subject: The White Photography Background [print this page] The White Photography Background The White Photography Background
I'm often asked - by frustrated shooters - what materials they ought to be using so you can get a crisp, sparkling, pure white photography background.
Regrettably, that often is the inappropriate question to ask! It in reality, is not the background material that offers you the spotless white you're seeking.
It is actually the source of the light!
Here is the situationyou set up a fresh white bed sheet or a roll of white paper - and you position your subject matter in front of it.
You set up a light source or two and light your model. All is looking good. You think you have got a competently lit model and a nice white set.
Now, you shoot the picture.
Apprehensively, you jog to the photo lab if you're shooting film or to a computer if you're shooting digital. You check out the finished image and ta daaa!
Your subject matter is impeccably lit, however the background is a drab gray color. Not the sparkling, pure white you saw contained in the viewfinder!
Sound recognizable? If you have been having a difficult time creating high key picturesAnd you have been creating that dingy gray color (no matter what materials you utilize) here is how to fix the problem!
All light has a certain fall off aspect.
By that I mean the further light is from a subject, the dimmer it is. As a result, meaning when you have a specific amount of light striking your subject matter, and you're using that SAME illumination to light your set, your light is further away from the set than from your subject. For that reason, it will be a little less bright when it gets to your backdrop material.
Wow! That's a tongue twister. In other words...
The reason you are shooting that gray color is because there is more light hitting your subject than is hitting the photography background.
To have your backdrop be a pure, seamless whitemerely hit it with MORE illumination than you are using for your model!
Seems obvious when you finally realize it, but this can be a major sticking point for many photographers.
The amount of "over-exposure" you need on the background is dependent on the color of the backdrop material. If it is already white, you could get by with using enough additional light to have an over-exposure of approximately half an f-stop. Possibly even one full f-stop.
If the fabric you are beginning with is graythat is OK too! Simply hit it with roughly 2 stops (give or take) more brightness than you are using for the subject matter.
Here is one that may blow a few mindswhat if your photography background substance is really a pure black piece of material - or black roll of paper?
It doesn't make any difference! Zap it with 5, 6 or possibly even 7 extra stops worth of light (more than you might be using on the primary subject) and you'll again have a nice spotless white set.
This is a LOT of illumination and I wouldn't advocate starting out with a black backdrop. If you start off closer to white initially, it is a lot simplier and easier. But, try it! It's a fun experiment and can teach you quite a bit regarding light!
The point being - by way of sufficient light, you can get a pleasant white photography background no matter what type or color substance you begin with.
