Lighting a white background from behind?

[wonderer]

Hey all

So here is my problem in a nutshell. Out of work. Cant afford studio. Have small basic setup in my spare room however the size limitations of the room are really causing a lot of light spill onto the people i shoot ruining potentially good shots. The models are just too close to the background.

Now bearing in mind i cant do anything with the size of the room and will have to work with what i have got is it possible to light the backgrund from behind? I ask because i have two small alcoves each side of and behind the white background. Large enough for two flash heads. Would this reduce the light spilling onto the model as apposed to bouncing straight off the front of the background.

Am i being stupid or is this actually an option others have tried? :shrug:

 

[Garry Edwards]

It will work if the background is made of muslin (not paper or vinyl, both of which are opaque but...

As the light will be travelling straight towards the camera you'll get the same problems with flare and edge degradation as with the hi-lite, because it will work in the same way. And you'll get the same problems with wrap, so basically what you'll get is a Hi-lite without the cost.

 

[Rudesing]

I did this with some success prior to buying a Hilite. It works but I needed a lot of PP work afterwards