Backgrounds and Backdrops

Andrew Boey turns a white wall black by setting ISO 200, 1/200 and f/16 so ambient goes black, then lights Demi with a bare flash two feet away at 1/8 power. A shoot-through umbrella spills onto the wall, so he uses a reversed umbrella set high, adding two stops.

Rafal Wegiel, who shoots corporate headshots indoors, credits Dylan Patrick's cinematic headshot technique for letting him work in any cramped or plain space. He runs through favourite background sources, including blurred images projected onto a white wall, used on a quarter of shoots, and office interiors with strong lines.

Mark Wallace explains why adding light to a background is not always the best way to remove a subject's shadow, and how light behaves. Working with Nadia Boulif and Profoto D1 heads with an octa softbox, Magnum reflector and shallow umbrella, he shows how light placement controls the shadow.

Ben from Adaptalux photographs a figurine before bookcases to show black backgrounds come from settings and lighting, not backdrops. From ISO 500, f/5.6 and 1/60, he underexposes until the histogram reads black, then sets white arms as key and underlight, diffuses one, and adds a red arm for atmosphere.

David Strauss of Fstoppers photographs Matt Hyatt against a Rough Lux backdrop to show how the inverse square law governs backdrop exposure. With a seven-foot octabox he varies subject-to-light and subject-to-backdrop distances for brighter or darker backgrounds, then adds a bare strobe behind the subject, dropping it two stops.

Karl Taylor compares backdrops, paper rolls cheap but creasing and warping without a core rod, canvas and muslin, MDF boards, pop-ups and infinity coves, then explains choosing colour, texture and size so background supports rather than competes with the subject, and outlines two DIY backgrounds including a hand-painted canvas.

Glyn Dewis shows his invisible black background technique, making any location look like a studio black backdrop. He sets 1/200 sync speed, ISO 100 and f/8, stopping down to f/11 until a test frame is black, then adds an FJ400 in a Rapid Box Switch Octa to light Robert.

Karl Taylor explains white backgrounds for product and e-commerce shots without flaring subjects: use a white wall or matte or gloss acrylic, leave distance between subject, background and lights, and prefer two lights for even coverage. He dismisses light cubes and details three setups, including one hidden background light.

Karl Taylor covers black backgrounds: velvet absorbs light best, matte-painted MDF boards suit products if the subject is further away, and paper is often too reflective. Distance avoids spill, and three methods give separation: rim lighting, a gelled background glow and lighting the subject properly to avoid floating heads.