how to photograph a black subject on a black background
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- Опубликовано: 18 ноя 2013
- Here's a follow up to my video about black backgrounds. Photographing Black products on black backgrounds can be a real headache, because light is absorbed by black and reflected by white In actual fact if a subject is mat and pure black even with a direct light it would be difficult too see it. The real technique for photographing black products on black is by reflection. By using mirrors , silver card and other types of reflectors , we can bring out detail in a black product that we can't normally see. You will see how I use these items and play with the positioning to get the best result . I recommend constant light or studio flash for this type of work, as speed lights / speedlites are not ideal. The positioning of each reflector must be exact so without a modeling light it is virtually impossible. A simple halogen lamp from any diy store is sufficient.
I watched many videos and this one is the best tutorial that show easy and non expensive product that results with a fabulous photo. THANK YOU!
Many thangs, glad you enjoyed it. :)
A very nice video on how to manipulate light, and to use it to your maximum advantage. Thank you!
Thanks so much, just what I needed! Great video!!
i just love the way you explain the real concept of why you do what you do (in terms of different settings) .... great work. Thanks for being there
Thanks and have a great year :))
Thank you for sharing your life's work and experience. You're a true treasure.
Have a black on black shoot to do. This was very helpful! Always enjoy your vids!
You are an awesome tutor and seem like an awesome bloke! Thanks for those tips!
Thank you! I enjoyed watching! 😁
Great Phillip! Thanks for lighting ideas )
Thanks Philip, you've learned me a lot with these video's. Definitley going to buy your DVD!
Your tutorials are very nice - everything clearly explained. Perfect! Thank you...
What I'd been searching for! I'm an experienced amateur with limited funds to spend on photo lighting equipment. Great advice, thanks.
An excellent video to watch. So simple things, yet so effective and professional result. Thanks a lot for sharing.
You can't be more helpful. Thank you ☺️
i`m shooting a lot of commercials, etc for a few years , and actually doing the same , but i still found something new and interesting in your videos! THX )
This is the first time I have seen a video where someone uses a mirror to reflect light. So obvious when you think about it. I think this is a great replacement for those expensive narrow lights everyone uses, and few of us can afford :P
That's what comes of starting studio photography when I was eight years old . I always say I only use one light because God only uses one :)
What a most FABULOUS video Thank you for sharing :)
An amazing presentation! Thank you.
Excellent! Simple and clever techniques :) Thanks a lot.
Love you enthusiasm dude! Great info here, thanks!
Thank you! You made a photography student very happy!
You'r the man Phill I love you'r vids thanks.
thank you for the help! i really needed this for my photography assignment
Thank you Mr McCordall for your many video's I particularly enjoyed this one with its practical approach the setting up the inexpensive light modifiers to illuminate and also block the light too. I've found a mike stand is simple to adapt for mounting a slave flash unit just a bit of radio strip and a few nuts bolts and washers. I look forward to seeing more of your video's i enjoy your style and knowledge.
Tuttorial is great and let me say the "small mirror" is the TIP of the year (for me :) ) thank you very much.
I agree
Velvet is amazing! Thanks Philip for those tips :)
Thank you. Very educational for photo enthusiasts like myself.
Thanks Phil very helpful as always.
As always, an excellent video. Thanks for sharing :)
Amazing tutorial!Thank you!
What a great instructional video - lots of useful tips! I'm going to catch up on some more now, thanks :)
Thank you Phillip, this helped me a lot with one of my works!
Gergely Tarján '
Very well done, I have certainly learnt something new today, Thanks
Another superb tutorial, thanks Phil..
Thanks Russell, The DVD is in the post by the way.
Many thanks for this tutorial. It's very well explained.
Great info. Thank you!
Thanks a lot, your great when it comes to teaching
Thanks man for sharing ur knowledge with us!!!
U ar GreaT
Very very nice. Thanks si much!!
This is very helpful!
Thank you so much :)
I would have never thought of velvet. Brilliant. I'm nominating you for the next Doctor. I love your videos.
You are a great teacher 👨🏫
You Are My Hero... Thx for this superb tutorial.... AMAZING (y)
Amazing. Thank you so much
Thank you so much. Great video.
thank you for upload this video, i learned a very important thing at the conclusion of your video, tks
Wow, this is helpful!
Good lesson. Thank you.
Thank you SO MUCH for this ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
After watching so many of your videos I think you are a master of lighting.
EdElisea 11/20/13
Hey I just saw this comment on 11/20/19.
really I Am very happy that i found you , you are the artist that I want to be his student
Excellent! *****
First time a friend told me about this video I thought it was a real cat haha. Great Video it helps a lot!
Thank you very much for the video!
Good stuff gov thanks
excelent video!
Great tutorial and information! HUgs, ZOe
love the hugs Zoe
Excellent, thank you
Sooo Helpfulllll thank you❤️
I made some stands, a length of DAR timber cut square, dowel cut to length. Drilled holes in the center of the bases, glued dowels in place. Sizes depend on what you need to hold. Spring clamps used as needed.
Thank you sir... love from Singapore
Really good tutorial :)
Very nicely presented. Gave me some ideas. Thanks.
Thank you...
Brilliant
Thanks for once another great video explaining in simple terms how to light black on black. May I please ask what you mean for a garage light. Is the one you are using for this scene a hot halogen light because I am thinking of the tracing paper getting warmed up and not safe? Thanks, Rob.
Yes that was halogen but you can get led ones now. Hot lamps were used in both cinema and photography for many years but sensible use and care has always diminished fire risk.
Clever
Beautiful
Thank you
Cool
thanks for sharing these videos .. they are very helpful!
i have one question for you in product photography, what are the advantages and disadvantages of using a black background over a white background
thanks in advance
Thanks!
Hi Phillip. It's great to see your tutorials. Great tips presented with a sense of humor. Very nice.
My question: What about the studio lighting when you're shooting 'black on black'. Is it necessary to black out all of the studio and ambient/sunlight?
Good question. What's important is any influence the other lights have on the image, so for me it's important to have as little ambient/daylight in the room. The more important reason for any studio shot, is that it's very difficult placing reflectors, mirrors and lights if you can't see exactly what they are doing because of other lights sources. Hope that answers your question.
Well, thanks for your clear explanation Phillip. I'm a newbee in the field of productphotography, so I'll practice and practice and practice and take your advice in account. Have a nice day.
Great tutorial. Could you please address shooting matte black subjects, most black fabric is not reflective and not accepting these highlights similar to the shiny statuette you are showing. Thank you
this is excellent! Answers so many questions that I had bouncing around my head. I'm curious, do you have any tips or videos that go into low key photos using household stationary lights? I'm just an amateur photographer, and i'm limited in what i can use for a lighting setup :(
If you look at the first videos on my channel there are acouple like that , bottle of wine and another with glasses, that may be of interest.
Phillip what lens and exposure?
Thanks
Greg
How did you clamp the garage light to the light stand?
you are an incredible photography , I love to ask you what kind of cloth that you used under and behind your cat ?
it will be thick black velvet
Thanks
thanks.
Off topic a bit, interested in what your using for a mic?
Hi it's a very simple and cheap Hama stereo lapel mike.
Thank you for this video Philip. Can you tell us where we can buy that black velvet pad that you set under the cat? Is normal velvet or is a special photographic fabric?
+A&V PROJECT I must be honest I bought it years ago in Belgium but just very good quality velvet is the best. As the cheaper ones aren't dead black.
Thank you Philip for the quick replay. Do you have a tutorial for high key photography?
Here it is but t's not the best, I've been meaning to do a new one. ruclips.net/video/XD_a7RTBNlM/видео.html
Really useful video Phillip. I am filming a close up video of an object on a black background, where do I get the velvet you used for the tabletop? or what type of velvet do I need to source? I am based in the UK.
That's a difficult one, It's years since I bought some. This demo was done on a black car mat that I found. These days velvet is often made from synthetic materials which tend to shine a bit, The really good stuff is cotten or linen. Frankly I've no idea where you could get it. I do remember that when I was working we bought it from a shop in London and it was German made. :)
Thanks for the quick response Phillip. I will look for cotton/linen velvet and also see if I can find any black velvet car mats online.
I've got a handsome black cat Phil but I've had no luck in getting a good photo of him. I think there are some tips on lighting, in your video, which I can use to try to capture him. His brother is light grey and white, so I've had no problem getting some nice shots of him. Thanks again.
if he has a nice shiny skin :))
He does :-)
Thanks for that, I shall give it a try when I get some time and when I can get him to sit still for long enough.
I am a little confused as to what a garradge light is. Is that the one you are pushing towards the table?
This was a Garage light , just a simple Hologen tube in it or nowadays with led bulbs. Yes it's then one I was using.
Mr. McCordall,
When you first went into the studio you were discussing the black product. But you were wearing a black vest so we could not see the product. A neutral grey or tan shirt would have been a better choice.
At the end you mention "retort stands" what are those? Or did you mean light stands?
Thank you for your tutorial videos.
Terry Thomas Photos
Atlanta, Georgia USA
I thought the black shirt , showed the problem, that's why I wore it, retort stands are what I use for holding small reflectors, they are used in chemistry labs for holding test tubes.
Never thought about using a "garage lignt". My question is, is it a halogen bulb or an led array?
I am reluctant to use led because of flicker. Thank you
I find that there's no problem with flicker and use LED lights with a lot of video as well as stills.
@@PhillipMcCordall that's great, thank you for your reply. Halogens can be so hot also, so this is good news. My camera shows a flicker message on some shots, I assumed it was the PWM of LEDs
What's the name of your dvd?
Um... But how do you choose the exposure? I mean, this is the first question a digital photographer would ask, and most peopel come here specifically for that. Do you "expose to the right" and then "reduce" the exposure in post-processing? Or do you just allow the camera to select the exposure? It is strange that in such a video the topic is not even mentioned.
take the exposure on a grey card in front of the subject, and brakes the exposure . If your on a digital camera look at the result and adjust the exposure as you require
i enjoyed d video
what was your aperture, shutter speed, iso and white balance?
All that depends on the circumstances , light used the power of light etc, a nice thing to aim for is the aperture you need to get the subject sharp , if flash 160th if not whatever you need as it's not moving, the lowest iso you can for better quality and the white balance the type of light requires.
Inthis case 5,600°K color balance, 160th shutter speed and around f11 and iso 100 but all that means nothings it totally depends on your situation.
Phillip McCordall yes, depends situation, but at least you let we know where to start and then we will adjust accordingly. thank you phillip for quick answer, your video very educational, also could you please let us know the setting (f number, shutter speed) when you make new video, it is very helpful....
Phillip McCordall I'll try and remember to do that, the problem is believe it or not ! I've had remarks like "your exposure details are wrong mine was much too dark"
You would really be amazed. So I'll have to explain that different setups need different settings .thanks for your input.
Phill
lovely informative video !
...but... i can't find thick black velvet like you use and the fabric people don't seem to know what i want because i don't know how to properly identify it :-)
- i've bought a few and they didn't have a long enough "nap" (for lack of a more descriptive word.
...can you help out and give a few more specifics on this particular type of velvet and how to decscribe it accurately (via an email)
A good quality cotton velvet , avoid velvet with nylon
last time i ordered "quality thick cotton black velvet" from a UK supplier and got material that could not be brushed out in the same way you could brush yours in the video
when i queried they said i didn't specify "matte look velvet or traditional shiny velvets. This is the matte look velvet."
so clearly i need a more accurate description the next time. that's why i posted. the devil is in the details :-)
anyone else have any detailed suggestions for how to describe this type of velvet ?
- or suppliers ?
Yes yes, betweeeeen ... the legs. :)
How do you photograph a black subject on a white background? I'm selling a product on Amazon and I want to sell it in a black bag but black bags lose all of their detail when you look at them through a computer screen.
that was helpfull
He said catalog while holding a cat lol puny
BLACK BLACK like the procession of night that leads into the valley of despair. BLACK BLACK We try to hide but it claims us in the end, it always claims us, death death. BLACK BLACK so cold the snow, its all so futile, the deep dark depths of despair. BLACK BLACK we crawl on our knees towards our doom
The one thing you didnt say was your camera setting for getting everything black gest video
the settings depend on how much light is used. So just the correct exposure for the subject.
19 people don’t use on P,S,A,M their DSLR. “AUTO” POINT AND SHOOT. Out of thousands. Gonna be one or two lucky shots. LoL.
and a real black cat? B-)
Stuff it first :)))
Excellent, thank you