How to Get Pure White Background when Isolating?

[etudiante_rapide]

Why get mad? The guy doesn't - yet - know how to do it. That's not your problem, it's his.  And if someone produces bad images and sites accept them, that's not the supplier's fault, it's the agency's.  Istock's dropped its bar so low because it wants all this stuff. If someone asks for help and you don't feel like helping, why not just ignore it?

bravo, well said BT.
i recall a long time ago, a lad named Yuri Arcurs and a lass named Lise Gagnon
the latter resume reveals how she walked into a used camera store to buy her first camera. haven't a clue what to do with it, but she wanted to be a stock photographer.
and today we all know who they are??? Lise is even more the nicest person to speak with
as a newbie, as she is always so encouraging to anyone who wants to be as great as she is.
fine lady.
no need to say any more...

[ArenaCreative]

Dodge tool, set to highlights... and 10-12%

[mojaric]

@Digital66 an Engineering degree doesn't make you and Engineer exactly like a Photographic school makes you a Photographer.

Salgado was an economist.
Pellegrin didn't finish his architecture school.

Someone should really be brave to say that they are not photographers

I don't know why to blame someone asking some technical questions, while most professional don't even use this exposure perfection (mostly like : +2� layer ps highkey + mask)

[pixel8]

Lighting 101 !!!  Seriously!

Sorry, but I'm really tired of people who know nothing about photography and yet they get accepted by stock "agencies". 

Everyone has to start somewhere.
If you search long enough you'll find a forum post from Yuri asking how to embed metadata into a photo.

That was many years ago, when amateurs and people who knew nothing about photography had a chance to succeed in this business. 

I understand you need new members for MSG (many of the old ones have gone), but honestly, are you happy with all these wannabe photographers flooding good work with their crappy and copycat images?

You don't know my portfolio!

[Copidosoma]

I found part 1 and 2 of this tutorial very useful. Even if you aren't working on people-sized subjects in a large (ish) room, the principles are the same. Light the back ground and foreground separately. Distance between the two (or flagging) makes the job easier. Cleanup in post tends to be very easy if done correctly.

http://zackarias.com/for-photographers/photo-resources/white-seamless-tutorial-part-1-gear-space/

[pixel8]

I found part 1 and 2 of this tutorial very useful. Even if you aren't working on people-sized subjects in a large (ish) room, the principles are the same. Light the back ground and foreground separately. Distance between the two (or flagging) makes the job easier. Cleanup in post tends to be very easy if done correctly.

http://zackarias.com/for-photographers/photo-resources/white-seamless-tutorial-part-1-gear-space/

Yep, My problem I think is that my studio space is too small as I don't have allot of room to place between the object and the backdrop so when I flag its still bouncing back onto my object thus making it harder to get that pure white background and so I end up doing it in Photoshop.

[Digital66]

Lighting 101 !!!  Seriously!

Sorry, but I'm really tired of people who know nothing about photography and yet they get accepted by stock "agencies". 

Everyone has to start somewhere.
If you search long enough you'll find a forum post from Yuri asking how to embed metadata into a photo.

That was many years ago, when amateurs and people who knew nothing about photography had a chance to succeed in this business. 

I understand you need new members for MSG (many of the old ones have gone), but honestly, are you happy with all these wannabe photographers flooding good work with their crappy and copycat images?

You don't know my portfolio!

You mean this portfolio http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-1451831p1.html ? Or this one http://www.dreamstime.com/pixelrobot_info ?   
Mostly copycat photos! 

[pixel8]

Lighting 101 !!!  Seriously!

Sorry, but I'm really tired of people who know nothing about photography and yet they get accepted by stock "agencies". 

Everyone has to start somewhere.
If you search long enough you'll find a forum post from Yuri asking how to embed metadata into a photo.

That was many years ago, when amateurs and people who knew nothing about photography had a chance to succeed in this business. 

I understand you need new members for MSG (many of the old ones have gone), but honestly, are you happy with all these wannabe photographers flooding good work with their crappy and copycat images?

You don't know my portfolio!

You mean this portfolio http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-1451831p1.html ? Or this one http://www.dreamstime.com/pixelrobot_info ?   
Mostly copycat photos!

Sounds to me that you are a disgruntle person who does not like any competition, someone else takes a photo of an ordinary everyday object and you feel you should be the only one to photograph it! Let me guess you were the first person to photograph a pencil from the top view or maybe it was the angle view and since there are only so many ways to photograph a simple object your feathers are all ruffled because many other photographers realize the same thing and take a picture of a pencil from similar angles.

Please post your portfolio and lets compare!

[Digital66]

Lighting 101 !!!  Seriously!

Sorry, but I'm really tired of people who know nothing about photography and yet they get accepted by stock "agencies". 

Everyone has to start somewhere.
If you search long enough you'll find a forum post from Yuri asking how to embed metadata into a photo.

That was many years ago, when amateurs and people who knew nothing about photography had a chance to succeed in this business. 

I understand you need new members for MSG (many of the old ones have gone), but honestly, are you happy with all these wannabe photographers flooding good work with their crappy and copycat images?

You don't know my portfolio!

You mean this portfolio http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-1451831p1.html ? Or this one http://www.dreamstime.com/pixelrobot_info ?   
Mostly copycat photos!

Sounds to me that you are a disgruntle person who does not like any competition, someone else takes a photo of an ordinary everyday object and you feel you should be the only one to photograph it! Let me guess you were the first person to photograph a pencil from the top view or maybe it was the angle view and since there are only so many ways to photograph a simple object your feathers are all ruffled because many other photographers realize the same thing and take a picture of a pencil from similar angles.

Congratulations on your very original angles!  Wish you could also have original concepts.  These images (among others) from your portfolio are nothing but a copy of very successful images (not mine) from an iStock exclusive. http://www.shutterstock.com/portfolio/search.mhtml?searchterm=news+headline&x=0&y=0&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&lang=en&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&submitter=1451831&photographer_name=Mega+Pixel&search_group=&orient=&commercial_ok=&show_color_wheel=1&sort_method=popular

[pixel8]

Lighting 101 !!!  Seriously!

Sorry, but I'm really tired of people who know nothing about photography and yet they get accepted by stock "agencies". 

Everyone has to start somewhere.
If you search long enough you'll find a forum post from Yuri asking how to embed metadata into a photo.

That was many years ago, when amateurs and people who knew nothing about photography had a chance to succeed in this business. 

I understand you need new members for MSG (many of the old ones have gone), but honestly, are you happy with all these wannabe photographers flooding good work with their crappy and copycat images?

You don't know my portfolio!

You mean this portfolio http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-1451831p1.html ? Or this one http://www.dreamstime.com/pixelrobot_info ?   
Mostly copycat photos!

Sounds to me that you are a disgruntle person who does not like any competition, someone else takes a photo of an ordinary everyday object and you feel you should be the only one to photograph it! Let me guess you were the first person to photograph a pencil from the top view or maybe it was the angle view and since there are only so many ways to photograph a simple object your feathers are all ruffled because many other photographers realize the same thing and take a picture of a pencil from similar angles.

Congratulations on your very original angles!  Wish you could also have original concepts.  These images (among others) from your portfolio are nothing but a copy of very successful images from an iStock exclusive. http://www.shutterstock.com/portfolio/search.mhtml?searchterm=news+headline&x=0&y=0&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&lang=en&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&submitter=1451831&photographer_name=Mega+Pixel&search_group=&orient=&commercial_ok=&show_color_wheel=1&sort_method=popular
And no, they are not mine 

Well post the similar stock exclusive! Because I know when I made those headlines for my newspaper that I sat around thinking of what to put on them, I don't need to look at someones else's photo to think up a headline.

I am interested in seeing your portfolio to see how many copycat photos you have, as if you have nothing but all original ideas that no one has ever done?

But I am guessing you are afraid what will be revealed when you do.

Also I don't think a stack of newspapers, a rolled newspaper, folded newspaper etc is an original concept, those are pretty basic and common things.

[Digital66]

Lighting 101 !!!  Seriously!

Sorry, but I'm really tired of people who know nothing about photography and yet they get accepted by stock "agencies". 

Everyone has to start somewhere.
If you search long enough you'll find a forum post from Yuri asking how to embed metadata into a photo.

That was many years ago, when amateurs and people who knew nothing about photography had a chance to succeed in this business. 

I understand you need new members for MSG (many of the old ones have gone), but honestly, are you happy with all these wannabe photographers flooding good work with their crappy and copycat images?

You don't know my portfolio!

You mean this portfolio http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-1451831p1.html ? Or this one http://www.dreamstime.com/pixelrobot_info ?   
Mostly copycat photos!

Sounds to me that you are a disgruntle person who does not like any competition, someone else takes a photo of an ordinary everyday object and you feel you should be the only one to photograph it! Let me guess you were the first person to photograph a pencil from the top view or maybe it was the angle view and since there are only so many ways to photograph a simple object your feathers are all ruffled because many other photographers realize the same thing and take a picture of a pencil from similar angles.

Congratulations on your very original angles!  Wish you could also have original concepts.  These images (among others) from your portfolio are nothing but a copy of very successful images from an iStock exclusive. http://www.shutterstock.com/portfolio/search.mhtml?searchterm=news+headline&x=0&y=0&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&lang=en&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&submitter=1451831&photographer_name=Mega+Pixel&search_group=&orient=&commercial_ok=&show_color_wheel=1&sort_method=popular
And no, they are not mine 

I don't need to look at someones else's photo to think up a headline.

Just to find "inspiration"?

[Pauws99]

I wonder if Ansel Adams knew much about doing isolations?

[BaldricksTrousers]

I wonder if Ansel Adams knew much about doing isolations?

If you read his book The Negative, specifically Chapter 3 : Exposure, and Chapter 4 : The Zone System, I think you will find that he knew an awful lot about what is needed for isolations, though he didn't refer to them specifically because isolated on white wasn't his genre (Page 164 "lighting a cube" also refers).

[Pauws99]

I stand corrected! But I still think that not being fully up to speed on what is a fairly specialised, and rather uninteresting technique doesn't mean you know nothing about photography

[Digital66]

Pixel8,

In response to the private message you sent me:

Do you want your situation to change?  Then start working on your own ideas!  Stop copying what others have done, even if it's just an isolated object on white. That's not ethical, and it's not good for your karma.  Today, you are only able to copy isolated objects on white and some simple concepts like the highlighted texts with yellow/green marker, and the shots of the newspaper headlines.  What are you going to do tomorrow?  Copying the best photos you find?

Do you want to be a photographer? Copying and selling what others have done is not the right way to learn.

[OM]

I found part 1 and 2 of this tutorial very useful. Even if you aren't working on people-sized subjects in a large (ish) room, the principles are the same. Light the back ground and foreground separately. Distance between the two (or flagging) makes the job easier. Cleanup in post tends to be very easy if done correctly.

http://zackarias.com/for-photographers/photo-resources/white-seamless-tutorial-part-1-gear-space/

Such a pity that all the images have disappeared from the linked Zack Arias tutorial. That really is the best tutorial on white seamless lighting.

[Copidosoma]

I found part 1 and 2 of this tutorial very useful. Even if you aren't working on people-sized subjects in a large (ish) room, the principles are the same. Light the back ground and foreground separately. Distance between the two (or flagging) makes the job easier. Cleanup in post tends to be very easy if done correctly.

http://zackarias.com/for-photographers/photo-resources/white-seamless-tutorial-part-1-gear-space/

Such a pity that all the images have disappeared from the linked Zack Arias tutorial. That really is the best tutorial on white seamless lighting.

LOL, I didn't even realize that. I thought the page was just slow to load.

Definitely too bad. Hopefully he updates it.

[Copidosoma]

Updated:

http://dedpxl.com/the-many-uses-of-white-seamless-pt-1/
http://dedpxl.com/the-many-uses-of-white-seamless-pt-2/

[JPSDK]

Dodge tool, set to highlights... and 10-12%

Yes!
That is the way.

[JPSDK]

I wonder if Ansel Adams knew much about doing isolations?

No, he was cheap.
Instead of isolating things in a troublesome way in photoshop, he went to isolated places in deserted continets and stood there and felt isolated all on his own, alone in the light.

[Jonathan Ross]

Hi Pixel8,

 Just an idea but instead of trying to get your background to 255 on set why not get close and set an action that strips the background by adjusting the curves. If you shoot your background to almost white and it is the same on your histogram every shot then I would just make an action to reset the white to 255. Hope this makes sense.

Best of Luck,
J

[No Free Lunch]

I wonder if Ansel Adams knew much about doing isolations?

When Ansel did his shots almost nobody was out there in the nature- now there would be hundreds of photographers with point&Shoot, iPhone 6 and high end cameras. Would he be able to even make a living? Times really have changed for sure...

[Yay Images Billionaire]

Syl Arena also has a great tutorial on lighting white seamless.

http://pixsylated.com/blog/shooting-lighting-white-seamless-tutorial/

[Uncle Pete]

Well written and useful. Gee who would have thought, flags? And this part is important: "If the subject is too close to the background, then light will flare around the edges of the subject." not that the rest isn't all part of it.

I skimmed it but for the floor boards, I might have missed this tip. Make a note, cheap white house paint, on sale. You can touch up scuffs and dirt, just paint with more flat white.

Always on the list for "when I have a million to spare" is cyclorama room.  High ceiling and no corners.

Syl Arena also has a great tutorial on lighting white seamless.

http://pixsylated.com/blog/shooting-lighting-white-seamless-tutorial/

[jefftakespics2]

From my own experience of trying to shoot white backgrounds of full length people in a limited space: Don't do it! Shoot something else.  It can be done, but because of the flare and uneven background lighting, it requires a lot of post production and is probably not worth it. I'm pretty sure the world does not need many more isolations in any event, but I have often been proved wrong. Just my two cents ...