Comments on: White Seamless – Studio How-To

By: Rhonda

Rhonda — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 22:53:40 +0000

Have limited space for the studio and want to achieve a blown out white background. What lights would you suggest to blow out the background? I would like to find a light that can be attached to the ceiling and shine down to the background. Any suggestions?

By: Stephen

Stephen — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 22:38:36 +0000

I’m vastly late on reading this and commenting, but I find this tutorial very helpful. With your information and everyone else’s comments, I learned quite a bit. F22 is great for moving subjects, that’s something to certainly consider. F8 or somewhere around there, is the sweat spot for focus without much diffraction.

One thing I noted though, was that you wished you had those doors as a means to stop light spill. Wouldn’t this be the job of a ‘barn door’? In a traveling studio, that was actually what we used, part of it was a metal plate, the rest was a cloth that dropped down another foot to stop spill. Lack of using it, (when using a green gel) created a green child. Going off of the picture you supplied of Zach’s setup, I assume you are using just bulb. I might need to try that, and I like the idea of using one on each side, to keep it big, and even.

I also would love to try that kind of material for doing the background. I was trying to use white muslin(and I have the issue of wrinkles), and I don’t really have a large enough space in my home to get it to work properly. I had a huge issue of light spill, I’m not sure if it was spill from the flash, or the light merely bouncing off the background. I assumed it was off the background, but I never thought of that. I was thinking the spill issue was related to how far from the background the subject is. Having a huge space to work within, would of course make this easier to manage.

One person noted that the recycle time on full power was real long. In the High Key Studio post she noted that her lights recycle really quickly, so I assume something like a second recycle time.

You talk about your subjects always being on the move, how much wiggle room do you have with your setup before they are too close to the lights?

By: adam

adam — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:42:52 +0000

@Elizabeth, regarding simone’s suggestion of a hair light, perhaps you can work it on a when-you-can basis.
What about marking a spot on your floor with a little cross of tape where the subject needs to be for the hair light. You could then have the hair light in a different group to the rest of the lights (you said you use radio triggers).
You can let the kids do their thing, with the hair light not firing, and then draw their attention to the hair-light zone (ask them to jump onto the x, or place a toy there). Switch the hair-light on (you’d have to be able to do that quickly), and fire a few with it on.
Perhaps there’s an advantage to having all the shots consistently lit… perhaps it would be worth a try.a

By: Vic DeWindt

Vic DeWindt — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:26:11 +0000

Great photography. Thanks a lot.

By: Sara

Sara — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:45:40 +0000

I’d like to see how you’d do this on a smaller scale, ie using a lightbox/softbox/whatever it’s called. I bought a pop up one but don’t really know how to use it!

By: Nic

Nic — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:39:38 +0000

We used to call the “white seamless background” as a cyclorama.

By: sam hicks

sam hicks — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:27:51 +0000

Elizabeth, great article you are spot on.
LIghting always brings out the big disscusion, for me its personal preference, knowing what works with your camera, lens and studio set up. What and how you do it needs to suit the client and yourself.
When you shoot for a living you have to work with your own guidelines and abilities.

I Like to not follow any rules: http://samhickscomau.blogspot.com/

I use manfrotto frames for my backdrops with both white seamless paper ( would love to try vinyl)
Glad none of you coudl see me setting it up the roll was so long and so wide! LOL

And the comment about diffusing/ bouncing light off, its spot on too!!
we have used a white polystrene block and or corflute and come up with okay results see:
http://samhickscomau.blogspot.com/2009/06/working-with-children-and-animals-they.html

For me to review my lighting positions i use the Light cage @ photoworkshop.com
just go to 3D workshop and then click on artificial lighting, then click on light cage.

This hint was given to me by Madsens camera http://www.madsens.com.au and imaging where I bought my studio set up. These people have been in the camera business for 42 years.

The only way to work out what suits is to keep snapping, review and learn from others and their successes!!
have a nice day!!

By: sam hicks

sam hicks — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:01:50 +0000

Great article Elizabeth, you are spot on. When you are taking photos for a living u soon come up with your way of doing things, for me i shoot very similar and some times i leave the studio lights on, no flash but im talking teen/ adult portrait shots occasionally.
Kids!! my goodness your brave as they are so fast unless you engage them with a new toy or focus them on something interesting!

Each camera & lens as we know has its own personality once you have worked out what it can do – its heaven!!

For me to review my lighting positions i use the Light cage www. photoworkshop.com just go to 3D workshop and then click on artificial lighting, then click on light cage.
This hint was given to me by Madsens cameras& imaging@ http://www.madsens.com.au This is where i bought my studio set up. These people have been in the camera business for 42 years.
I use manfrotto frames for white and black seemless backdrops, I use paper but would like to try vinyal, concerned about the keeping clean thats why i use roll paper, and yes a camera with a flash diffused and bounced off the ceiling or even white corflute, polystryene does a wonderful job as well.Check out animal portrait by a close friend:
http://samhickscomau.blogspot.com/2009/06/working-with-children-and-animals-they.html

Check out two such shots where by i dont follow tradition:
http://samhickscomau.blogspot.com/
have a great day and keep snapping!! its the only way to learn!!

By: Meghan

Meghan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:17:06 +0000

Elizabeth, How big is the room you shoot in? Is there white vinyl on the sides or just the backbround and floor?

Thanks!

By: Craig Maunder Photography

Craig Maunder Photography — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:50:51 +0000

Like Lewis, in a studio setting (unless yours is huge), I’d have to imagine that f/16 would be perfectly fine and would reduce softness caused by diffraction. Lots of landscape photogs won’t even go past f/16, and they’re working at vastly greater distances.

I work with speedlights rather than studio strobes, but with regards to the comments about hair lights, in my opinion after much trial and error the best results come from a light placed high behind the subject. Height needs to be sufficient to achieve a 30-45 degree downwards angle. It can be a strobe, a speedlight, even a north-facing window… the source is irrelevant, although you do want direct lighting without any modifiers generally. In a 1/2 to 3/4 portrait or a headshot, the hair light will spill fairly evenly onto the back of the head, illuminating hair all around the head… and will fall onto the shirt collar and shoulders, giving them separation from the background. This is particularly important with a dark shirt and dark background, but still nice regardless of background.