Photography Background

I am often asked - by frustrated photographers - what materials they should be using to get a crisp, clean, pure white Photography Background.

Regrettably, that is the wrong question to ask! In fact, it isn't the background material that gives you the spotless white you might be in search of.

It is actually the source of the light!

Here's the situation, you set up a sparkling white bed sheet or a piece of white paper - and you put your subject in front of it.

You set up a light source or two and light your subject. All is appearing as planned. You've got a correctly lit subject matter and a pleasant white backdrop.

Next, you take the photograph.

Nervously, you rush to the photo lab if you are shooting film or to your computer if you are shooting digital. You examine the finished photograph and tadaa!

Your model is impeccably lit, however the backdrop is a dingy gray color. Not the spotless, untainted white you saw in the viewfinder!

Hit close to home? If you've been having a difficult time with your high key images...and you've been creating that dingy gray color, rather than the crisp white you were hoping for (regardless of the materials you use) here's the problem and how to fix it!

All light has a certain drop off feature.

By that I mean that the further away the light is from a subject matter, the dimmer it is. Therefore, that means - if you have a specific amount of light striking your subject, and you are using that SAME light source to light your backdrop, your light is further away from your background than from your model. So, it will be slightly less bright when it gets to your background material.

Whew! That is a tongue twister. Simply stated...

The main reason you are shooting that gray color is because there is more light hitting your model than is hitting the photography background.

To get your background to show as a pure, seamless white...simply hit it with MORE illumination than you are using for the subject!

Appears obvious once you understand it, but this is a huge sticking point for many photographers.

More light hitting your backdrop means that it is "over-exposed" in relation to your subject.

The total amount of "over-exposure" you require for the backdrop depends on the color of the backdrop you are starting with. If it is already white (like a bed sheet), you could probably get by with using enough extra light for an over-exposure of about half or possibly even a full f-stop.

If the material you're starting with is gray...that is OK too! Just hit it with roughly 2 ½ stops (give or take) more light than you will be using for the subject.

Here's one that should blow a few minds - imagine if your photography background material is a pure black piece of canvas - or black roll of paper?

It doesn't matter!

Zap it with 5, 6 or perhaps even 7 additional stops worth of light (in excess of what you are using for the primary subject matter) and you will once again have a pleasant sterile white setting.

That is a LOT of light and if you want a white background, I wouldn't suggest starting out with a black set. When you start closer to white at first, it's a lot simpler. But, try it! It's a fun experiment and can teach you a lot about how to work with light!

The point being - by using enough light, you can get a pleasant white photography background regardless of the type or color background material you begin with.

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