white/black backgrounds

Can someone please tell me how I take portraits that look like there is no backdrop or floor. just a black or white all around them? Do you know what i mean? I love that look and im not sure how to get it? and if you have examples of ones you've taking that would help. im trying to take pics of my kids for my dads b-day next month.

get a roll of savage paper and a background stand (with a crossbar). that's the most cost effective way.

roll the paper out and tape it to the floor to create the seamless background look.

if you have a flash like a 550ex and a white ceiling, rotate the head and bounce it. that way you will have no shadows.

back up and zoom in.

-nick

have all the above except the savage paper.. any idea where i can get it and how much?

Let's take an example.

Suppose you have the camera and flash, and then you have your subject at 10 feet away. Then the dark gray backdrop is 12 feet away. There isn't that much distance difference between the subject and the backdrop, so the amount of light reaching each is similar. As a result, the backdrop will be fairly visible, even if it is dark in tone.

Now, suppose you have your subject at 6 feet and the backdrop at 12 feet. There is much more difference, so the light getting to the backdrop is much less than the subject. The camera's metering will set for the subject more than the backdrop, and the result is the backdrop will appear much dimmer.

All that assumes that there is a flash on your camera. Now, suppose you change to two flashes. Move one a couple of feet to the left of the camera, and move the other one to a couple of feet to the right. If you aim them correctly, they will both illuminate the subject and not that much will scatter all the way back to the backdrop. You can fool around with that and get the necessary result.

---Bob Gross---

oh... also how low should the ceiling be?

ok I have 2 550 ex flashes. and a beginner set of 3 strobes with 2 small black umbrellas. I have the backdrop stand. and im using a 20D if that matters NOW WHAT

if you use a black background, be carefull how you position your lights, to avoid "spill", because at that point your black background will become noticeable. If you use a white background, use a background light to make the background lighter.

background paper can be purchased for photography stores etc... I get mine from Calumet.

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cmM... thats the look i want ....yeah !... whats your suggestions on position the lights.. and you just used black paper? really? it just looks so much more complicated?

as I mentioned above, you have to control the spill of light on your background. Control your studio environment so that no light falls onto the background, at least nowhere noticaeble in your frame.
Position your lights away from the camera, on one side. Now ideally, you'd want to use barndoors or some other modifier to control the direction of your light and then shoot through a diffuser or something, but you can get around it. Place your light somewhere towards the side. Also, remember, the farther away you place your subject from your background, the less likely it is for light to fall onto the background.

Good luck with the shots, and post some

but remember the closer the light source to the subject ... the better result

When you want to avoid light spill, yes, it's easier to control.
When you talk about studio photography in general, I don't agree with you. Sometimes farther is better.

one more question... how wide should the paper roll be ?

107" for multiple subjects
http://www.penncamera.​com/store/item.asp?ITE​M_ID=5283

53" for single person head shots
http://www.penncamera.​com/store/item.asp?ITE​M_ID=5378

I was too looking for this effect and tried it out it was pretty simple to achieve.

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jonny have you done this with white?