newbie lighting question...

[ahmadof]

how do i get the background to be totally black? is it just a black backdrop? this is an example below. I want to take a picture of someone full length with a totally black background. how do i do this?

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=1968987&size=lg

[AluminumOvercast]

Try setting the black background further away from the subject. The closer it is to the light source, the better chance it will reflect light, thus not be totally black. You'll basically have to set your lighting in a way that it only hits the subject and non of the background. I seen studios where they have an entirely black room for this so the fugitive light can be absorbed.

[Andy_T]

Or you have to use that B-117 paint on your backdrop .... after all, that paint swallows radar rays, so why not light :lol:

If you can't get it in your local paint shop, use AluminumOvercast's suggestion as second best.

Best regards,
Andy

[robertwgross]

Besides moving the background farther back, you can fool with the lights. If the lights were right at the camera, then a little bit of light will fall directly behind the subject onto the background. However, by moving the lights farther away from the camera, there is less and less light that will make it to the background.

---Bob Gross---

[stopbath]

Control your lighting with snoots or some other device so that no light falls towards the back ground.

Naturally blackout cloth can be used to cut out translucency of the background if it's a problem.

Have fun.

[ahmadof]

if I understand, you are saying that I can use any background if I can keep light from bouncing off it? (makes sense in my mind... but that rarely translates to images
:)

[vfilby]

I am not so sure on this as I am just starting to play with studio style setups as well, but I want to get my $.02 anyways.

What about using a diffuser? I have a couple translucent white umbrellas that I bought for $4 each. Just took the ridiculous looking ladybug off the handle and they seem to work fine.

Vince

[robertwgross]

A diffuser spreads the light. That is the opposite of what you want, because you don't want any light to be spread to the point where it hits the background. For such a background, I have a large piece of very black velvet, and it seems to absorb any light that is ever cast its way.

---Bob Gross---

[vfilby]

Thanks for letting me know.

I was assuming that the diffuser would reduce the light a stop and would reduce the amount of direct light reflecting.

Vince

[robertwgross]

if I understand, you are saying that I can use any background if I can keep light from bouncing off it? (makes sense in my mind... but that rarely translates to images
:)

What are snoots?

You know what a lens hood is?

A snoot is the same thing, only it is on a lamp projecting light out, not on a lens admitting light in.

---Bob Gross---