Self-portrait mishap

[simion]

Hello,

So, i've recently got a flash i can fire off-camera, and decided to take a self portrait, with a perfect black background (for my upcoming website). Most of the images came out as i wanted, but did not like my face in them. so i'm left with this one, (out of 300) but the background is more of a brown than black. Any ideas how to make it actually black in post processing?

I've tried a brush but you can spot that it's been processed around the face. Also tried to select my head with the pentool and modify the darks outside the selection, but again, it's obvious it's been processed.

any ideas?

 

[Designer]

Hhmmm....

1. why not start with a black background?
2. why the landscape format? My guess is that you wish to add some text or graphic there?
3. lighting looks good, but maybe bring it a little more toward the front, but dial it back accordingly.
4. move the frame down a little, unless you require that much negative space around your head.

 

[simion]

1. the only large fabric laying around i had was brown, rest are all white
2. i always seemed to like the landscape mode rather than portrait, for some reason
3. nice idea, but i already was using the flash at 1/128, so i'd probably have to cover it with a white tshirt if i want to move it any more forward
4. good suggestion. will use it next time i try it

 

[MLeeK]

The further away from you the flash is the harder your lighting effects will be. Closer will be softer.
Adjust your aperture to compensate for moving your lights.
Keep your subject several feet from the backdrop.
If your using your flash without a softbox or umbrella get yourself a good sized piece of foam core or white poster board and bounce your flash backward off of it so that you can keep your flash closer to subject.

 

[rexbobcat]

We're you shooting with something in front of they flash? The light seems mottled

(Nevermind, I realized the flash fired from behind you and it's just the shadow of your hair lol)

 

[simion]

That's amazing advice, MLeeK! Yesterday i forgot to change my aperture from 2.0 so it stayed there like that the whole time. And perhaps next time i'll just use my 18-105 instead of the 50mm, because that way i have to move in the garden to be able to position myself several feet away from the backdrop. Also, no funds for a softbox now (saving for a 80-200), but my reflectors are coming tomorrow, and i'll use a translucent reflector instead for that i guess.

@rexbobcat. heh. yeah. my fabulous hair.

 

[KmH]

You also want to flag the flash so little if any of the light reaches the background if you want it to be darker.

I recommend using a reflector (like white foam board) opposite the flash to fill the shadows a little on the side of your face away from the flash.

 

[OrionsByte]

It's also important to remember that light has depth-of-field. So if your subject (you, in this case) is a lot closer to the light than to the background, your subject will require much less exposure to capture the light from the flash, and the ratio of the light on your subject to the light on the background will be large enough that the exposure will no longer be enough to pick up the background at all.

It's fun to experiment with - take something, set it in the middle of a moderately-lit room, adjust your exposure so that you get nothing but a black frame, and then add your flash at various distances from the subject and watch what happens. In a "real-world" setting you'd want to adjust the flash power to match your exposure settings, but for the experiment you could probably just use TTL and it would at least get the point across.

 

[Ballistics]

You mean fall-off, not depth of field. You are talking about the inverse square law.
Light Falloff Cheat Sheet Card | DIYPhotography.net

 

[OrionsByte]

You mean fall-off, not depth of field. You are talking about the inverse square law.
Light Falloff Cheat Sheet Card | DIYPhotography.net

Yes, that's what I was talking about, but my point was that you can think of it like depth of field, just as a mental aid.

 

[simion]

Thanks a lot for that guys, really helpful
Sorry about the late reply though, just been busy the last couple of days

 

[jake337]

Why do you want an all black background. You lose the feeling of depth it creates.

I would start at the beginning of lighting 101.

Strobist

Maybe a simple snooted one light setup.

Strobist: On Assignment: Simple Wall/Snoot Portrait