Lighting a full height white background.

PatrickO

PatrickO

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How would you go about lighting a large white background? Around 2.5-3.0 metres wide and 2 metres tall.

I find this very difficult to do with 2 lights.

Most of the on-line tutorials only show a smaller area being lit.

Thanks

(Sits awaiting Garry's arrival ;))
 
Other people give very good answers to lighting questions you know...

In a perfect world, 4 lights is much better in the sense that it's much easier to light evenly with more lights.
But 2 is perfectly OK for a large background too, and certainly for the size you have in mind.
Basically what you need is distance, there is no substitute for it. With enough distance, and using (normally) REFLECTIVE white umbrellas, it's fairly easy to light the background easily. The trick is always to have one each side, the one on the right illuminates the left hand side and vice versa.

I did a video on this a long time ago
Part 1
Part 2

Without subjecting myself to watching the videos again :) I'm not sure how large an area I lit, but it doesn't matter, the principle is the same.
 
Garry Edwards said:
Other people give very good answers to lighting questions you know...

In a perfect world, 4 lights is much better in the sense that it's much easier to light evenly with more lights.
But 2 is perfectly OK for a large background too, and certainly for the size you have in mind.
Basically what you need is distance, there is no substitute for it. With enough distance, and using (normally) REFLECTIVE white umbrellas, it's fairly easy to light the background easily. The trick is always to have one each side, the one on the right illuminates the left hand side and vice versa.

I did a video on this a long time ago
Part 1
Part 2

Without subjecting myself to watching the videos again :) I'm not sure how large an area I lit, but it doesn't matter, the principle is the same.
Click to expand...

I have studied those videos and they were very useful. Got to admit I missed the point about each light illuminating the OPPOSITE side. However, they show a background for a head/shoulders portrait. I want to have a fairly big areas for kids who are moving around.

What sort of distance would you say would be needed to light a 2x3m background?

Thanks.
 
I've got a 3 x 3m background set up at work.
If I get time, I'll set it up to light the whole thing evenly and measure the distances tomorrow
 
I have
and I used two flashes, one at either side lighting the opposite side, they balanced OK, but if I was being picky I'd probably go for 4, but that all depends on how critical it needs to be and how much PP you're prepared to do.
 
Right, 2 x 100cm white reflective umbrellas, each 7' forward of the background and about 4' to each side of it, this produced perfectly even lighting over the whole of the 3 x 3m area.

Slightly less distance resulted in less even lighting, which required higher power - which of course causes its own problems.
 
Phil V said:
I have
and I used two flashes, one at either side lighting the opposite side, they balanced OK, but if I was being picky I'd probably go for 4, but that all depends on how critical it needs to be and how much PP you're prepared to do.
Click to expand...

Thanks Phil. I guess a couple of extra cheap lights is probably more economic than spending hours on PP

Garry Edwards said:
Right, 2 x 100cm white reflective umbrellas, each 7' forward of the background and about 4' to each side of it, this produced perfectly even lighting over the whole of the 3 x 3m area.

Slightly less distance resulted in less even lighting, which required higher power - which of course causes its own problems.
Click to expand...

Thanks Garry. I think distance is my problem. I may need to go down the 4 light route. But will spend some more time experimenting.
 
If you have room <behind> the white background, put the two lights as far back as you can, so rather than reflecting light, you're shooting it through the background towards the camera. You do have to be a bit experimental on distance if you dont want hot spots on the cloth though.

I picked that up at a shoot where I could not put the lights to the sides due to space so I shot it through, the back. It worked.
 
Patrick, you can always use two lights and fill the gaps in with speed lights.
 
Carlh said:
If you have room <behind> the white background, put the two lights as far back as you can, so rather than reflecting light, you're shooting it through the background towards the camera. You do have to be a bit experimental on distance if you dont want hot spots on the cloth though.

I picked that up at a shoot where I could not put the lights to the sides due to space so I shot it through, the back. It worked.
Click to expand...
The problem with that is the loss of contrast.
 
Carlh said:
I did not know that (learned something and its not even 8am!) thanks dean :)
Click to expand...
You'll have to contend with that in small spaces as the light bounces around when you light the background conventionally, but if you think about it you see that it's like shooting directly into the sun lighting it from behind. That's why hi-lites do the same.
 
I've just started reading it, looking forward to going through some of the examples.
 
That wedding book of poses you recommended - that was ace (I think you recommended it) - "wedding photography, a guide to posing" - fantastic little pocket book, thanks for that.
 
ah right, well its a good little "reference" book (for me its good anyway)

That light science book turned up, very good so far, am understanding a lot more than I did before. Going to take a while to get through it and I tend to re-read the same pages a couple of times until it sinks in
 
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