How do I make portrait backgrounds

[jwhite8086]

I want to take indoor portraits of my family to show my wife that my D-80 can get better results than those that she just paid for from the mall.

I have a wireless flash, but how do i set this stuff up and make or buy some type of backdrop then get impressive photos with good or no shadows.

[psyc]

http://garyfong.com/

diffusion is super critical!

other than that... i'm not sure on the crop factor of that camera, but you want to use an 85mm lens

anything shorter than 50mm will make their nose look big due to the wide angle.

[jwhite8086]

I think the crop factor is 1.5 i have a 50mm 1.8 and 18-55 that came with the camera .
where should I put my flash and what about the backdrop

[jwhite8086]

I made this thing for a few dollars from walmart. I followed directions on some website, i cant recall the name.

[psyc]

jwhite8086 wrote:

I think the crop factor is 1.5 i have a 50mm 1.8 and 18-55 that came with the camera .
where should I put my flash and what about the backdrop

the 50 1.8 should do the job

i'd say backdrop is optional, especially if you have enough bokeh with the lens


(not mine)

i think finding good backgrounds that aren't just backdrops makes photos much more interesting

edit: don't be afraid to shoot wide open!!

[Peter De Smidt]

Backgrounds can be easily made from canvas and dyes and paints. I've used a Woolie to get a mottled effect, but there are plenty of ways. Look at some commercial samples online, and go to town. I usually dye first and then paint with dilute latex paint.

With portraits subtle backgrounds work well. If you're doing head and shoulder's portraits with a fairly long lens, you don't need a very big background. Unless your house is huge, you can't cound on shallow depth of field to make the background to look good, as you usually don't have enough separation between the subject and the background. Also, there's a limit to how wide open you can shoot and keep everythign that needs to be in focus actually in focus.

Next to expression and composition, lighting is the most important element. Generally, very diffuse light sources are easiest to work with. You can bounch off a card (foam core, styrofoam....), off a wall, or off of white fabric. You can diffuse light by shooting through frosted acetate or mylar, white fabric.... Generally put a 24x36" diffuse light source at a 45* angle to the person's face. Raise the light and lower until their irises are lit. White cards work well for fill. Make sure to have everything set up and tested before having the "real" subject enter the "set".

[jwhite8086]

Peter De Smidt wrote:

Backgrounds can be easily made from canvas and dyes and paints. ".

What kind of paint do you use and what lenses work best for portrait shots?

[Peter De Smidt]

I use regular flat latex paint from a home improvement store. As I said, you'll want to thin it a bit. Look at the samples of all of the faux type finishes to get something you'd like.

If you're going to be doing head and shoulders type portraits, a 5ft square background is fine. Canvas drop cloths work well. Wash first before painting as they'll a lot when they get wet otherwise.

Regarding lenses, you don't want to get physically closer than about 4 feet to the person's face, otherwise the closest elements of their face (often their nose) will become proportionally too large. (Note: this is great for fish pictures. Catch fish. Hold in front of you. Have someone with a very wide angle lens get as close to the fish as possible. Result? Instant huge fish.) On 1.5 ish crop digital sensors, a 50mm lens works very well, they're cheap, and they have large maximum apertures. You can read a review of a 50mm lens at www.desmidt.net under articles. Longer lenses can also be effective, but you have to have the space. On a 35mm camera, an 85mm or 105mm lens is often ideal for tight portraits. I regularly use an 80-200 f2.8 zoom on a D200 (1.5 crop) for candids.

[Captain Crunch]

GO to walmart get some rit dye.
Get a big trash can...BIG one live 50 can.
water + rit dye + a drop cloth (BIG one from Home Depot canvas) will do ...........

Or get a sponge and a few colors and sponge paint the backdrop.

[Peter De Smidt]

The Captain's advice is good. I usually dye the canvas first, and then paint only if necessary. Painted backgrounds are more delicate than dyed one.

[jwhite8086]

how big a canvas would I need for two kids siting or laying down with my D80 50mm1.8

[Peter De Smidt]

The best way to tell is to get the kids to sit or lay as intended in front of a wall. They should be the same distance that they'll be from the background. Now focus and frame as you will for the real photo. Tell the kids to go play, and make sure not to change anything. Have a friendly helper put a piece of masking tape on the back wall, just when the tape can be seen through the view finder. Measure the distance. Add about 1 foot and you'll have the size needed for your background.

Personally, if I'm going to the work of making a background, I make it 9ft wide, as that's a standard size and it fit's in my room, but that is a pretty big thing to keep around. If you paint it you have to carefully roll it up. A dyed muslin can simply be stuffed in a plastic bag.

[jwhite8086]

Do you match background color to the color of clothes or not

[Peter De Smidt]

jwhite8086 wrote:

Do you match background color to the color of clothes or not

Well, they have to be compatible. Personally, I prefer backgrounds that look very close to a natural scene when photographed out-of-focus, but you can do what you like. If you do a background with mottled grays, you can change the background color buy putting a Rosco gel over the light that illuminates the background, or these days you can change the color in Photoshop, although with portraits masking out hair can take quite a bit of time.

You could do what they do with the special effects movies and photograph in front of a Chroma Green or Blue background. These make masking easier. You can then use any photo you'd like as a background, and it can be gausian blurred to taste, although this doesn't emulate lens blur that closely.

You can use lots of stuff as a background. For example, I have a roll of green felt that I use as the background for my Christmas cards.

[jwhite8086]

I guess I just have to play around with it more. My cameras been in the bag for over a month