Can white BG like this is possible?

[[godfather]]

I was browsing youtube so I found this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GocMtUSJBUQ

At the end there are images from shoot. Getting that much white BG is what I need for a shoot.

Is it possible to get that sort of BG by Elinchrom FX200 and 53" Octa?

[MattMoore]

I can produce similar results with an 2 studio strobes (main and back light), a large octo- or softbox, bright white seamless paper, and a reflector.

[[godfather]]

Muslin wont help?

[MattMoore]

No, seamless paper, the whiter the better in this case (Super White - http://www.savagepaper.com/widetone.htm).

Muslin is okay for some things, but will not give you the look you are going for.

[[godfather]]

What exactly is seamless paper? I mean i cant get online as shipping would be huge in t he case. I would see locally if 'i can get thst here.

[TMR Design]

;7845398']I was browsing youtube so I found this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GocMtUSJBUQ

At the end there are images from shoot. Getting that much white BG is what I need for a shoot.

Is it possible to get that sort of BG by Elinchrom FX200 and 53" Octa?

Hi,

Well, the first thing to recognize is that the final images in that video do not have a background that has been rendered as pure white. Lighting a shot with one light source as shown in the video makes it physically impossible to render white with no detail. The eye perceives it as white but it's not pure white. Think about it.... if you have a single light source that is properly exposing the subject then any object or background that is at the same distance or at a greater distance will be middle gray or below middle gray. There's no way for it to be anything but that.

Adding additional light sources are necessary to light the background separately and bring the exposure up to white. Using the brightest surface possible as a background helps to make sure the background exposure is as bright as possible but still can't be white without independent lighting.

Seamless paper is paper that is rolled on to a solid cardboard core and you unroll it as you need it. There are no folds or seams, thus seamless. It's very desirable because you don't have to worry about wrinkles and allows for rendering as shades of gray and not just white without texture and wrinkles getting in the way. It's also highly reflective and in a small space that can actually be problematic and cause wrap back on to the subject so great care must be taken to make sure the subject isn't too close to the seamless.

White muslin and canvas CAN be used and rendered as pure white as long as it's lit properly and if it is lit properly then white with no detail is easily attainable without the highly reflective surface. In theory, and practice, you can render surface of any color as pure white if lit correctly.

If you plan on lighting a large set, full length or wide shots on white then you most certainly need additional light sources, not just for the area behind your subject, but to ensure that the rest of the background and/or floor are also rendered white without gradations and vignetting from light falloff.

[[godfather]]

hmm.. Thank you Rob, you're an angel :D.

If that is the case, then I dont see myself using second strobe during the shoot. Because since I have ordered 53" octa, which will be key light and I think there wont be any need for the fill, am I right?

So for getting pure white BG and the floor, I will have to buy another light? or two?

[GregMik]

I found this off another thread here on POTN.....

White Seamless Tutorial (http://www.zarias.com/?p=71)

Greg

[TMR Design]

I found this off another thread here on POTN.....

White Seamless Tutorial (http://www.zarias.com/?p=71)

Greg

Hi Greg, That's a popular tutorial and I respect Zack quite a bit but to follow his tutorial requires space and the additional lights. If you notice, when he does just use one large softbox he is rendering the seamless behind and under the subject as gray.

It's a good tutorial but many important factoids are left out that can still keep a photographer guessing if he doesn't completely understand how to achieve pure white, how that will change under different circumstances and when it is impossible to render pure white.

[TMR Design]

;7849090']hmm.. Thank you Rob, you're an angel :D.

If that is the case, then I dont see myself using second strobe during the shoot. Because since I have ordered 53" octa, which will be key light and I think there wont be any need for the fill, am I right?

So for getting pure white BG and the floor, I will have to buy another light? or two?

Sure thing Aman (hope I remembered your name correctly).

As long as you don't need or want to render your backgrounds as pure white then you don't need any additional lights on the background. One tip I can offer is this.... quite often when using a white background but not rendering as white the gradations can make it look dirty and give the appearance that you didn't quite execute it correctly. If you use a gray background then the eye sees it differently and it doesn't look like a mistake but that's up to you and your creativity.

Here are two quick samples.

In the first shot, the model is about 12 inches from the background and she is being lit by a single 36" x 48" softbox that is straight in front of her and above angling down. This is what keeps the shadows directly behind her and below. It also makes the lighting somewhat flat but lifts the exposure on the background as much as possible without adding additional strobes. If the strobe was placed in the standard position for a main light it would not only create greater contrast across the model but would cast shadow on to the background. There's nothing wrong with having shadows on the background as long as it's intentional and part of the creative intent of the image. If it's not intended it can really suck. :D

The second image was lit with an Elinchrom 53' Octa as the main light and two strobes were used on the background, each with an Elinchrom 135 degree wide angle reflector with mini silver deflector installed. This gives me maximum coverage and maximum increase in size of the hot spot. Lighting the background this way enables me to evenly light it to render pure white with no gradations and requiring no post production.

[TMR Design]

With regard to needing a fill light, that's up to you. Amazing work an be done with a single light source and there's nothing that says you must have a fill light or source. A good deal of my work is done with a powered main light and a full length white or silver reflector. When working with clients that have dark skin I tend to use a soft gold reflector, as it really looks great on darker skin tones.

Once you get a feel for lighting and modeling subjects you'll begin to see when you want a fill source and when you don't, as well as determining when it should be a powered light vs. a reflector, and how to position those fill sources.

[[godfather]]

Thanx ROB for all the details. Well really I am not a HARDCORE pure white BG fan. I love this effect, but if other things can help in making good portfolios for models then I really dont care for spending on another strobe right now. I mean right now, I had bought lights just to start the glamour photography, If I got a good number of assignments, which are atleast sufficient to cover my photography expenses, then I can spend money on other things and may be in future, I will buy another strobe.

The main thing that I am worried about right now is, that I have to shoot 5 female models either in this week or the next, since these are paid, I dont want to look unprofessional. And since the Pure white BG is what Pro produces, I am trying to learn to get white BG pssibly without another strobe.

I have a plan to use BLack Muslin BG, Red Satin BG and may be grey in the shoot. I dont know how would that put the impression on the Models since they are pro and are paying me for this.

[[godfather]]

Oh and yes, you got my name right, Its Aman

[Calbeee]

stick with seamless paper, u dont see too much muslin backgrounds on magazines anyway :P
(they get dirty and have lines if u fold them)

get like HUGE foamcore boards to use as reflector too, they are very good

[gravy graffix]

full set here http://bettervisionsphoto.com/images/wyndy/



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v727/xb8slim/wyndy-6702-2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v727/xb8slim/wyndy-6702.jpg