I need help with white background, it is not looking white

zim34

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Here are two photographs I took. One of a wrestler, the other one with flowers, same exact setting, no change to the lights. I can not figure out what I am doing wrong. I have new lights, I shoot with two softboxes and then one additional light with a gold umbrella (everything came together in a lighting kit), also shooting with a strob in each light with trigger on my camera. The settings I have been using are: 1/60 F5.6 and ISO of 100. Can anyone make any other suggestions? I have tried to go higher with the F, but they just keep getting darker and darker. I have tried moving my lights as well and then the subject is totally washed out (last photo). Help. Well shoot it is not allowing me to post the photos, anyone know how I can do that?

Ok got it to work, here they are:
IMG_3254.jpg


IMG_3237.jpg


IMG_3257.jpg
 
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Click HERE to see how you can post images.

Without seeing the images or really knowing how you set up your lights...I may be way off here, but I'm guessing that you don't have enough light on your background.

When shooting something against a white background (that you want to appear white) you need to add some light directly to the background. The lights that are pointed at your subject will fall off over distance (light fall if is at an inverse square to the distance)...so by the time the light gets to the background, it may not be enough to make it photograph as white. If you adjust your camera settings or just turn up the lights...the subject gets brighter as well...which probably isn't what you want.
The solution is to have a separate 'background light' which shines only on the backdrop.
 
Mike thanks so much for telling me how to post photos. I do have two more additional shoot threw umbrella's. Would it be best to have those two pointed at the backdrop? Or maybe even take the umbrella's off and just use bare light? I am not sure. I don't have a problem with any of my other backdrops but white, it is really giving me problems.
 
The exposure looks fine. You have to adjust your white balance.

The pictures look properly lit, but the colors are off. #1,3 are too cool and #2 is too pink. You have to be adjusting the WB on the camera, or shooting in RAW and adjusting in the PP. Either way, it will make a drastic change.
 
I wouldn't bother with umbrellas for the background lights..as long as you can get a wide enough spread to cover the background.

Actually, with proper lighting, you can make any background look white (even a black one) and you can make any background look black (even a white one). It's just a matter of controlling the light on it.
 
Now that I can see them...yes, your white balance is way off in a couple of them.
 
The exposure looks fine. You have to adjust your white balance.

The pictures look properly lit, but the colors are off. #1,3 are too cool and #2 is too pink. You have to be adjusting the WB on the camera, or shooting in RAW and adjusting in the PP. Either way, it will make a drastic change.

What would you suggest it get put on? Right now I haev the WB on custom. I shoot with a Canon XTi, it list white balance as auto, daylight, shade, cloudy, tungsten light, white fluorescent light, flash, and then custom.
 
OK I just took a few more, changed the white balance, the first one is with white balance set on auto, second one is white balance set on daylight.

IMG_3288.jpg


IMG_3289-1.jpg
 
Did you set a custom white balance for the shot? The custom setting is for using a specific white balance that you set yourself (check your manual for how to do it).

Did you know that if you shoot in RAW mode, you can change the white balance when you get the images on the computer? I almost always use the auto white balance and shoot RAW so that I can change it later if need be.
 
Did you set a custom white balance for the shot? The custom setting is for using a specific white balance that you set yourself (check your manual for how to do it).

Did you know that if you shoot in RAW mode, you can change the white balance when you get the images on the computer? I almost always use the auto white balance and shoot RAW so that I can change it later if need be.


Agreed. Also, with the xti, you can custom bracket your WB to get it exactly where you want.

You new pictures above look over exposed to me. Or just too much direct flash. The light is not soft enough.
 
of the last two shots the first one is blown out. I would raise to your max sync speed. Not sure what it is on the xti. That will keep out the ambiant. At 1/60 you're letting a lot of ambiant in.
 

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