White Background

I do 95% of my photo shoots outside on location, but I am interested in learning how to capture subjects with a white background. It could be either using natual light or studio lighting. Any tips on how to create the extreme white background look? Thanks.

Just head down to your local fabric store and pick up a 10' wide section of white muslin. I picked up one that was ... 8 yards long the other day for I do believe $50. The only thing that you might want to do is have someone with a surger bind the edge for you so that it won't unravel in the wash.

I say use the cheap muslin b/c outdoor location shooting is bound to leave it dirty and possibly torn. So cheap is better. Just keep in mind that it is white and thin material so you don't want to have shadows from the backdrop support.

- Digital Prophet -

If it's not pure white one idea is to put more light onto the background than the foreground. eg if your subject meters at F8 you could adjust your lights so that background's at F11, that way it'll be overexposed and clip everything to white.

will that work? That's only one stop and I would think you would need three to four between the subject and the background?

Dunno, try it and see. You get the idea, have a play with the details and see what works for you.

Where is Ron, the chipmunk wrangler? He gets a lot of white backgrounds.

---Bob Gross---

Hmmm. That's 10 feet wide and 24 feet long, and you put it all in the washing machine?

---Bob Gross---

Jeez Robert - everyone knows you use 2 side by side machines and carefully sync them up ! It is the spin cycle that really makes it interesting. I have my wife go down to the creek and pound the muslin on the rocks, just like in National Geographic.

For high key I find it's best to set the background lights at 1.5-2 stops over. I did some highkey product shooting on location this weekend - the main light was at f/8, fill at f/5.6, and background at f/16.

The day was overcast so I actually setup outside and used the diffuse lighting of the sky as the main light, and a couple of big pieces of foamcore/reflectors for fill. Two lights with 48" bounce umbrellas were pointed at the white background at a 45 degree angle. I played with the positioning & power of the lights until I had a pretty even exposure over the background at f/16. Worked great.

You can also fine tune the white in PS using levels.
pam

I'm not sure how big of a piece your are looking for but I have had great sucess with my white vinyl. Love it! Everything just wipes off!

Why rely only on opaque white background...another method is simply to backlight a translucent white cloth at the appropriate level to be 2 EV brighter than the subject.

one idea i just thought up just now, is to goto the material store and buy some thick white sheeting (thick so hopefully you won't see shadows coming thru on the other side or whatnot)
then head down to your camping store, or op shop maybe, or the sports store
.. and buy the cheapest TENT you can,
the rods that hold tents up are roughly a meter long, and they connect to each other like fishing rods OR better for this case - get the ones that are already connected with elastic, yet you can pull them apart and they will fold together yet not get tangled.
if the material you buy is a tad elastic, you can sew/hook/twine/ or better, put holes in your sheet at the top bottom and sides and thread the poles thru (in,out,in,out)..
that way, you have something in the trunk of your car that resembles a rolled up tent, and you can even use your tent bag to carry it
then on site, you can pull it out, give it a shake and a pull, roll it all out, and in 30 seconds flat it will be a tight uncreased backdrop that you can lay on the ground, or lift up and rest it against a tree or wall.. because of the elastic in the material and the elastic in the rods, it will go together with ease, and the sheet itself will be tort and stretched enough to be a dead straight backdrop!!

note: when you thread the poles/rods through the material, think ahead and measure your material to be a little bit UNDER the size of your rectangle box (the rods all connected up). that way, the sheet will have to stretch when it's all put together..

in theory, it works. when i get the funds, i'll make one

maybe i should patent this idea before i click "post quick reply".. meh.

21hours no reply, obviously no-one understood that :\

<<< 21hours no reply, obviously no-one understood that :\ >>>

No one understood WHAT? your idea? perhaps it was very clear and there are no questions.

There are commerically available panels based upon similar ideas to yours, with a cloth stretched over a frame with elastic cord running inside -- except they are made out of PVC and there are anti-twist interlocks so that it all remains planar, rather than twisting into a potato chip-like shape.