BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: New Answers

John Duncan

Black backgrounds

I have been trying to take photographs of flowers with black backgrounds. How far back from the flower does the background need to be to get a pure black background? Can this be done outdoors or is it easier to do in a studio setting?

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October 25, 2005

Pete H

Hi John;

You are actually asking more than one question here.
Black is black is black, no matter how you look at it..The real question is what material to use.
Black posterboard; you will find has some reflectivity to it.
You are better off using perhaps a black velvet or almost any black cloth..it kinda' acts like a light trap.

The further your flowers are from the backdrop, the better, as this will severely underexpose the background as you want. Light has a law called the inverse square law..basically, double the distance and the light falls off proportionatly.

Hope that helps a little.

Pete