Black background
Jun 3, 2017 22:09:15 #
joer wrote:
Use a dedicated flash and set the camera to High Speed Sync and a very fast shutter speed. 
That certainly did a great job!
Jun 4, 2017 06:21:44 #
stevec32 wrote:
Probably a dumb question but a lot of pictures of flowers and birds are shot against a black background. My question is what's the best way to achieve that effect? Especially birds in their natural settings in trees.
I've accumulated a lot of links about that.
http://digital-photography-school.com/get-an-invisible-black-background-to-your-portraits-shooting-anywhere-video/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Photograph-a-Black-Background/
http://www.adorama.com/alc/0014344/article/Get-Absolute-Black-Background-for-Portraits
http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/7762/what-do-i-need-to-get-photos-with-a-unifom-black-background-not-with-post
http://petapixel.com/2013/06/01/quick-and-easy-trick-for-adding-a-black-background-to-your-shots-anywhere/
http://www.apogeephoto.com/may2004/jaltengarten5_2004.shtml
Jun 4, 2017 06:36:15 #
Linda Ewing
Loc: Lincolnshire,UK
That is an amazing shot, could you explain what flash, compulsory, strobe means on the readout. I would love to do something like you have done.
Cwilson341 wrote:
I was actually answering the OP's question but you are correct that there are a lot of different ways to get the same end result. Different situations call for different solutions. For me, using a physical background when shooting in my garden or a studio type setting is the easiest. I'm not great with masks! The only pp I find necessary for the background is to apply a black control point to eliminate anying fading from true black that has occurred.
Jun 4, 2017 06:45:58 #
billnikon
Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
stevec32 wrote:
Probably a dumb question but a lot of pictures of flowers and birds are shot against a black background. My question is what's the best way to achieve that effect? Especially birds in their natural settings in trees.
Isolation of the bird against a black or DARKENED background can be done before or after you shoot. Before is my favorite, I like to shoot Great Blue Heron's first thing in the morning when I have a strong sun coming in over my shoulder. I like to shoot these birds against a shadowed background as they bring in sticks to build their nests. Exposure is tricky, great blues require an underexposure because they reflect a lot of that sunlight in the morning and your meter will try to lighten the shot because it reads the shadowed background. So, I take an incident light reading (the light reaching the subject, not reflected by it) to make sure the background goes darker, I underexpose the incident light reading by 1 to 2 stops. And wow, my bird stands out against an almost black back ground. The other way to do it would be with layers in post production. But, for me, the challenge is to do it in the camera. My goal in photography is to minimize post production. I try hard anyway.
Jun 4, 2017 06:54:01 #
Jun 4, 2017 07:28:44 #
stevec32 wrote:
Probably a dumb question but a lot of pictures of flowers and birds are shot against a black background. My question is what's the best way to achieve that effect? Especially birds in their natural settings in trees.
There are many ways, as some writers have described. The first of these three was taken with flash; the forest behind her was somewhat distant and darkening, because it was in the shadows of dusk.
The second was illuminated with small photo lamps. The background was a black drape and the leaf was mounted on glass.
The third was simply Photoshopped to fill in a black background. I was trying to do the same thing as the hummingbird shot, but could not fully darken the background.
There are a number of ways to do this. Experiment, experiment, experiment!
Jun 4, 2017 07:34:02 #
joer wrote:
Use a dedicated flash and set the camera to High Speed Sync and a very fast shutter speed.
Excellent!
Jun 4, 2017 07:34:27 #
Jun 4, 2017 07:53:02 #
davidrb wrote:
Steve, the effect of which you speak is achieved b... (show quote)
I believe the "system" is not cooperating because you are attaching Canon raw files rather than jpegs.
Padre
Jun 4, 2017 08:28:17 #
berchman
Loc: South Central PA
Gene51 wrote:
I've done it both ways, but to get pure black with... (show quote)
Does On1 do a better/easier job of creating a mask than Topaz Remask? Was your bounce card homemade or bought?
Jun 4, 2017 08:34:42 #
stevec32 wrote:
Its a lighting thing, not a camera thing. Just pick a position that gives you a dark background while the subject is well lit. Expose for the subject.I get the small aperture but I don't get how the background be comes so black. I guess there is no trick but to keep doing what I've been doing. Thanks.
Jun 4, 2017 08:46:36 #
Gene51 wrote:
They aren't really shot against a black background... (show quote)
Stunning photo of the flower. Beautiful.
Jun 4, 2017 08:56:56 #
I set my camera to manual. ISO to 200 ( lowest my camera goes to), f22, ss 250. Look at LCD. If the picture is black then all you have to do is add a flash. I have an L bracket to have the flash off camera. The flash illuminates the subject and the ambient light is black. My flash is also in manual, usually 1/4 power. Don't know how that would work for birds though since you are usually not close.
Hope that helps. There are You Tube videos too.
Hope that helps. There are You Tube videos too.
Jun 4, 2017 08:59:16 #
Jun 4, 2017 09:06:13 #
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