What a difference a background makes.

When shooting portraits or headshots a background can make a huge difference in the appearance of a photo. I usually shoot on a white or black or grey background. For headshots I recommend a clean pure white background. For portraits I usually shoot on grey and then cut out the subject and drop a background in post. There are beautiful backdrops available for purchase out there. Some in the thousand dollar range. They are outstanding but they are out of my price range. That is why for the most part I replace backgrounds in post. A background can be cool, or warm. It can be smooth or heavily textured. Each provides a different mood to the photo. Even below the backgrounds are pretty similar but I find each provides its own mood. If you are looking for textured backgrounds just get out your macro lens and get out and shoot textures that you find in nature. Stones and rocks are a great subjects. Anything with texture works. Learn techniques to cut out your subjects. It is getting easier all the time in Photoshop. Drop in different textures and backgrounds to change the mood of your photos.