Simple Steps To Get The Hard To Shoot (And Ellusive) Pure White Photography Background!
I am regularly asked – by frustrated photographers – what materials they should be using so you can get a crisp, spotless, pure white photography background.
Sorry to say, that is the wrong question to ask! It in actuality, is not the backdrop material that gives you the sparkling white you are seeking.
It is the source of the light!
Here is the situation…you set up a pure white bed sheet or a piece of white paper – and you situate your model in front of it.
You set up a light source or two and light your model. All is appearing nice. You think you have got a skillfully lit model and a pleasant white set.
Next, you shoot the photo.
Apprehensively, you dart to the photo lab if you’re shooting film or to your computer if you’re shooting digital. You examine the finished picture and ta daaa!
Your model is impeccably lit, however the backdrop is really a dingy gray color. Not the clean, pure white you saw inside the viewfinder!
Sound recognizable? If you’ve been having a difficult time shooting high key photography…And you’ve been creating that dull gray color (no matter what materials you utilize) here is the way to mend the situation!
All light has a certain drop off aspect.
With that I mean the further away light is from a subject, the dimmer it is. Thus, that means… when you have a certain amount of light hitting your model, and you’re using that SAME illumination to light your set, your light is further away from the set than from the model. Thus, it is going to be somewhat dimmer by the time it gets to the backdrop material.
Whew! That is a tongue twister. Simply stated…
The reason you’re making that gray color is because there is more light hitting your model than is hitting the photography background.
To have your background be an untainted, picture perfect white…just hit it with MORE illumination than you’re using on your model!
Seems obvious when you finally understand it, but this can be a huge sticking point for many photographers.
The total amount of “over-exposure” that’s required for the backdrop is dependent on the color of the background material. If it is already white, you could get by with using adequate added illumination to get an over-exposure around half an f-stop. Maybe even one full f-stop.
If the material you’re beginning with is gray…that’s okay as well! Merely hit it with in the region of 2 ½ stops (give or take) more light than you are using for the model.
Here is one that could blow a number of minds…what if your photography background fabric is actually 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 additional stops worth of illumination (in excess of what you’re using for the primary model) and you’ll once again have a pleasant clean white background.
This is a BUNCH of illumination and I wouldn’t propose starting out using a black set. When you begin closer to white in the beginning, it’s a lot less complicated. But, try it! It is a fun experiment and will teach you a lot with reference to light!
The point is – by way of an adequate amount of illumination, you can get a pleasant white photography background no matter what type or color material you begin with.
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For some more photography background information, check out this video:
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