How to get completely black background on this?

[mikoh4792]

I am using a black cloth for the background. It has a velvety texture and it's a bit hard to keep lint/dust off of it. What methods do you guys use (other than post-processing) to get completely black backgrounds in macro shots? Should I have chosen a different aperture? What types of fabrics/cloths would you use?

 

[480sparky41 40]

Have you tried adjusting the black point in post?

 

[Overread17 5]

There are a few methods you can use:

1) A material as you are currently using, you might have more luck if you use a form of black perspex, although that will complicate your lighting a bit. Look into product photography as the do this kind of shot all the time. Even if you're using constant lights you'll have to control the angles they shine from so that you can remove the reflections (well worth learning anyway because you'll still have all that from those scaly subjects).

2) If you are shooting where the subject is raised up from a background area (eg side-on to a lizard) you can get a black background with flash without any black material. What happens here is that your set the shot so that the flash is providing all the light for the shot, so that if you were to take it without the flash you'd get a black shot (easy way is to raise the shutter speed to the sync speed and then close the aperture down and use a low ISO).
From there when you then add the flash it lights the subject, now if the flash is nice and close what will happen is that because light has an inverse fall off all you have to do is get the background far enough away and what happens is that the light from the flash becomes insufficient to light both subject and background (because once its gone all the way to the background and then back to the camera its lost too much intensity to have much effect on the sensor)

 

[Overread17 5]

Also because I got nosey I have to say this
http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a594/mikoh4792/DSC_1110_zps23f3bd4e.jpg

is a very fun shot

 

[pixmedic]

I shoot with a black muslin background.
I usually place the subject so there is 1-2 feet between them and the backdrop, and adjust the camera to a smaller aperture and no ambient light except for my flashes, which usually keeps the backdrop fairly close to blacked out straight out of camera, depending on how much off camera flash I am using, and where the placement is.
in Lightroom or Photoshop, i can adjust the black slider down until the background is completely black, or wherever I feel I want it. I also might make minor adjustments to exposure, WB, shadows, and whites to get the overall desired effect.

Singer 503a Rocketeer by pixmedic, on Flickr

DSC_2013_2001 by pixmedic, on Flickr

 

[mikoh4792]

Great. Thanks for the help. I'm going to give those tips a try once my d7100 comes in tomorrow!

haha I know. Those snakes love to climb on top of the lenses when they're there.

 

[pixmedic]

Great. Thanks for the help. I'm going to give those tips a try once my d7100 comes in tomorrow!

haha I know. Those snakes love to climb on top of the lenses when they're there.

both of the pics on my above post were taken with a D7100.
its a fantastic camera, and produces great pictures when you get everything dialed in right for what you are shooting. the only nitpic i have with it, is it can take such sharp and detailed pictures, that with people, it shows every little blemish.

 

[mikoh4792]

Great. Thanks for the help. I'm going to give those tips a try once my d7100 comes in tomorrow!

haha I know. Those snakes love to climb on top of the lenses when they're there.

both of the pics on my above post were taken with a D7100.
its a fantastic camera, and produces great pictures when you get everything dialed in right for what you are shooting. the only nitpic i have with it, is it can take such sharp and detailed pictures, that with people, it shows every little blemish.

Yeah, all the extra buttons will get some getting used to after upgrading from a d5200, but the extra sharpness is what I am after especially when shooting snakes.

 

[mikoh4792]

By the way, would it be hard to make everything black except the snake and the two front branches in this picture? The drilled holes in the back of the snake enclosure are a bit distracting.

 

[pixmedic]

Great. Thanks for the help. I'm going to give those tips a try once my d7100 comes in tomorrow!

haha I know. Those snakes love to climb on top of the lenses when they're there.

both of the pics on my above post were taken with a D7100.
its a fantastic camera, and produces great pictures when you get everything dialed in right for what you are shooting. the only nitpic i have with it, is it can take such sharp and detailed pictures, that with people, it shows every little blemish.

Yeah, all the extra buttons will get some getting used to after upgrading from a d5200, but the extra sharpness is what I am after especially when shooting snakes.

honestly, i don't know if you will notice any difference in sharpness going from a d5200 to the d7100.
they both have a 24mp sensor, the only difference as far as i know is that the d7100 does not have the AA filter.
I have heard that gives the d7100 a sharper image, but in real world usage....not certain if its overly noticeable.
what the d7100 will give you however, is the fantastic 51pt AF module, top LCD, dual command wheels, built in AF motor, and a little weather sealing. either way, you wont be disappointed with the d7100's performance.

 

[Ian63]

I do something like the above examples with flash to get a natural black background. I almost always use f 22 and I vary my shutter speed from 1/80 to 1/200, depending on the time of day and amount of open shade available. I also use ISO 100. The combination of these three factors and with using a flash, either pop up or more preferably off camera flash, gives me a brightly lit subject with completely black background. The background here is not completely black because I control the amount of detail by moving the flash closer or further away, and/or reduce the intensity of the flash. Like I said you can even use a pop up flash and adjust the intensity but you will of course, have no control over the direction of the light from the flash.