 Angie M. Nemanic |
Shooting Black and White I've been researching poses for infants because I've recently started taking my friend's babies pictures. I like the look of very black backgrounds with the child sitting on white towels or bundled in something white. Loaded question...how is the stark black and white contrast achieved in black and white photography? It's such a crisp look. I can't upload an example of a picture because I don't have one, sorry. I like shooting by natural light--no flash, etc., so I'm wondering if I can achieve this great look with natural light only. I took some photos yesterday but I'm waiting to get them returned. I'm a little nervous because I shot them in an area with window light coming in from the left and right with the child placed in the center on towels with her head and feet each facing a window. I used a black sheet as a backdrop (don't have muslin). I used 400 & 100 speed film on a tripod relying on my camera's meter. Keep your fingers crossed...I hope they worked. So any comments on lighting a situation this way or should I use a diffused light on the subject to achieve the stark contrast? Another question, my lens is slow, the Tamron 38-300 zoom, which I know isn't a portrait lens (bought it for landscapes before I started doing portrait), so I'm trying to figure out what lens to get. Because I want to shoot primarily with natural light I need a fast lens. I have a Nikon F100. Any suggestions on lenses. I have some ideas, but I'd like to see what other portrait photographers are using when they want to shoot natural light. Thanks for your help! You are all so full of great tips.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Starts off by using black material. Felt is probably the easiest to just hang up, still have light on it, and not show detail. But you can do it with the black sheet you have now. With material like a sheet, if the light that reaches the background is the same as what shines on the baby, I think you'll be able to see the background. That's the main key to getting black backgrounds without detail. With a flash, it's easier with aiming the flash and keeping the background farther back to get black without detail. With window light it dosen't have the same fall off because of distance like flash does. If there's a distinct difference where the window light comes in like a shaft of light, the way it breaks thru clouds, then hanging the material away from it in the shadow will work. But if it's like many room that are bedroom sized and/or have white walls, window light can fill up the whole room. With this, you can hang up the background, and put up a large piece of cardboard, or foam core board, and block the background from the light. You don't have to block the whole background, just what's going to be in the viewfinder. If you get a black background to have a lower exposure than the subject, you'll get it to come out black on the picture. If you used the camera meter the first time, they may be overexposed. Depends on how much of the frame was filled with the black background. I think any lens can be a portrait lens, but with what you want to do a small telephoto about 80-135mm will have around a 2.8 aperture.
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Angie M. Nemanic |
Thanks so much for the answer!! It's always appreciated to get advice from the pros. i'm anxiously awaiting my photos, but because of the Holiday I won't get them back until Thursday. Again, thanks for the insight.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
what pro?
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