How can I shoot a self-portrait at home with a clean white background using household items?

Question

I want to make a self-portrait at home with a bright white background, but I’d prefer to use things I already have instead of buying studio gear. What setup and lighting approach can work, and are there any general camera exposure tips for this kind of shot?

user27440 · Accepted Answer

Well, you need lighting gear, so this is a LOT easier to do if you can buy lighting gear like flashes, stands, and radio triggers.

The way a white background is achieved in studio photography is by creating lighting zones. The subject is in one zone, and the background is in another, and each of these zones has a different level of light. When the background is lit much more brightly than the subject, it turns white in the photo. The background itself doesn't even have to be white, although of course, the lighter it is, the easier it will be to turn to white. If you light the subject more brightly than the background, you can get the background to go to black in the photo.

With the lighting you can find around your home, it's unlikely that you can create enough light on the background to turn it white. Maybe with a work light or something, you could achieve this, but you do want to be very careful about the heat that's generated, and you have little control over the amount of light it will put out.

see also: Zack Arias's "Many Uses of the White Seamless" tutorials

How can I shoot a self-portrait at home with a clean white background using household items?

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