Backgrounds other than black or white.

FlyTVR

FlyTVR

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I'm pretty happy with the use of white backdrops. Same goes for black.

I've had pretty good success with red and gray - but I'm not comfortable with exactly how I should be lighting them - if at all.

Can anyone point to some sample light setups for such backdrops. I appreciate that everything depends on what I am trying to achieve, but right now I'm feeling a little lost! Hope that makes sense.
 
We use a combination of lighting modifiers and props to achieve different background colours and effects. My studio has a 6.5 x 4 meter white vinyl permanent backdrop which we have "camouflage" regularly.

If you want to pop up to Birmingham sometime as see what we can achieve you would be more then welcome, or for a coffee or two, I’d be happy to pop by your studio and we could share a few ideas.

Ian
 
I don't know whether this is any help or not...

Let's assume ANY plain coloured background other than black, grey for example.
If you don't light it at all then it will reproduce in its true colour but darker, because less light is reaching it than has reached the front subject, and the greater the distance between front and rear subjects, the greater the difference in brightness.

You can light it (separately) in 2 different ways.
1. Light it evenly, to make it white (or somewhere between its unlit colour and white) or use gels to light it evenly but produce a different colour
2. Light it unevenly, so that it is generally dark but has a lighter area, such as a circle or splash of light on it.

Let's assume No.2.
1. You could use a large rectangular softbox above, below or to 1 side 'feathered' to produce a graduated background, with or without gels.
2. You could use a snoot, a honeycomb fitted to a reflector, a fresnel spotlight, a focusssing spotlight behind the front subject to create a circle of light, either with or without a gel.
3. You could use one of the above from an angle (maybe a very sharp angle) to create a splodge of light.
4. You could create a shape of light on the background. The easy way is to use a gobo fitted to a focussing spotlight, the cheap way is to get a piece of blackwrap, cut the required shape out of it and shine a flash head at it. the closer the blackwrap is to the background and the further it is from the flash head, the sharper the image will be.

Hope this helps.
 
Kemble3 said:
We use a combination of lighting modifiers and props to achieve different background colours and effects. My studio has a 6.5 x 4 meter white vinyl permanent backdrop which we have "camouflage" regularly.

If you want to pop up to Birmingham sometime as see what we can achieve you would be more then welcome, or for a coffee or two, I’d be happy to pop by your studio and we could share a few ideas.

Ian
Click to expand...

Very kind offer. I'd love to come see your studio.

Only danger is that we'd end talking about PFLs , FREDA checks, DMEs etc :)

I'll drop you a PM.
 
Thanks Ian and Garry.

I guess it just s matter of practice with different setups.

With such an endless list of possibilities, I think I first need to work out the effect I want to achieve then try and achieve the correct setup. I think I might just go and buy some fashion magazines and have a nosey. :-)
 
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