Traditional backdrops for portraiture

[ac12]

Adam
Unless one does what you did, it is a guess.

Gee, I "think" I get X coverage.​

Now you KNOW what kind of coverage you get, no guessing.

 

[JBPhotog]

A small modifier like the Stofen will give you too much fall-off if the goal is even bg illumination. Unless you have additional heads for the background, one head will need to be further back or diffused by a large modifier like your soft box. This complicates the situation if you are trying to lighten the background more than in your samples due to the inverse square law.

One approach is to bring the soft box closer to the background and feather it towards the base so the centre of illumination from the box is further down the background.

The other approach is to determine if you in fact need F8 as an aperture, maybe F5.6 is enough check your DoF for confirmation. This would give you more power for the background by a full stop.

 

[chuasam]

i have a giant 6'x7' collapsible backdrop. Grey Muslin. I bought it cuz I thought i would use it but I felt that it gave this rather dated look (some call it classic). I'll probably sell it off and use the money on XQD cards.

Something like this http://procam.com/westcott-masterpiece-collapsible-illuminator-muslin-background-5x6-storm-clouds

 

[JBPhotog]

i have a giant 6'x7' collapsible backdrop. Grey Muslin. I bought it cuz I thought i would use it but I felt that it gave this rather dated look (some call it classic). I'll probably sell it off and use the money on XQD cards.

Something like this Westcott Masterpiece Collapsible Illuminator Muslin Background - 5x6' (Storm Clouds) | PROCAM Photo & Video Gear | Detroit - Chicago - Cincinnati

There is no one perfect background. Thankfully, control of DoF and Hue and Sat can change the look in a variety of ways. You could always paint over it if you like the fold up portability of the Westcott.

 

[chuasam]

i have a giant 6'x7' collapsible backdrop. Grey Muslin. I bought it cuz I thought i would use it but I felt that it gave this rather dated look (some call it classic). I'll probably sell it off and use the money on XQD cards.

Something like this Westcott Masterpiece Collapsible Illuminator Muslin Background - 5x6' (Storm Clouds) | PROCAM Photo & Video Gear | Detroit - Chicago - Cincinnati

There is no one perfect background. Thankfully, control of DoF and Hue and Sat can change the look in a variety of ways. You could always paint over it if you like the fold up portability of the Westcott.

I shoot at a bandshell near my place. As long as I’m shooting early in the day no one else is around and I use speedlights. I also shoot against a large black chemical silo next to an ice arena. The algae growing on the side provide a dappled look. My other fav spot in the summer is the open shade of the Canada place sails. Perfect white backdrop with perfect reflection.

 

[adamhiram]

One of the reasons I went with a neutral gray textured canvas backdrop was to have something more versatile when used with gels. Below are some reference charts I made using a set of Rogue gels at 10 stops of flash power. I'm amazed at the number of different looks that can be achieved with some simple gels, and have already used a few of them. I don't know how much I'll end up using the more vivid colors, but the color correction gels produced some nice muted tones that I've already used without needing to setup multiple backdrops.

• Bare @ 1/8: basic portrait
• 1/2 CTB @ 1/2: light blue background for school portrait
• 1/4 CTO @ 1/32: warmer dark tone for traditional portrait

Gels - Greens & Blues by adamhiram, on Flickr


Gels - Yellows & Reds by adamhiram, on Flickr


Gels - Correction Filters by adamhiram, on Flickr

 

[Berkeley Mike]

Thanks for the gel test. I have a 10x12 hand-painted canvas background I haven't used in a while. I was thinking about an under-lit green. Your reference charts gave me some great context.