Dark background on portraits without studio setup

There are so many portraits on this site where all we see is the

model, the background is dark.

<br>I dont have a studio setup, how can I achieve this effect?

<br>The question may be extended to objects as well - how can I

isolate an object and have the background darkened?

<br>...without using PS

<br>I use a 35mm SLR (F100) and the 105mm Nikkor for portraits.

<br>Thanks for any responses.

<br>-Naveen

Determine your desired exposure for the model. Then make sure he/she is far enough away from whatever background there is so that when metering off the background it is 2 or more stops under the determined exposure. A large room is nice for this.

uh hmmm i think with a f100 this will be difficult. :-)

 

seriously, its equally easy than difficult, if there is no light on a white wall it will be black. so if you just put the backgraund far far away so that no light (from the flash) reaches it it will be black, no matter what color it has. thats easy but if you dont have a huge studio its better to take a black, light absorbing background and move the light as close to the object as possible. this makes the background darker in relation to the object. that is easyer with smaller objects. for full body shots you need much space for a headshot maybe your livingroom maybe enough (?)

 

regards, David

or shoot outside at night....

You can use window as a side light and put a flag to stop the light from hitting the wall (background). You can also push the negative to darken shadows (and background).

David,Igor,Ben,

<br>I think a combination of your ideas should get me going. So, I'll make my model stand close to the light source (window etc), position me in front of the model, and underexpose by 2 stops or more...

<br>Thanks to everyone for all the responses!!!

<br>-Naveen

Naveen, for $20 at the local fabric store, I purchased black fleece and it works like a charm. I hang it with push pins, or you could use thumb tacks just as well. For an example, check my Portraits folder. Pay attention to the darker images, the ones that look kind of light are just from scanning the negative on a flatbed scanner and my trouble getting the color right...

Naveen, Check out the new (March) issue of Popular Photography. They've got a step-by-step how-to of one method to acheive the results you're looking for. Basically, they just used window lighting and a dark sheet for a backdrop. I haven't tried it, but the article recommended metering closely off the subject's face and didn't suggest that underexposure was necessary.

My previous repsonse might have been confusing... Basically I am suggesting to just make sure there is a large enough distance between the model and the background so that the background gets much less light than the model. The amount of light change being 2 or more stops. You should still expose normally for the model (no real underexosure happening). This is easily setup with an incident light meter and some room to work with.

Mike,

<br>Read Popular Photography, you're right, the instructions helped. Although, its pretty much the same stuff that some of the experts here (in this thread) said earlier. Thanks a lot for the information though.

<br>

<br>

Ben

<br>

Thanks for the technique, I took some still life images using the technique outlined by you. Just gave them for processing. Thanks for the help.

<br>Thanks for everyone to taking time to answer my question.

<br>-Naveen

I use a couple of different kinds of black cloth that I've sewn into a HUGE backdrop that also covers the floor. I really like the fleece idea, no reflections (I wuznt that bright, lol). I may have to make another one from fleece or cheap velvet to minimize reflections.