Have you ever wondered just how to create that perfectly blurred background in your photos? You know like the professional shots that have the subject of the image in super sharp focus, but everything else is a blur like you forgot to put your glasses on? While these kinds of photos may look difficult to create there’s actually only a Continue Reading
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Posts Tagged ‘backgrounds’
A Guide to Blurring Backgrounds and Best Lenses to Use
09
Jun
How to Achieve Blurred Backgrounds in Portrait Photography
22
May
The post How to Achieve Blurred Backgrounds in Portrait Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darlene Hildebrandt.
How can you create a beautiful, soft blurred background, like the one you see below?
It’s a question I hear over and over from my students. But there’s a major misconception among new portrait photographers: that to achieve such a stunning background blur, you need to go out and buy an expensive lens.
And this is just plain wrong.
Because while it’s true that certain (often expensive) lenses are better for creating blurred backgrounds, it’s also true that several other key factors go into achieving the soft background look – and most photographers fail to consider these factors and how they can be used for gorgeous results.
In other words:
You are capable of creating a lovely blurred background, and you can probably do it with the lenses you already own.
So if you want to learn how to create that gorgeous background, then read on!
Four factors affect background blur
Whenever you see a beautifully blurred background, know that four factors together produced the effect:
- the aperture setting
- the focal length of the lens
- the distance between the subject and the background
- the distance between your camera and the subject
If you use a wide aperture, you’ll get a blurry background, sure – and this is what most photographers think of when they see beautiful background bokeh.
But you can use a relatively narrow aperture and achieve the same look with a longer focal length, or by increasing the subject-background distance, or by getting closer to your subject.
So even if you have a lens with a relatively narrow maximum aperture, such as f/5.6, you can get the look you’re after. You just have to carefully control the other background blur factors.
Make sense?
The background blur factors: a quick demonstration
To demonstrate the factors affecting background blur, I’ve created some example photos of a friend’s daughter (she was a more willing subject than my husband!).
This first set of images was taken with my subject about two feet away from the front door of the house. The focal lengths used for all the example shots are (on a full-frame body) 16mm, 35mm, 70mm, and 150mm; note that I backed up with each shot to keep the framing constant. Also, I am deliberately not divulging my aperture, though it is the same for every image.
Now, the second set of images below was taken with my subject about 20 feet away from the house. Again, each time I changed focal lengths, I moved farther away to keep my subject the same size in the frame.
Now take a careful look at each set of images. What do you see?
Did you notice how much softer the background is in the second set of images? Especially at the 150mm focal length?
Remember: All eight images were taken with the same aperture. The only adjustment made for the first set is the lens focal length. And the only difference between the first set and the second set is the distance between the subject and the background; I had my subject move several feet forward.
But what about the aperture?
As you know, I deliberately withheld the aperture – but would you be surprised if I said that all the images were taken at f/5.6?
It’s true! I used an f/5.6 aperture for each shot. Not the first aperture you think of when someone says “blurred background,” right?
Which means that, as long as you have a lens that can shoot at f/5.6, you can get the same exact look.
One more comparison using f/2.8
Just to further prove the point, here are two more sets of images. All the shots are taken at f/2.8, though the first set shows my subject positioned close to the house, whereas the second set shows my subject positioned away from the house.
Can you see how much more the focal length and the distance between the subject and the background affect the background compared to the wide aperture? There’s not a big difference between these shots and the shots at f/5.6 – but there is a huge difference between the images shot at different focal lengths, as well as the images shot with the subject close versus far from the background.
Capturing blurred backgrounds: key takeaways
While using a wide aperture is a factor in creating a blurred background, it is not the only factor. And in my opinion, it’s not the most important.
Instead, if you want to create beautiful backgrounds, make sure you:
- Use a longer lens (I generally shoot at 85mm or longer for portraits)
- Ask your subject to move away from the background (note that this also depends on the environment, so make sure you do a bit of location-scouting before taking out your camera!)
You can also consider getting closer to your subject; this will increase the blur, though it’ll also tighten up your framing – just something to keep in mind.
Now, go look at the image at the top of the article again.
It, too, was taken at f/5.6! Bet you didn’t guess that the first time you looked at it, am I right?
And here’s one last set of examples to show you the power of a long focal length plus a distant background:
Background blur: final words
Now that you’ve finished this article, you know how to create stunning background blur – and you know that you don’t need an expensive f/1.2 lens to make it happen.
In fact, I challenge you to test this out yourself. Find a willing subject, start them close to the background, then slowly move them forward. Test out different focal lengths, different apertures, and different distances to your subject.
In the end, you’ll have some stunning shots – even if you only shoot at f/5.6 and beyond.
Now over to you:
Do you struggle to get perfect blurred backgrounds? Which of the tips from this article are you going to use first? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
The post How to Achieve Blurred Backgrounds in Portrait Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darlene Hildebrandt.
Tips For Achieving Blurry Backgrounds When You Don’t Have a Fast Lens
03
Dec
The post Tips For Achieving Blurry Backgrounds When You Don’t Have a Fast Lens appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.
Using a shallow depth of field to get blurry backgrounds in your photos is a powerful and popular tool for photographers. Blurring your background in this way makes it easy to obscure details in your scene that don’t add anything to your photographs. This helps to ensure that the focus of your images is your subject, and only your subject.
Using fast lenses with maximum apertures such as f/1.8 or f/2.8 is the easiest way to achieve this blurry background effect.
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 | 85mm | 1/1600s | f/1.8 | ISO 100
However, what do you do if you don’t have a fast lens? And what do you do in situations where you are unable to use your lens wide open?
Fortunately, manipulating the aperture settings in-camera is only one way to control how depth of field appears in your images.
This article will show you two ways to help you achieve more background blur when you don’t have access to a fast lens and when you can’t shoot wide open.
1. Get closer to your subject
An easy way to obtain a shallower depth of field for blurry backgrounds is to simply get closer to your subject.
Depth of field is determined by multiple factors. Aperture is one, but another important factor is how close the camera is to your subject.
By moving your camera closer to your subject, you will increase the amount of background blur that appears behind your subject.
(Conversely, if you want more depth of field in your image, move farther away from your subject.)
Putting it into practice
With techniques like this, it can be a good idea to do a few exercises so you can see exactly what is going on.
To see this technique in action, find yourself a subject and position them in front of a background. Choose a background that’s a little bit busy (like foliage) so you can see the full effect.
If you’ve chosen a portrait subject, start from between eight and ten feet away. If you’ve chosen something smaller, decrease that distance as much as you need to have a somewhat reasonable composition.
No matter what lens you have, you should be able to choose an aperture of f/5.6. Dial that in and adjust the other settings until you have a decent exposure. Take a shot.
Step forward a foot and take another. Then move a foot closer again and take a third shot. Do this until you have reached your minimum focusing distance or you are too close to your subject to frame a photo.
Then you can review the images in order. Watch for how the depth of field becomes shallower the closer you are to your subject.
If you use multiple lenses, I encourage you to do this with all of them.
The reverse
Of course, if what you want is more depth of field (i.e., less blurry backgrounds) in your frame, you can always move further away from your subject.
In more depth
If you are technically minded and want to learn more about why and how this works, note that depth of field is governed by the inverse square law, just like many other aspects of photography. These other aspects include light intensity (which governs your exposure) and light fall-off (which governs the shape of the light).
With an in-depth knowledge of the inverse square law and how it works, you would actually be able to calculate exactly where you need to be with a certain focal length and aperture to get an exact result. You will probably never find yourself in a situation where you would need to do this, but it is still possible!
2. Bring your subject farther from the background
The other main way to achieve a shallower depth of field is to put more distance between your subject and the background.
This works the same way as the previous technique, but in this case, you will be moving your subject rather than the camera. If your subject is close to the background, more background detail will be present. To get more blur, simply move your subject forward.
Practice
To see this concept in use, position your subject almost touching a background of your choice; this can be a studio background, some trees, or a wall.
Start at an aperture of f/5.6 and get a decent exposure with your other settings. Take a shot. Now move your subject a foot away from the background. Note that it’s important that you move the same distance backward. If you don’t, then you will have two factors affecting the depth of field in the frame, and it will be impossible to accurately see what is blurring the background.
Take another shot. Move yourself and your subject another foot back and shoot again. Repeat as many times as you want. In practice, how far away you move your subject is dependent on how much blur you want to achieve.
Do you want to retain some detail so that your viewers can recognize the background? Or would you rather obliterate any background details altogether, ensuring that your subject is the only thing for your viewers to focus on?
Real-world use
Now that you have put all of this into practice and you have your sequences of images, you should have a good idea of how the depth of field changes with your distance from the subject and the subject’s distance from the background.
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L | 1/200s | f/8 | ISO 800
Not only will you be able to use this knowledge to help you get a shallower depth of field when you can’t shoot wide open, but it will also help you design any desired photos long before you pick up the camera.
For example, you might want an image where your subject is in focus from front to back, but you want the background to be as obscured as possible. Having gone through these exercises, you should be able to approximate what aperture you need to use, how close to the subject you need to be, and how far away the background needs to be. And you should be able to do it in a fairly short amount of time, too!
Achieving blurry backgrounds: final words
Manipulating depth of field to get blurry backgrounds may be a basic technique, but understanding fundamentals like these helps give you a well-rounded set of camera skills that will serve you well in your photography.
The post Tips For Achieving Blurry Backgrounds When You Don’t Have a Fast Lens appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.
Why It’s Important to Pay Attention to Your Backgrounds in Photography
21
Sep
The post Why It’s Important to Pay Attention to Your Backgrounds in Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.
In today’s article, you’re going to learn about the importance of backgrounds in photography. Knowing how to best use the background will have a big impact on the success of your photo.
You’re going to discover the different approaches to dealing with the background, and how that background will then work as a counterweight to your main subject.
So turn your eye away from the main subject, and see what a good background will do for your final image.
Background or main subject?
The answer to this question is, of course, both.
As a photographer, you need to pay equal attention to the main subject and the background. It’s easy to lose track of the background while you focus on your main subject. Take a little longer composing your photo and look to the background. You’re looking to avoid clutter in the background while lining up leading lines with your main subject.
Composing with the background
The background is an important aspect of portrait and still life photography. And the background often takes up the entire photograph when shooting landscapes, so you pay particular attention to it by default.
So what are you looking for in the background, when the main focus of the image is your main subject? The answer is design elements, such as:
- Lines: Are there leading lines in the background? Then make sure they lead the eye to the main subject. Equally, make sure the background is compositionally sound. This will often mean positioning the subject in the left or right third of the frame.
- Patterns: Is there a textured background such as a brick wall behind your subject? Make sure that this fills the background.
- Minimalism: Avoid background clutter for a more minimalist photo. Step to the side if this removes an unwanted element from your photo such as a lamp post or a person.
- Frames: Like leading lines, if there is a natural frame you can use in the background then line this up with your main subject.
Work with the background or remove it?
You have a choice as a photographer whether you want to use the background in your frame, or whether you want to eliminate it.
The choice is an artistic one, and for certain types of photography (such as street photography), you’ll certainly want to include the background.
So let’s look at these two approaches.
The story is in the background
The background is vital in that it gives your photo context. How your main subject interacts with the background gives your photo more narrative, and hence it becomes a stronger photo. That’s not an excuse to include clutter, though; you should still look to see what elements can be removed from the background.
The ideal photo then shows your main subject, and just enough of the background to provide that story. So how will you achieve this?
- Focal length: A change in focal length can have a big impact, especially on the background. Longer focal lengths will allow you to compress the background behind your main subject, but at the (likely) cost of losing narrative content that would have enhanced the photo.
- Bokeh: Bokeh refers to the out-of-focus portion of your photo. This effect can be controlled, and you don’t need to completely blur out the background. A soft-focus background can give your photo a story without forcing the eye away from your main subject.
- Framing: If you happen to find a natural frame in front of your subject, you can use this. Use it to frame the main subject and the area of the background that’s important. Then the frame can naturally remove unwanted elements in your photo by blocking them from view.
Minimal backgrounds in photography
The other way to deal with the background is to remove it, blur it out, or ensure it’s one particular texture.
Taking this approach will give your photo a much more minimal feel, and this can be just as effective when producing an interesting image. This option is well worth considering when you have a very interesting main subject or, even better, a main subject that provides its own story by doing something interesting.
So how will you go about producing minimal backgrounds in photography?
- Low-Key: A low-key effect involves perfectly exposing the main subject while underexposing the background. The resultant photo will then have a black background. To achieve this, light your subject with a narrow beam of sunlight or use a strobe with a snoot attached.
- Bokeh: Now the aim is to completely blur out the background. The best lenses to do this are prime lenses, and you’ll want to use the largest available aperture. The greatest effect will be achieved when there is a large distance between the main subject and the background.
- Texture: Backgrounds like brick walls, metal shop shutters, or concrete blocks can work well here. The aim is to fill the background with a particular pattern and nothing else.
- Color block: Again, a wall can work here, but it should be a single color. Alternatively, how about aiming at the sky on a clear day, so you have just blue for your background?
Maximize backgrounds in photography!
Now that you know how important it is to pay attention to the background, how will that change your photography? Are there techniques you use that haven’t been mentioned in this article?
As always, we’d love to see your photos and for you to share your opinions. If you have photos where the background is key to the success of the photo, then please share those in the comments section. And explain why you think the background is so important!
The post Why It’s Important to Pay Attention to Your Backgrounds in Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.
Great Photoshop Tools to Edit Backgrounds in Images for Online Use
21
Jun
The post Great Photoshop Tools to Edit Backgrounds in Images for Online Use appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.
Are you moving your business online? You’re probably noticing the huge amount of possibilities? From blogs to Instagram; from banners to thumbnails – you need to keep editing your images to fit your every need. Fortunately, there are some Photoshop tools to edit backgrounds that come to the rescue. Keep reading to learn how to solve some of the most common issues about backgrounds.
Photoshop tools to edit white backgrounds
There are a number of Photoshop tools to edit white backgrounds, so let’s break them down.
Curves
A white background shot seems simple, but it ‘s not so easy to achieve. You can always cut out the subject and replace the backdrop, but this can be very time-consuming even if you did it right in the photo-shoot. You still need to do some editing, and one of the best Photoshop tools to edit a backgrounds’ brightness is Curves.
Often, despite your best efforts, your seemingly white background is not 100% white. Look at the example above. On the left, you can see the result of the photo-shoot, which appears to be okay. But, if I add a white background layer, you can see it’s not. Notice how you can see the difference in the corners. To easily fix this, you have to add a Curves Adjustment Layer.
To add a Curves adjustment, click on the Adjustments icon at the bottom of the Layer palette, denoted by a circle with black and white halves.
Then, lighten your image by dragging the top part of the curve. Keep going until the transition between your photo and the digital background is not visible. Don’t worry if your subject is getting too light, you’ll fix that in the next step.
Now, grab the Brush tool, and with a soft brush at 10 or 15% flow, start painting black over your subject. This will mask out the adjustments from the curve to keep the original exposure on the subject, including its shadows.
Photoshop tools to extend backgrounds
There will be times when you also need to extend your image backgrounds. Here are some tools to help you do that.
Clone Stamp
The Clone Stamp is one of the most useful Photoshop tools to edit backgrounds. Being able to clone one part of the image to another, helps you to retouch almost anything.
You can correct any specks, dust, or scratches in your image.
I want to show you another situation where it can come in handy too. Imagine you need to extend your background to gain some negative space. You can clone your background to cover a bigger area. First, enlarge your document by going to Menu->Image->Canvas Size and set up the new size.
Grab the Clone Stamp and take a sample from the background to start cloning. If you are working on a separate layer, make sure to set Current and Below in the options bar. If you’re working on the same layer, use “Current Layer.”
Keep going by sampling from different areas each time, that way, it’s less noticeable, and you’ll get a better result. If the area is too big for this, then the Pattern Stamp tool will be more efficient.
Pattern Stamp
First, use the Rectangular Marquee tool to select a sample of the background. Then go to Menu->Edit->Define Pattern. This will open a pop-up window where you can name and save this background as a pattern.
Pick the Pattern Stamp tool that you’ll find under the Clone Stamp. On the options bar, you can open the pattern menu and choose the one you just created.
Now you just have to paint all the space you want to fill. You can adjust the size of the brush, the hardness, and flow for better results.
If the separation between stamps is noticeable, then go back to the clone stamp tool and smooth out the junctions.
Photoshop healing tools for backgrounds
Similar to the Clone Stamp is the Healing Brush, which has two variations. Unlike the clone, both of them will blend the new pixels with the existing ones. As a result, the correction is much smoother. Let’s see the difference between them.
Spot Healing Brush
The Spot Healing Brush will automatically sample the pixels it thinks are best to use as a source. It will take the texture and reproduce it while blending the color and luminosity with the pixels in the new spot.
This is really useful when you’re working on large empty areas, like textures. In most cases, I find it’s very unpredictable, and it includes pieces that don’t belong, so I don’t use it often. However, it’s a matter of finding what works best in each situation.
If you cancel the action by going back on your history or using the command Ctrl+Z and try again, it will give you a different result. It works better when you use a small brush and tackle small areas at a time.
If you want to cover a big space, you’ll be better off using the Healing Brush Tool.
Healing Brush
This tool is a mix between the Spot Healing Brush and the Clone Stamp. You can manually choose where to sample by clicking on the spot while holding the Alt key. Then click on the area you want to ‘heal’ and it will blend the source pixels with the current ones. This way the result will be much more uniform. Make sure that “Sampled” is marked as the Source in the Options bar.
You can use this tool to extend your background or to retouch any details on it. It’s very versatile, so try it out.
Conclusion
Your background can complement, enhance, or distract from the subject, so it’s just as important and you want to give it enough attention. Whether it’s a blemish or an extension, these Photoshop tools to edit backgrounds can help you out for most of your online needs.
What is your favorite tool? Share it in the comments section!
The post Great Photoshop Tools to Edit Backgrounds in Images for Online Use appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.
3 Fun Backgrounds for Portraits and Photo Booths You Can Create at Home
19
May
The post 3 Fun Backgrounds for Portraits and Photo Booths You Can Create at Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Erin Fitzgibbon.
Bring out your Creativity
With our phones becoming an essential tool in our lives, we’ve started integrating them into our daily routines. We use them to document events and milestones, and then share them on social media.
One trend that seems set to continue is having photo booths at events and even gatherings. Guests are invited to shoot photos in front of a fun background to help document the memories of that special day.
And photographers are always looking for great studio backdrops to help make portraits interesting.
Keeping both scenarios in mind, I’ve put together three examples of easy-to-create backdrops that can be used in all sorts of situations. So whether you’re a serious portrait photographer who wants to create something unique for your business or a creative individual who wants to give your guests with something fun during an event, here are step-by-step instructions for creating some pretty cool backgrounds.
1# String and a Theme
For this creative effort all you need is a lot of string and some paper clips. I’ve used this technique with everything from displaying art to creating a fun backdrop for portraits in support of Down Syndrome awareness.
(The creases in the fabric can easily be removed in Photoshop. I just wanted to show exactly how it looked.)
Created using some friends’ socks, two pieces of white fabric and some push pins.
The steps are quite simple.
- Get some string. (I’m partial to either black string or brown hemp-based string.)
- Using strong tape or hooks, run the string back and forth across the area you’ll be shooting. This works best on a blank wall or a plain backdrop cloth. (If you don’t have a backdrop cloth, iron a bed sheet and hang it up using thumbtacks.)
- Attach whatever theme items you’ve chosen at random places along the string using paper clips.
- Take some test photos to make sure you like the look of your backdrop.
I hung the socks from the string using bobby pins.
Here’s a background we made for a school. The design was created for World Down Syndrome Day. Everyone was encouraged to raise awareness by wearing crazy socks. So we created this simple background and then took photos of the students in front of the socks. It was easy to set up, and a lot of fun to shoot.
2# Paint Splatters and a Tri-Fold Display Board
Remember those tri-fold display boards we all bought to make our science fair projects? Well, here’s a backdrop you can make using that school day staple. It’s also easy to transport – just fold it up and away you go. It’s also a great way to use up any paint you have sitting around in the basement.
I used some acrylic paint and a palette knife for this background. I decided to smear it this time, but you can also splatter the paint.
- Buy a tri-fold display board (black or white) from the dollar store.
- Choose some paint colors that go with your theme (or use whatever you have lying around in the basement). If the paint is too thick to splatter, adding water can help make it more pliable.
- Take the tri-fold board outside (or put down a lot of newspaper on the kitchen floor).
- Using a variety of brush sizes, randomly drip, splash or flick paint onto the tri-fold.
- Let it dry for several hours before moving the board.
If you load the knife with a few colors and drag it across the palette you get lots of mixing and color variation.
Here’s the full tri-fold display board. While the background isn’t very big, it’s quite portable. However, it does limit how much you see. But keep in mind you can always use a zoom lens and have your subject stand at a distance from the background. After all, a lot of DIY is about making do with what you have.
A simply white tri-board can be really useful. And in a pinch it can also be used as a reflector.
3# Brown Paper and Old Books
For this one you’ll need a roll of craft paper, which you can either hang from a studio backdrop or improvise by taping it to the wall. But you’ll have to be gentle with this backdrop, and if your guests or clients aren’t careful they could easily rip the paper.
Next, choose some books that have significance to your event. If it’s a baby shower, old children’s books might be a good choice for the background.
(I realize that some people think dismantling a book for a backdrop is blasphemous. Personally, I think it’s a great way to give it another purpose instead of having it just sit on the shelf. If this really bothers you, use newspapers instead.)
- Gather up old books you won’t be reading again, or visit the library and ask for any damaged books they’ll be throwing away. Flea markets and garage sales are also great places to find books.
- Cut pages out of the books that you find visually appealing
- Glue the pages to the long strip of brown craft paper you hung up
- Apply as many pages as you see fit. (You may want to use only a few pages, while someone else may want to completely cover the brown paper.)
- Carefully adjust the roll of paper so guests can easily stand in front of your backdrop
I used pages from an old Writer’s Market to create this background. The nice thing is I can roll it up and take it anywhere.
I also like the look of this background with a black and white treatment.
A classic black and white portrait in front is quite pleasing.
Other Ideas
Here’s are some more ideas for backgrounds.
- Run party streamers diagonally down the wall in a variety of colors.
- Hang homemade snowflakes from the ceiling.
- Hang Christmas lights behind a bed sheet for a glowing look.
- Collect fall leaves and glue them to brown paper.
- Use old rolls of wallpaper and drape them behind your subject. (No gluing required.)
There are countless ways to create an inspiring look for portraits. Don’t be afraid to be creative and use items you have lying around the house. And please share your ideas and examples. We’d love to see what items you use to make something truly fun and creative.
The post 3 Fun Backgrounds for Portraits and Photo Booths You Can Create at Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Erin Fitzgibbon.
7 Steps to Perfect White Portrait Backgrounds in the Studio
22
Apr
The post 7 Steps to Perfect White Portrait Backgrounds in the Studio appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.
Photographing subjects on a white background is one of those things that looks easy from the outside. However, once you start digging into the details, it turns out it’s not quite as simple as it seemed at first glance.
Unfortunately, being able to shoot on a white background is one of the most useful skills for you to have in all sorts of photography including portraits and still life. Even if you hate it stylistically, you will eventually have plenty of people ask you for a pure white background.
When you get the technique right, there are a whole host of things you can easily do with your photos, such as cutting your subjects out for composites. Even when your technique isn’t perfect, there are a host of post-processing options to get you, and your images, there in the end.
However, this article outlines a process to help you get perfect results straight out of the camera every time. If you’re handling a high volume of images – whether that be portraits or products – this may save you countless hours in post-production.
What you need
You will need a few lights for this technique. In this example, there are three lights and a reflector.
To get started with shooting on a white backdrop in a studio, you will need a few things.
- At least two studio strobes with modifiers or flashguns (three or four would be preferable and will make your life easier). Softboxes are the easiest option for your background lights.
- A light-colored backdrop. White is preferable, but this technique will work easily with anything up to mid-grey. It is more than possible to do it with darker backdrops but to avoid complications, stay light when you can.
- Space. You will need space to get the best results. As described below, you will need to keep enough room between your subject and the background to help prevent spill from the background lights falling on your subject. For portraits, this could easily take ten to fifteen feet of space in addition to the distance you are from the subject. For smaller subjects, space is much less of an issue.
- (Optional) A light meter. Because we’re dealing with moderately precise ratios, a light meter will help you here. You can get by without one, but it does make it easier.
Step One – Choose your aperture
Before you do anything with your lights or your subject, the first step in this process is to choose the aperture you want to shoot at. This choice is going to be the basis for everything else you do in this process. Anything from f/8 to f/4 is a good bet for studio portraits, but you can choose anything you like. Your only real limitation here is the power output of your lights.
If you choose f/11, then your backgrounds lights will need to be set at least two stops brighter, which would be f/22. You may struggle to achieve that with low-powered strobes. If that’s the case, then you will have to choose a larger aperture for your final image.
For the remainder of this article, the chosen aperture will be f/5.6.
Step Two – Light your background
When lighting your background, take the time to ensure that it is evenly lit. This will ensure that all of your background is white with no darker tones creeping into the sides and corners.
Once you know your aperture, the next step is to set up your background light(s). If you can, use large, directional modifiers like softboxes. This will help prevent excess light spilling where you don’t want it. It will also help to ensure that the background is evenly lit from top to bottom, preventing any inconsistencies in exposure in your final images.
Place your lights on either side of your backdrop and pointed towards it at a forty-five-degree angle. Try to position them so that you get even coverage.
Step three – Set the exposure for your background lights
The easiest way to find the exposure for you background is to use a light meter. Don’t worry if you don’t have one, you can still chimp the histogram to make sure it’s overexposed.
With your lights positioned, all you have to do is set the power so that the camera will record your background as pure white. Your background needs to be at least two or three stops brighter than your subject. Because the hypothetical aperture we’re using is f/5.6, that means the backgrounds lights should be at f/16 for three stops of exposure difference.
If you’re using a meter, be sure to check the exposure at the top and bottom of the background and not just the middle.
Step four – Place your subject for a test
On the left, the subject is too close to the background and the light is wrapping around her and lighting her front. Placed a few feet further away, the subject is rendered as a silhouette. (The detail in the darker image is from the overhead fluorescent that I hadn’t turned off yet.)
To figure out where your subject needs to stand, or be placed, put them in front of the background and take a test shot with only the background lights on. If they are far enough away from the background, your subject should be in perfect silhouette, and there should be no light falling on them or wrapping around them in any way.
Where there is light falling on your subject, just move them further away from the backdrop until you achieve that perfect silhouette.
If your exposure is right, you should have no details in your background and no details in your subject.
Because you are lighting a white (therefore reflective) surface, your background is effectively a light source and acts like one. The light from your backgrounds will fall off at a rate governed by the inverse square law. What you are trying to do is to place your subject in a place where the light level drops enough that it has no effect on your subject at your desired aperture.
Step four (part 2) – Flag your background lights
To ensure light isn’t going where you don’t want it, flag your background lights. Here, I’ve used black fabric and covered all but the section of background that will be in the photos.
It may be that you can’t achieve a perfect silhouette of your subject for some reason. This issue can arise from not having enough space to work in, or it could be that your modifiers are producing too much spill. One way to combat this is to flag your lights.
Flagging simply means to block light from where you don’t want it. You can do this in any way that you want. V-flats and black curtains (as in the example images) are both cheap and effective ways to flag your light.
Simply place your preferred flags in a manner that blocks excess light from coming back towards the camera, but doesn’t interfere with the part of the background that will wind up in your composition.
Step 5 – Place your key light
Once the background lights are done, you can light your subject in any way you want.
Now that your background is lit and you know where your subject needs to be, you just need to light your subject. All you have to do is place your light any way that you desire (any lighting pattern will work), and set the power to your desired aperture (f/5.6 in the examples).
Unlike the background lights, you don’t have to worry about what any excess light from your key light is doing. Because you are so far away from the background with a light set to a much lower power, it will have little to no effect on the final exposure of the background. However, do pay attention to what the light is doing off to the sides. If it’s firing into a nearby white wall or another light-colored surface, then that surface will act as a reflector in your images.
Step 6 – Add fill (optional)
Use fill lighting to reduce the impact of heavy shadows in your images. You can use another light if you wish, or a reflector as shown here.
If you want to add a fill light to your set-up, you can now do that as normal. You can fill with another strobe, or you can use a reflector as shown in the example images. The main thing to remember about fill light is that it should be at least one stop lower in power than your key light.
Step 7 – Check your final exposure
With everything set-up, you should have a perfect white background straight out of the camera.
With everything in place, take a test shot at your desired aperture. If your key and fill lights are in your desired position, everything should be spot on and you should now have an image with a perfectly white background straight out of the camera.
That’s it
This isn’t a hard technique, but it does require a fair few steps and a lot of attention to detail. Don’t be put off by any of that. Once you’ve set it up a few times, it will become second nature very quickly. You will also be able to learn how to set it up in a few minutes, potentially saving you a ridiculous amount of time post-processing backgrounds that aren’t perfectly white.
The post 7 Steps to Perfect White Portrait Backgrounds in the Studio appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.
How to Create Dark and Dramatic Backgrounds Using High-Speed Sync
30
Oct
The Usefulness of High-Speed Sync
Among other things, high-speed sync lets you underexpose your backgrounds for dramatic images.
High-speed sync (HSS) is easily one of the most useful features in lighting. Not only does it let you overpower the sun for more flattering light in the middle of the day, it also lets you use your largest apertures in broad daylight.
It also lets you use another useful technique – underexposing your backgrounds by several stops. With a powerful enough light you can even underexpose the sun by three or four stops, thus making it a compositional element in your frame. This lets you create dark, dramatic backgrounds for visual impact. It also brings your subject forward in the frame, ensuring they’re the dominant aspect of your image.
Fortunately, using HSS to create dark backgrounds like this is easy. And in this short tutorial, I’ll show you how to do it using both E-TTL and manual exposure modes.
Why Darken Your Backgrounds?
While you won’t want to darken the background in every situation, dark backgrounds in scenes that would normally be very bright look great. It may be a stylised affair, but it’s a cool style.
Darkening the background brings your subject forward in the frame(providing they’re well lit), and emphasizes them as the focal point of the background. And the inherent contrast added by putting extremely dark tones in the frame helps to make things pop.
This shot was taken without a flash and is all natural light. You can see the background shares a similar tonality to the subject, reducing the subject’s impact within the frame.
By intentionally underexposing the background with HSS, the subject now dominates the frame.
What Do You Need?
To get started with this technique you’ll need:
- A flash with HSS capability (and TTL capability if you don’t want to use manual).
Some studios strobes (such as the Pixapro Citi600) now come with HSS functionality built in.
- A trigger or some other means to fire your flash. (You’ll need a TTL-compatible trigger if you want to use TTL.)
If you want to use manual mode, a PC Sync cable will do the job. But for E-TTL you’ll need a compatible trigger. (The icon circled in red is the HSS icon.)
E-TTL Mode
To use this technique with TTL metering, turn on the flash, trigger, and camera of whatever system you’re using. Set your flash mode to HSS and E-TTL. (If you don’t know how to do this, refer to your manual.) You should also zero out the flash exposure compensation settings on your flash.
Switch your camera to ‘Aperture Priority‘ mode and choose the desired aperture. I’m fond of f/4 and f/5.6 for this technique, but it’s not a rule.
Now dial between -1 and -3 stops of exposure compensation into your camera. What this does is underexpose all the ambient light in your scene. It’s how you achieve the dark backgrounds – everything that isn’t properly exposed by your flash will be darkened.
Backgrounds that are already in shadow (such as the one in this photo) may only need one stop of underexposure.
For dark backgrounds already in shadow, -1 stop of exposure compensation will be enough. For bright backgrounds or backgrounds in direct sunlight, you’ll need to underexpose more. To overpower the sun, you’ll need to underexpose by at least three stops.
Backgrounds lit by direct sunlight (such as the one in this image) may need up to four stops of underexposure.
Take a test shot, evaluate the image and the histogram on your camera, and adjust the flash exposure compensation as needed.
That’s all there is to it.
Manual Mode
HSS is great for overpowering the sun. Here, three stops of underexposure controlled the appearance of the sun in the frame. Notice how dark the rest of frame (lit in broad daylight) appears.
The steps for manual mode are almost identical to using E-TTL mode.
- Set up the flash, trigger, and camera of your system.
- Set the camera to aperture priority mode.
- Set the camera to your desired aperture.
- Dial in -1 to -3 stops of exposure compensation.
- Take a test shot.
- Adjust your flash power as needed.
However, in manual mode, the meter in your camera doesn’t relay any exposure information to your flash as it does in E-TTL mode. That means you’ll need to set your flash power yourself by evaluating your test shot and turning the flash power up or down as needed. You may need to alter the flash power a lot more than you would with E-TTL. Just keep taking tests shots and evaluating the exposure until it’s where you want it.
Adjusting the power in manual mode means dialing through all the increments on your flash. This isn’t a problem, but it’s harder than E-TTL.
As an aside, light meters are now available that can measure HSS such as the Sekonic L-858D. However, they’re very expensive. A Slovenian company called Lumu also makes a light meter that plugs into an iPhone to measures HSS. I saw these being demoed at a trade show and was very impressed with the results. They’re less expensive, but they currently work only with iPhones.
That’s It
Provided you have the necessary equipment, the technique is quite easy. And it can give you a variety of results, so make sure you experiment with different amounts of exposure compensation.
Though limited by your access to the equipment, this HSS technique is easy to employ and can result in bold, dramatic imagery.
Other Considerations
Here are a few things to keep in mind while using this technique:
ISO. Generally speaking, you should keep your ISO as low as possible. Of course, if you have a particularly low-powered flash you may need to bring it up.
Flash Meters. Most flash meters can’t meter for HSS exposures. There are specialist meters that can, but be prepared to pay through the nose for them.
Daylight Conditions. This technique works in all sorts of lighting conditions, from direct midday sun to diffused light on a cloudy day. You’ll need a powerful light to overpower the sun on a bright day, but if you do the technique works really well.
This HSS technique works well in all lighting conditions. The image on the left was created in overcast conditions, while the image on the right was taken in direct sunlight.
Flashguns / Speedlights. Many flashguns have HSS functionality built in and are capable of great results. If you have a flashgun, consider using them for this technique.
Give it a try
Now that you’ve seen what can be accomplished with this relatively easy technique, I encourage you to get out and try it for yourself. And let us know how you went in the comments.
The post How to Create Dark and Dramatic Backgrounds Using High-Speed Sync appeared first on Digital Photography School.
6 Types of Portrait Backgrounds for Creative Images
26
Aug
There are many options when choosing backgrounds for your portraits. You can pretty much do anything you want. The key to remember though is lighting and positioning your subjects in relation to that background.
Whether that be natural or artificial lighting, outdoors or indoors, it is vitally important to understand how light also affects your background and not just the subject of your portrait.
#1 Busy or patterned background
Before you look at various types of backgrounds, I’d encourage you to experiment. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes or to try your ideas out. That was what I did with the portraits above. I wanted to see how a portrait could look using a busy background in my own home. I decided to use LED lights for these and moved either the subject or the light around depending on how I wanted the background to look.
Backgrounds can either strengthen your portraits by directing focus toward your subject or vice versa. If the background is too busy such as the one above right, (I feel there is a weaker focus on the girl) make sure your light draws focus towards the subject rather than the lighting the background too much.
I didn’t want the background to be completely dark, however, as I wanted to capture the fairy lights in the fireplace as well as the detail of the wallpaper and other decors. To achieve this, I shot with a small aperture for greater depth of field and put my subject closer to the background. All of these required balancing the exposures in post-processing.
The photo on the left also has a very busy background – a patterned wallpaper. However, unlike the busy photo of the right, I didn’t want to emphasize the pattern but planned to use it as a blurry background. In order to achieve this effect, I shot with a shallow aperture and positioned my subject away from the wall.
#2 Dark textured background
The above set is another one of my experiments. This time I wanted to use textured fabrics in a natural way as a backdrop.
The lighting I used for these portraits was a simple window light coming from the side. The choice of dark fabrics was because I wanted to draw attention to the face and keep everything else rather minimal but rich in texture.
In contrast to the busy patterned background, I reigned in the color palette here to just browns and skin tones. They are simple portraits but are very rich in texture.
#3 Bright background
When I do outdoor family shots, this is one of my go-to-backgrounds. I look for bright spaces which are not the sky but are brighter than the subject such as foliage, trees, and leaves showing the bright sky behind it.
As long as it’s bright but is not the sky, it’s fine to use. The most important thing to remember is to put your subject in front of the bright background and expose for their face. This means the background gets brighter and the face is properly exposed. Use a flash to light the face if you want but as long as you properly expose the face, the image looks right.
Another thing to remember is to avoid having any dappled light on your subject’s face. The background can be dappled such as the trees with the light coming through on these the images above but never on the faces. That would more often than not, ruin your image unless you are intentionally doing so in an artistic shot, for example.
#4 Plain dark or light background
Plain backgrounds whether they be light or dark or mid-tone in color, make for classic portrait shots. You can’t go wrong with them as long as you know what you are doing with your lighting.
In the portraits above, I simply used a dark wall and window light for the main light. I put a reflector on camera right to bounce some of the light. That’s it.
The portraits above were shot in the client’s kitchen where they had a bench by the wall. It was perfect for some quick natural and fun portraits of the children for as long as they sat still! The lighting here was merely the window and skylight on the far right and a weak bounced fill flash behind me on camera left.
My main tip when shooting plain backgrounds is to match the lighting to the background so that if the background is light, then the subjects tend to be lit in the same strength. Similarly, when the background is dark, then I tend to light the subject with a moodier tone.
Although this is a personal preference, technically I prefer an even contrast between the subject and the background.
#5 White seamless background
Contrary to what many people believe, a pure white background is not so easy to achieve. What I mean by that is that you can’t just set up a white background and your subject, take a picture, and you have your nice clean white seamless background. If you do this, you’ll end up with a light grey or off-white, rather muddy background.
Actually, in order to get that bright white background, you have to light the background and light your subject as well.
If you want to learn how to do this properly, read this article I have written and it will show you a step-by-step process of achieving a clean white seamless background – 3 Rookie Mistakes to Avoid When Shooting on a White Background.
#6 Fake background
Yes, you can fake a background in Photoshop!
The photos above were shot on a plain dark wall similar to #4 and then I added textures in Photoshop afterward. You do need a separate image of a texture to overlay on the dark wall.
You can see how this is done on this article here I have written on adding overlays: Basic Photoshop Tutorial – How to Add Creative Overlays to Your Portraits
Another way of faking it in Photoshop is by adding a sun flare. The background here was just a plain white wall but it was shot in a windowless room with very little ambient light. I used a flash at camera-left to mimic window light. In post-production, I added sun flares so it looks like the girl is sitting next to a window.
Here is an article where you can learn ways on how to add sun flares to your photos in post-production; 2 Quick Ways to Add a Sunflare in Photoshop
I hope this article has helped you in choosing backgrounds for your portraits. If you have any other ideas you wish to share, please do so in the comments below.
The post 6 Types of Portrait Backgrounds for Creative Images appeared first on Digital Photography School.
How to Avoid Distracting Backgrounds in Street Photography
23
Aug
Have you ever been excited that you captured a really cool street portrait only to notice later that there’s something growing out the side of the person’s head? You were so excited that you caught the moment and the expression but you just did not see that street sign that looks like it’s growing out of your subject’s ear.
In this article, I want to run through some of the techniques and tricks I use to help avoid distracting backgrounds when doing street photography.
Fill Your Frame
Fill the frame. This was drummed into me when I started working as a newspaper photography cadet. I was instructed, rather than taught, that whatever is in the frame must be relevant to the story the photo was illustrating.
This is still the most important aspect of composition I follow strictly.
Look at the edges and into the corners. Whatever is in the frame needs to support, not distract from, whatever it is you are photographing. If you keep this in mind, you will find the distractions most of the time.
With a lot of street photography what’s in your frame will be changing rapidly so you must be attentive. You must anticipate what’s going to happen next.
The Decisive Moment
Wait for the action to peak. Capture your photos when all the elements fall into place, not just some of them. If you have a photo lined up and someone you didn’t see coming walks into your frame, wait until they have moved away. If you take the photo with them visible in your frame you will most likely delete it later anyway.
So much of the best street photography is about waiting and being patient. Anticipate when the action will be at its best, then take the photo.
With this photo of the samlor (tricycle taxi) rider, I waited a while for the traffic to clear. The street behind him is typically quite busy and cars in the background did not enhance the photo at all. So, I waited and chatted little with the rider.
I knew he would not be moving off quickly and that he was comfortable with me photographing him. I wanted to include the shadow in a horizontal composition and anything like a passing car or motorcycle would have been distracting.
Concealment
If whatever is passing by in the background is small enough, you might try to time your photo so the offending distraction is hidden behind the subject. To make this work your timing has to be just right.
First, your subject will need to be large enough in the frame. Getting closer to them can be to your advantage. When there is no way to avoid passing pedestrians just wait until they are behind your subject.
With this young girl performing in a street parade there was a constant stream of people moving behind her. I had taken a few photos from further back but was having trouble isolating her in my frame. I noticed she was quite enjoying being photographed so I moved in a little closer.
From this angle, she filled more of my frame and I was able to hide people passing by behind her.
Prevail With Your Position
Pick your spot carefully. When you’re concentrating on a single subject, move around it, or them, until you are satisfied with the background. Don’t just stand and take a photo from the first position you think of as often it is not the best.
As you move about, watch the background in relation to your subject. Often you will be able to avoid distracting elements by cropping them out our obscuring them behind your subject.
This Kayan girl was sitting outside her home. The front of the home has a small stall where they sell trinkets. I did not want that clutter in my portrait, so I moved. I got creative with my point of view so I achieved the clean background I wanted.
Scout About to Get Minimal
I love a minimalist background. This can be a challenge in street photography.
Look around where you are photographing. Find a place where there’s contrast in the light. Maybe where people are walking in the sun and the background is in the shadows. If you expose for the brightest areas the background will fall into darkness in your photo and disappear.
Alternatively, look for a situation where your main subject will be in the shade and the background is in bright sunshine. This will produce the opposite effect if you expose well. Set your exposure to be correct for the shadow area and the bright background will overexpose, isolating your subject. Or you can expose for the background and make a silhouette.
When conditions are right the contrast doesn’t have to be extreme for this technique to work. With this photo of the steamed fish vendor at the market the background actually was quite distracting to the eye. It does not appear this way in the photo because the light on her and the lack of light in the background is sufficient enough to render the background dark.
Tweaking this a little during post-processing to make the background darker does enhance the effect. We do not see this scene naturally with our eyes like this. We see all the detail, but the camera does not. If you look for situations like this you will be able to create images with your subject isolated from the background.
Lens Selection Strategy
The focal length of your lens makes a difference. Working with a wide lens, you will see more of the background. With a longer lens, you will capture less of the environment.
Often with street photography, you want to include the surroundings for context, so a long lens may not be best. Using a wide lens may include too much and be distracting.
Experiment with different lenses to find a balance in your compositions. If a wide-angle lens is producing pictures which include too much background try a longer one. Move back from the spot you were photographing with a wide lens so your subject is still the same size in your frame with the longer lens. Can you see how different the background is then?
The narrower field of view of a longer lens will include less background than the wider lens. Read How to use Focal Length and Background Compression to Enhance Your Photos.
With the women at the bus stop (below), I only wanted to see them and the advertisement behind. With a wide lens I was seeing too much of the surroundings, so I changed lenses and moved back a bit. From further back with a 105mm lens, I was able to capture exactly what I wanted.
Brave the Bokeh
I know a lot of street photographers prefer to use a narrow aperture so focus is easier. This means distracting backgrounds are more common. Be brave, capture some bokeh. Open up you aperture and get precise with your focus.
You don’t need to work with your widest aperture setting. Find the sweet spot where the background is sufficiently blurred and still discernible. I can’t tell you what f-stop that will be, as other factors come into play too. Your lens choice, the distance between you and the subject, and subject to background will determine the amount of blur.
I like using prime lenses as it’s easier to get a feel for how much of the background will be in focus at various settings. This photo was made with my 35mm f1.4 lens set at f/4. If I had opened the lens up to its widest aperture setting, the background would be completely blurred and the context lost.
Conclusion
One of the most frequent mistakes I see students in our workshops make is not being aware of what’s in the background. It’s understandable that you want to totally focus on getting your subject looking the best.
But if you do not pay enough attention to the background you will often find it protrudes, interferes, clutters and bombs where you least expect it. Compose so that everything in your frame is relevant and adds to the picture you are making.
The post How to Avoid Distracting Backgrounds in Street Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School.
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