How can I light a background so it’s brighter in the center and darker at the edges?
Asked 5/24/2016
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I want to create a setup where the background has a bright spot in the middle and gradually falls off darker toward the edges. What kind of light placement and modifiers would I need to achieve that look?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
3
Put one light behind the subject pointing at the background. Light naturally becomes less intense, the further you are away from the light source.
You can further manipulate the falloff with modifiers:
- speedlights often have a zoom feature to narrow or widen the cone of light produced.
- light modifiers for strobes can sometimes be moved back and forth in front of the light, which can have a similar effect as the zoom feature
- you can add a snoot, to limit the cone of light
- another option could be a grid
Unless your equipment has a way to zoom, the snoot is probably the best option. You can easily and quickly make it yourself by just wrapping some flexible material around the light source to form a tube that limits the cone of light.
Originally by user35348. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user35348
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Use a separate light aimed at the background, placed behind or near the subject and pointed toward the center of the backdrop. Because light falls off with distance, the area closest to that light will be brightest and the edges will naturally go darker.
To control the size and softness of the bright center, narrow the beam with a modifier such as:
- a snoot
- a grid
- a speedlight zoom setting
- a strobe reflector/modifier adjusted to tighten the spread
A snoot is often the simplest option, and you can even improvise one from dark flexible material to form a tube around the light.
For the subject, use a soft key light (for example, a softbox) so the subject is lit nicely without flattening the background effect. Start with the background light slightly above or behind the subject and adjust its distance and aim until the hotspot is centered where you want it.
If you want the background even darker at the sides, you can also light the subject from the sides with more directional lights so less spill reaches the background.
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