White photo backdrop how to#
White photo backdrop manual#

This limits your choices, but not by much. If these rooms have multiple purposes, you’ll need flexible setups that are easily dismantled and stored away when not in use (see Joe Farace’s Portraits without a Studio). If you’re just starting out, your studio may be a spare room, a basement, or even the garage. They also range from simple solid colors to subtle patterns. Photography backdrops come in a wide variety of sizes, textures, and materials. After all, what’s behind the subject is just as important as what’s in front of it. But what about the background? Each element of a photograph has the power to add to or detract from its overall appeal, which is why it’s important to pay close attention to every single detail that you include in the photo-even the studio backdrop. Is it sufficiently blown out? If not, you’ll need to increase your flash power or you’ll need to move the flash closer to the background.Ready to take the plunge and set up your own photography studio? You’ll need to find the perfect space, purchase some lighting equipment, and of course, find the best camera to capture your subjects with. Take a test shot, and look at the background. Note that you can modify the flash with a diffuser, but you don’t have to it pays to experiment with different options. Then take your flash and place it behind your subject so it’s pointing at the background. You can even use a white diffuser, though it has to be big enough to cover the area behind your subject. I’d recommend using two flashes, but one can work as long as you’re willing to get creative.įirst, position your subject in front of something white: a white wall, a white curtain, or some white paper. If you want to create a white background effect using flash, you’re in for a treat – it’s really, really easy.

White photo backdrop how to#

How to Produce a White Background with One Flash Instead, hide the sun behind your subject or put it off to the side, just outside the frame. The sun is just too powerful for modern cameras to handle, and it’ll either cause flare or blow out your photo completely. Then, if you expose for your portrait subject, you’ll get a pure white background – as long as the sky is sufficiently bright.īut make sure you don’t actually include the sun in your photo. It also might mean that you (the photographer) need to crouch down low to remove everything else from the scene. This might mean taking your subject to a hill or a field.

You just have to use the sky.įirst, position your subject so that all they have is the sky behind them. That said, it is possible to create white backgrounds when shooting outdoors. For instance, if you try to photograph a person in the shade with a sun-drenched tree as the background, you’ll end up creating a very, very overexposed image. Most objects can’t really be turned into a pure white background without seriously overexposing – and this will make your portrait subject look terrible.

Now let’s look at a few practical scenarios where you might want to produce a white background: How to Create a White Background OutdoorsĬreating white backgrounds when shooting outdoor portraits (with only ambient light) is tough to pull off. If you’re set on the shutter speed and aperture you’re already using, then you can crank up the ISO, but be careful – higher ISOs will add noise to your images. Try dropping your shutter speed or widening your aperture. Ask yourself: Is my subject nice and bright? Is the background pure white? If one or both of these questions gets a “No,” then you’re going to need to boost your exposure.

White photo backdrop manual#

( Shooting in Manual mode is best for this because you can quickly dial in your preferred settings.)Īnd once you’ve taken your first shot, look at the camera LCD. If you decide to go the metering route, you’ll want to fill the frame with your subject, then take note of the camera’s recommended exposure settings. Note that, in order to expose for a bright portrait subject, you’ll either need to do a lot of experimenting, or you’ll need to carefully meter off your subject.