Photography News Issue 33

Photography News | Issue 33 | absolutephoto.com

Technique 18

Lighting academy Back inblack Create perfect black backgrounds from nothing but thin air – it’s all down to how you set your ambient exposure...

Words & pictures by Kingsley Singleton

Shooting on black can create very moody results with any subject, whether you’re working on a portrait or a still life. But who, apart from goths, has black walls at home? Sure, you can get a dark grey or black effect with any blank wall by stopping any light falling onto it, but it’s not ideal, and if you’re shooting at home, you’ll probably face further problems like having to move furniture out of the way, and running into a lack space in which to work. But what if there was a black background you can take pretty much anywhere? That’d interesting, right? How to get a black background... anywhere! All you need to get an instant black backdrop for your subjects is to sufficiently underexpose the scene while modifying the flash power to correctly expose the subject. If you’re new to flash photography, that might sound complicated, but it’s really very simple once you give it a try, and in fact the central principles at work make this technique a great way to learn what goes into a flash exposure. If you’re already comfortable with flash, have a go anyway – it’s a good technique to have in your arsenal as it’s all about working with the conditions to suit your needs. There are lots of variables in flash photography; the exposure settings of the camera (shutter speed, aperture and ISO), the flash power and its distance, and any

modification and changes in angle; they all combine to govern how a flash-lit photo looks. Shutter speed actually has the least effect on the flash (none in fact, unless the shutter speed is too high and causes syncing problems). But shutter speed is very important in deciding how the ‘ambient’ or ‘available’ light looks. The only exception to this is when using high-speed flash, which behaves more like ambient light, but that’s not something we’ll be straying into in this technique. ISO and aperture settings will control the look of the ambient light and the flash at the same time, and so it’s the way shutter speed behaves alone that’s helpful. What this means is that, if you use a sufficiently fast shutter speed, the ambient light will not be recorded but the flash will. Now, you can’t do this by raising the shutter speed alone; you’ll also need to drop the ISO sensitivity and close the aperture – just enough to black out the available light, but not too much. Why not too much? Well, because the ISO and aperture setting also govern how bright the flash will be recorded, you can’t push them too far before you run out of flash power, and end up with an underexposed subject. As mentioned above, the distance, direction and any modifiers used on the flash are also important. For example, if the flash isn’t lighting the subject sufficiently, it can be

moved closer to increase its brightness there. Similarly, diffusing modifiers like softboxes lower the intensity of the light hitting the subject. Both of these things should be kept in mind if you have problems throwing enough light on the subject. Putting it all altogether In the example set up here, I wanted a black background to create a more simple image than the regular garden scene allowed, and so that Mabel’s bright coat stood out vibrantly against the darkness. Setting up, the first thing to decide was where to position Mabel (within reason as she was deaf and like all spaniels ruled by her nose). Although you can block the available light with a fast shutter, if the flash bounces onto the background, that will be lit as well as the subject, so to stop this, I made sure there was at least six feet behind the point where I wanted her to sit, in order for the light to fall away. It’s also worth noting that it’s easier to underexpose the light if you’re shooting towards a shaded area and one with no light sources, like man-made lamps, or the sky. Setting the ambient exposure Next I took a test shot to check the ambient exposure and make sure I could get it dark enough. To do this, I first switched to manual exposure mode, then dialled in the maximum

Above Comparing the main image with the regular exposure (top right), you can see the effect of the black background technique. All background detail is lost and with the subject lit only by the flash, she stands out in a crisp and clear style, just like a studio portrait. The angle of the lights is important though, as if they spill onto the background it will remain lit and visible, so they should be angled away from it as much as possible.

Below This technique adds real versatility to your shooting, meaning you can get clean and simple studio style backgrounds almost anywhere – even on location.