 

It’s hard to consider given this anything but the best rating in the value-for-money stakes because I can’t imagine you would find anything like this at a lower price. 

Kate Christmas Tree Elk Brick Fireplace Backdrop Review | Conclusion

I saved the best for the last section, which was the price. Given the $32 price tag, it won’t surprise you to hear that I would have no hesitation recommending this.

The print quality is fantastic, as good as one would expect for a product with a far higher price tag. The material photographs well, and the design offers very little to dislike. And if it’s not your thing, they have another couple hundred designs that cater to that.

If you need a Christmas backdrop, this gets a thumbs up from me. And, yes, my wife likes it too.