Flash with a White Muslin Backdrop

kevinkt · Dec 18, 2011

I just started using flash with a white muslin backdrop. I noticed that I couldn't get my backdrop to be pure white and that I had a lot of the wrinkles show up as shadows even when I pointed two flashes at the backdrop. When I overexposed the lights on the backdrops some more, I got reflective white light "consuming" my subject.

So my question is how do you guys work with the wrinkles in white muslin backdrops? Do you just bust out more lights? Is there some secret I don't know about?

I want my photos to look like http://photos.modelmayhem.com/photos/111113/13/4ec03961d0ae5.jpg

Thanks

Destin · Dec 18, 2011

Getting your subject farther from the backdrop would help, BUT, the real problem is that you're using white muslin.

Muslin is good, but not for white. You'd have to iron it and stretch it down using weights to get it smooth enough to not show wrinkles, and not wash onto your subject. The true secret to perfect, pure white backgrounds is a roll of white seamless background paper. You simply roll it out, us it, roll it back up. When it gets dirty/ripped/wrinkled/creased, you cut off that piece and pull some more off the roll. It's alot easier to get white backgrounds with seamless than muslin.

redessa · Dec 18, 2011

That was probably shot on seamless paper, not a muslin.

But for wrinkle reduction, you can start by ironing it. Or get a steamer to "press" it while hanging. You can also do what you're doing with blowing it out with lights. Just move your subjects further from the background to eliminate the amount of light wrapping around them. Or get some scrims to separate the background light from the foreground. This is pretty informative and shows you how to set it up I've moved the blog –> zackarias.com/blog » White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: Gear & Space

Kerbouchard · Dec 18, 2011

As Destin said, if the light for your background is spilling back onto your subjects, your subjects are too close to the background.

Buckster · Dec 18, 2011

Echoing others, get the subject(s) further from the background, iron or steam the wrinkles out of it, stretch it using weights or gaffer's tape or clamps or a combination of some/all of them.

Derrel · Dec 18, 2011

"Busting out more lights" seems like a good idea to most people. However, one "secret" is to perform key-shifting. Lower the amount of light on the backdrop, and then lower the amount of light on the subjects. That will CHANGE the fundamental relationship between the foreground and background lighting levels. If your lights do not have a lot of adjustablility, or "any" adjustability ( common these days in the era of shop lights, but also not unheard of from the Lowell light era either)--achieving a white background in a small space is actually EASIER when one uses GRAY, seamless paper, not white. Gray elevates up to white very,very easily when the background lights are stronger than the main lights.

Wrinkles coming from shadows cast by the background lights??? Sounds like the light is raking in from the side; try a more shallow angle, with the lights aimed "AT" the backdrop fabric, and less "across" it.

KmH · Dec 18, 2011

Yep!

Savage Seamless Background Paper, 107" wide x 12 yards, Fashion Gray, #56

kevinkt · Dec 18, 2011

Thanks a lot for the tips. Any retailer sell seamless paper locally? I want to get some for a shoot on Tuesday so I can't wait for amazon.

Derrel · Dec 18, 2011

Well...your profile does not list your continent, country, state or province, or city....so it's pretty difficult for us to say what's available there in, oh, Greenburgh, or wherever the heck you live...

MOST professional photo stores sell background paper in roughly 9 foot and 4.5 foot lengths. It comes in a long, skinny cardboard container. Google around I guess.

kevinkt · Dec 18, 2011

Derrel said:
Well...your profile does not list your continent, country, state or province, or city....so it's pretty difficult for us to say what's available there in, oh, Greenburgh, or wherever the heck you live...

MOST professional photo stores sell background paper in roughly 9 foot and 4.5 foot lengths. It comes in a long, skinny cardboard container. Google around I guess.

Haha yeah I was hoping someone would just say - oh you can get it at Wal-mart.

I live in the United States btw in Texas.

KmH · Dec 18, 2011

NAPP members (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) get free regular UPS shipping on most stuff from B&H Photo Video and Adorama in NYC. I don't use Adorama much but do use B&H a lot and I haven't paid shipping for 107" rolls of seamless for years now.

Savage makes even wider paper than 107", but UPS won't ship the wider paper, so no free shipping.

kevinkt · Dec 20, 2011

If its a 9ft wide sheet of paper, how do you transport it? Seems like it wouldn't fit in my car... but maybe I'm just overestimating the size.

SixShotEspressO · Dec 20, 2011

FML, I'm such a tool...........

Sorry, all i saw was "White MUSLIM" background. I was like WTF does it matter if he is white or not people are people... besides how do you know if people in the background are Muslim or not?

I was half way through a response when I realized we were talking 'bout a BACK DROP!!!!

I figured this was too good to keep so enjoy.

eUgalde13 · Dec 20, 2011

SixShotEspressO said:
FML, I'm such a tool...........

Sorry, all i saw was "White MUSLIM" background. I was like WTF does it matter if he is white or not people are people... besides how do you know if people in the background are Muslim or not?

I was half way through a response when I realized we were talking 'bout a BACK DROP!!!!

I figured this was too good to keep so enjoy.

LOL