 Inspirations by Kristy |
White background I have two light heads and am wondering if lighting a white backdrop properly with only using two lights is able to be accomplished? Anyone out there have some answers or ideas? Kristy
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Alan N. Marcus |
Hi Kristy, You should ask what is a backlight and why do we use it? We see in three dimensions and except for specialized cases our media is two dimensional. We use light and shadow to supply the missing illusion of depth. In a two dimensional media we need to separate like tones otherwise the images are said to be flat. Stated another way we need to illuminate the background in such a way that we give tonal separation background to subject. A white background is advantages because it is a clean slate. We can cause it to record as black or as white or any tone between and we can even add color just by the way we illuminate it. While all this can get complex, the simple fact is, we just want separation. A single bare lamp behind the subject produces a halo of light that surround the subject. Since a bare lamp falls off rapidly in intensity, the effect is a bright center fathering to darkness. Mount this lamp in a reflector and the hot center can be better aimed. Diffusers or umbrellas change the nature of the light. Diffused light is softer as shadow edges are not well defined. Diffused light falls off less with distance and is thus more forgiving. Many advanced studio set-ups utilize a light directed at the subject’s shoulders from the rear-side. This is called a “kicker”. The idea is to create a rim of light at the shoulders that emphasize separation from the background. A “hair” light is used to bring out color and texture plus background separation. While we can place light after light however, all should be subordinate to the “main” as most will agree the illusion of the one light source should be preserved. Luck to all, Alan Marcus
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