Portrait photographers pay a lot of attention to their subjects, but sometimes they don’t pay so much attention to the background. In this video, Jeff Rojas will show you three key ways to make the best out of your studio background and make your photos even better.
1. Depth of field
The depth of field has a huge role in the look of your background. If you’re using a beautiful canvas backdrop and want to have it in focus, shoot at smaller apertures like f/8 or f/11. And if you want less attention to the background and more on the subject, shoot at a wider aperture to only have your subject in focus.
2. Lighting
Jeff points out that a lot of photographers are focused on lighting the subjects, but not so much on lighting the backgrounds. And the light is another way to manipulate the background and get different looks from it. The placement and the angle of light make a huge difference, so pay attention to it the next time you shoot portraits with studio lights.
3. Color gels
The third way to get the most out of your background is using color gels. They’re affordable, yet they can help you create a lot of different looks. Color gels are a great solution if you can’t afford to buy a lot of fancy backdrops, or you simply don’t have a place to store them.
Simply add a color gel to a light and point it at your backdrop. Keep in mind that, the less light there is, the more prominent the color will be. In a way related to color gels that just crossed my mind is using a Light Blaster. It creates projections on the background and can help you achieve tons of different looks, too. So, in addition to Jeff’s tips, take this as a kind of a bonus tip from me. :) [3 Simple Ways to Make Your Background Look AMAZING | Jeff Rojas]
