Posts Tagged: backdrop

Have you gotten to the point of being sick and uninterested in shooting (and seeing) the identical old pictures, time and time again? You have discovered that “chroma key” is the route to go, except you don’t really understand it or even know a great deal about it? Here’s everything you’ll want to be familiar with to put it to use as a photography background!

First…What is it?

You will hear the words “green screen”, “blue screen”, and “chroma key” thrown around and employed to mean the same thing when discussing a photography background.

Chroma key just could be defined as using a backdrop that’s one un-patterned, uniformly lit color. The blue and green are the most used hues. In fact, you could work with ANY color – however blue and green are easiest. I will make clear why that’s the case in a minute.

Blue screen systems can be used for either video and still work. You shoot somebody in front of the green screen and then later (or simultaneously with high end video cameras) you eradicate the solid color and exchange it using any type of backdrop you would like!

That’s the way the local weatherman/woman does the weather report. They’re just standing in front of a chroma key and the camera digitally removes it and puts in the area weather map. They’re just watching themselves on a television monitor to determine where to point and so on. It is confusing and more difficult than you may think to be a weatherman!

Second…Why use green or blue?

Commonly we tend to work with blue and green since they are the furthest away from the colors found in skin tones. The procedure was initially done with blue, but as the quality of cameras changes, green appears to work better. It really is a lot easier to strip from the backdrop, thus most studios are switching to green. However it doesn’t hurt to possess both.

One more good advantage for green is that it results in fewer clothing conflicts.

Since the color is automatically stripped out and substituted, if the subject has on a hue of that color (blue) as part of their apparel…it is replaced. You can frequently see shirts and ties that turn into peculiar appearing holes in the subject – showing through to the replacement background.

It has even occurred among blue eyes!

Green tends to bring about less of a clothing conflict, it happens to be easier for your cameras to work with also it’s simpler and easier to light uniformly.

Even light is vital since shadows falling on the backdrop will show in the final effect. This could destroy the realistic effect of the photography background. And, working with uneven light, you would induce altered hues of the color…several of which may not get stripped out correctly.

The 3 primary types of chroma key backdrops are: fabric, paper and paint.

Paint is useful for people with a studio that has a cove and you do all your shooting there…it really is of no use if you ever ever have to go on location.

Paper comes in huge rolls, but is easily torn and constantly needs replacing. This can get costly in a hurry.

Material tends to live best and is movable. Plus material is simple to clean (dirty chroma key backdrops do not work well).

Any material store can provide some cloth that will do the work. Obtain a little and do some playing around with your photography background, any photo editing program can take out the color. Experiment with it, you will like it!

Certainly one of the easiest ways to separate your photos from “the crowd” would be to focus more on your photography background.

Current cameras are so advanced that just about everybody can get a reasonably exposed, in focus photograph. Note, I said reasonably exposed and in focus …even aided by the super equipment we’ve got nowadays, we nevertheless have to find out a little bit about good, old fashioned photography tactics to be able to rise above the crowd at the “grabbed shot” level and start to move into the realm of fine art.

First up is a method for giving your work a professional appearance. That is done with a pro photography background.

Let’s face it, if you have a gorgeous, white, black or hand painted “Old Masters” style background, you will instantaneously skip ahead of the “grabbed shot” crowd and can quickly become the go to shooter in your area.

When your friends and relatives desire a nice photo, they’re going to think of YOU. (And, they’re going to stop hiding if they notice you coming – you KNOW what I mean.)

The best part about using a photography background is that it makes it possible to have power over what is going on behind your model. You will see no more “antlers” protruding out of the head – no more annoying elements like cars, other people and even trash on the ground.

One perceived drawback to using a photography background is that everybody assumes it’s essential to have a large studio as well as a bunch of pricey pro lighting to make it work.

This isn’t the situation!

Aided by the well thought-out use of your on camera flash, a few reflectors and maybe even a mirror or mirror finished plastic, it is possible to create the equivalent of a five light set!

I’ve seen it done and in the completed photograph, you can’t tell it was all reflectors and mirrors.

By the way, besides your on camera flash, exactly the same effect can be done via the sunlight as the light source. Suspend your background from the limbs of a tree, employ several reflectors and shoot away! Your pals will think it was all done in a studio!

The basics that ought to be in any shooter’s collection are – at the very minimum – a white background, a black one and then a gray “Old Masters” variety.

The white one is usually a bed sheet, piece of muslin, canvas or any other white material. You should not fold it up or you will not like the outcome – the white will be apt to show wrinkles and creases. First, iron the background after which you can roll it on a cylindar. (Purchase some PVC piping at a nearby “do it yourself” store. Something like three or four inches in diameter ought to do nicely.)

The black photography background can again be any type of material, however “Duck Canvas” is my preference. Using black, wrinkles are less of a problem, however the background – in fact every one of the backdrops – need to be rolled up as well.

For the “Old Masters” variety, I recommend gray because by striking it with a colored light source, gray is an easy color to alter. Therefore, you can create any color backdrop you choose.

Test acquiring some photography background material and shoot two or three pictures of a loved one. You’ll not regret it!

If you’re focused on photography – and want to get your photography to a whole new, higher level – the key to success often is the photography background!

One of the significant differences between beginner and pro photography is the pro has learned to manage and manipulate the photography background – where the beginner focuses all their consideration on the model and typically simply lets the background happen on its own.

Have you ever been so caught up in your model and lights and so forth that (when you have a look at the completed photograph) you discover a huge trash can – right behind your model – spilling trash all over the ground? In every photo? And you didn’t even see it during the photo shoot!

Or, have you been guilty of having tree branches appearing to stick out of the subject’s head, resembling antlers?

They are stupid mistakes that are effortlessly fixed and can quickly raise your photography’s effectiveness.

The bad news is we don’t really perceive how much better our images are! Let’s face it; if you don’t have litter or antlers and so forth, you don’t pause to think how much better your photo is…you just do not notice. Our notice only comes to bear if we overlook something and mess up (we all do every so often).

If you want respect for your creative activities, you can’t let these problems into your photography. It is really a simple repair…only remember to think about the background and all four corners within the viewfinder before you press the shutter button – and then you tweak accordingly.

In case you have a difficult time remembering, take a strip of masking tape and write – in large black print – “CHECK THE BACKGROUND”. And then attach the masking tape on the rear of your camera. It will help remind you until it turns into a habit.

You won’t ever realize how many images you have rescued, however it’s worth the effort.

The following most simple photography background procedure – to make your model “pop” from our shot – is to isolate them.

I am positive you have looked at photography where the subject is in clear, razor-sharp focus – but the backdrop is completely out of focus and is nothing but a wash of color.

It is done with controlling the depth of field.

Depth of field establishes just how much of your photograph is in focus. There are actually whole textbooks written concerning this subject (heck, I penned one myself!) but the simplest ways to do this “wash of color” method are to:

1. Make use of the greatest focal length lens possible.
2. Open it up to the widest aperture possible – this would be the lowest f-stop numeral.
3. Place the backdrop as far to the rear of the model as is practicable. Or position the model as far in front of the background as you can.

Clearly each of the three steps has plenty of variables. Through adjusting the options available to you, you can make your photography background as focused or de-focused as you desire. There isn’t any right or wrong.

Absolutely out of focus, moderately in focus, sharp as a tack…this is now where your inventive eye comes into the picture.

As soon as you’ve mastered the “in camera” techniques of controlling the backgrounds, after that it’s time to think about making a few fabric backdrops. This will give your work an expert “photo studio” look.

A top notch quality background can literally cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Consequently, instead of dishing out the big bucks, I recommend making your own. Luckily a photography background is straightforward to produce and can be made for pennies on the dollar.

Pay attention to your photography background and you’ll be capturing pro quality photography in no time.