How can I create high-contrast portraits on black or white backgrounds at home?
Asked 8/3/2010
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2 answers
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I’m new to studio-style portrait lighting and want to make high-contrast portraits in two styles: a bright subject on a dark/black background, and a dark subject on a bright/white background. What lighting setup is needed for each look? Can this be done at home without professional studio gear?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
14
I believe the photos can be made this way:
for the light on black (You don't necesarrily need to have black background to make it look black. This photo was taken in a normal room, I just put the lights on the sides and really close to the toys, so the main direction did not hit the wall, and the subject was so bright that the difference made the wall look black. See Strobist for better explanation.)
for the white background one (you might get better contrast without the softening sheet and with the light on camera right a bit more to the back)
Originally by user112. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user112
16y ago
0
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Yes. You can do both looks at home with simple lighting, careful placement, and manual exposure.
For a bright subject on a dark/black background: light only the subject and keep ambient light low. Place the light close to the subject and aim it so it doesn’t spill onto the background. You may need to block or flag the light to keep the background dark. The background does not have to be truly black—if it receives little or no light, it can appear black in the photo.
For a dark subject on a bright/white background: use a similar idea in reverse. Light the background and place the main light more to the side or slightly behind the subject so the subject stays darker. It’s often easier to control this with separate lights for subject and background, though one light may work with experimentation.
Use manual exposure, since high-contrast scenes can fool automatic metering. A single-light setup is possible, but it takes practice and testing to balance the effect.
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