 Rhonda Royse |
White Studio Background Hi - I have a white background in my makeshift studio at home. I also have two Alien Bee lights with umbrellas and scrims. The problem is with my white balance. When I get to processing my pics, my white background always looks off - not white. I know I need to "fix" something so I don't have to do it afterwards. I have a gray card that I thought would help, but it might be user error that I cannot get that to work. Do I not fill up the entire frame with the card? Or what white balance is recommended? I really just want all to be "white" When I process. Thanks! And I have a Sony A850.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Does "looking off" mean a little darker than white - a bit gray? Or does it mean slightly tinted? Like slightly brown, a little pink, or blue? If it looks a little darker than white, you're not getting enough light on the background. You need to do more than just have something stand in front of a white background and light just the subject. You need to light the background, and light it 1 and 1/2 stops more than the subject to get white without detail. Maybe 1 stop more, but you'd need a very smooth surface to avoid seeing any texture or detail in the background. Trying to get a white background with just the subject standing close to the background is very difficult because you'd need to have even light across the background. Doable with sunlight, hard to impossible with studio light.
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Rhonda Royse |
Thanks. Well - sometimes it looks a bit gray and it is fabric. As much as I try to keep it flat and not wrinkled, I get that distortion. So what it sounds like is that I need a third light that shines only on the backdrop and that might help with the darker color? And when you talk about stops more - higher wattage or power - yes? Sorry, I think of stops only on my camera and am having a hard time associating it with the lights. Thank you!
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
You really should have two lights on the background so you can light it evenly. Evenly across whatever section appears in the viewfinder. If you use one light, the opposite side of where the light is will be darker than the other side with the light. That will require some Photoshop work to remove any parts that aren't white. Stops with lights means you measure the light on something to get an f/stop. So you measure the light on a different area, like the background, and see what that f/stop is. If the first measurement is f/8 and the measurement on the background is f/11, the light on the background is one stop more (one stop brighter) than what's on the subject.
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Alexander Katyanov |
If you process your images in Camera RAW try to shot grey card in your scene and then (in Camera RAW) click by Eyedropper tool "White Balance" on the grey card. You should see that white balance changed to your conditions. Hope it helps.
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Bruce A. Dart |
High key (white background) seems like it should be easy but there is a lot to it, depending on the look you want to achieve. The late Dean Collins gave a lecture of an hour or more on making the background whatever color and intensity you want by controlling the amount of light falling on it. His "Finelight" instructional videos are probably still available. One of the most common mistakes in studio photography is getting the subject too close to the background; most of us have limited space and are not working in a warehouse sized space the way Dean did. (By the way, he was designing lighting systems for Larson enterprises when he was only 25 and passed away a few years ago, I think in his 50's) If you light falling on the background is the same intensity as the light on your subject, it will generally be perceived as the color you see looking at it. Dean's "cove corner" was a solution to photographing with white; he made a rounded corner with one light in the middle behind the subject and controlled the light falloff with the rounded corner so it could be done consistently with one light. fabric sometimes photographs differently than other materials and can show a different color under certain conditions. Years ago Kodak produced a whole series on why different fabrics photographed differently (why the white bride's dress may not appear as white.) You have several issues with the background. Keeping it flat and not wrinkled is a whole 'nother critter. Hang it up ahead and stretch it tight as you can helps. You can spritz it a bit with a spray bottle of water and that will help the wrinkles, and you can use a small "steamer" that is available in several kinds of stores. With muslin, we generally have them uniformly wrinkled rather than folded and "creased" where squares show up. To keep a background white, Greg is right. Usually two lights, spread evenly over the background and usually two stops more light than what is falling on your subject. However, BE VERY CAREFUL. In a small space, many photographers over light a white background and the light splashes back -- either on the subject or into the lens, especially in a small space. The old Peter NiCastro instructional series (sorry, I've been doing this a LONG time) talked about the "unseen secondary" light. i.e. light doesn't just "stop" after you fire it in one direction but can bounce around the room and bounce back to your subject. In a small room, make that a small light colored room, the light bounces back and adds a half stop to a stop of light you weren't counting on. That also can account for an off color you had not figured into the equation. Dean would use a white background also as his "low key" or black background but not letting light fall on it. (Two stops more than normal light falling on it will make most colors appear white, and two stops less will tend to go black.) Actually, I prefer to make the background go somewhat middle gray by NOT putting as much light on it. All I can say is practice and test. Good luck. Bruce Dart, CPP, Cr. Photog.
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Rhonda Royse |
thanks to you all!!!! yes I have a small space so I struggle with just gettng the backdrop and lighting in there to begin with. I tried shooting a gray card to try and set my color balalce before doing alot of photos, but again, must have been user error as I was having problems... camera didnt want to take the pic! need to try that again. I will try (once I can afford) on getting a couple more lights that will be just for background. or I might try some more 'mood' lighting. meaning only on on the subject.. will have to test things out. But I appreicate your feedback. sounds like I really need a bigger space! I wish! Rhonda
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- Dennis Flanagan Contact Dennis Flanagan Dennis Flanagan's Gallery |
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Bruce A. Dart |
While it seems easy, a white background actually is one of the harder things to do. It has become more subjective in recent years and like most of photography, the maker determines how much "salt" is in the recipe to his or her taste. From a professional portrait standpoint, however, "high key" originated as almost monochromatic, i.e. a blonde subject wearing white clothes located among white props in front of a white background. Later the mass market photographers used a white background because the negatives would print faster and they could make more money by printing more images in less time with their lab equipment. Contrast was used to make them stand out instead of thinking about color harmony. Dennis has handled his example and those on his web site pretty well. However, like most photographers who think if two stops is necessary, let's be sure and add more. When that happens, two problems arise. First, the light bounces off the background and hits the subject from behind. Take a photo or two with just the background lights, not the main and fill, and you will see that the light is hitting the subject with unwanted light and nearly blowing out detail that you worked hard to create. Secondly, there is no transition detail from the subject to background. The subject tends to appear as if floating on air or in space and it looks very unnatural. White with detail should be the goal and not blown out to where, when printed, the pure whites of the paper are the only tone. Remember, "Less is More!" The people you have to satisfy here are you and your clients first of all. These other thing come into play if you want to take it to the next level. Best wishes. Remember, all of us were beginners at one time and, if we are smart, we are all still learning -- even after 32 years of doing this. Bruce
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