Hello Everybody Peeps! Novice in need of help :(

[MissBarefoot]

Hello Everyone.

 

My name is Natasha, I live in Cambridgeshire & I am very very new to photography (if you want to call it that - really i just take pictures for my shop & website). I own a Sony DSLR A200 and know how to take a picture, use auto and exclude flash, upload images and push a few buttons here and there - i am a complete novice - but I'm not stupid...and some of my images actually come out half decent.

 

I hate to just introduce myself and then get straight to it...but i'm gonna - because I am sitting here with my head in my hands, feeling utterly useless!

 

I am currently using our spare bedroom to take all of my pictures for my little eBay & eCommerce shop in and it is 'small' to say the least - probably 8ft x 7ft with a 8ft ceiling. The room is white with black out blinds. I have a white vinyl back drop with clamps and I am using a mannequin or two to take images of my clothing. I have 4 soft box light in total - 2 of which have single 135w continuous daylight bulbs in - and 2 of which have x4 135w continuous daylight bulbs in each light stand.

 

My pictures look pants sometimes and great at other times....What am I doing wrong??? Can anybody please help... I really want a bright white background without having to do loads of post-pix work on photoshop....

 

 

 

 

 

[Black Pearl]

Your 'model' needs to be four or so feet from the background so you can separate the light sources.

Flood the background with as much light as possible - two lights at full power.

Light the 'model' with less light and set your exposure meter for these lights only. You want about two stops of difference (drop the front lights to quarter power) so the backdrop over exposures and turns pure white.

No Photoshop just lit as above:

[Phil]

What he said!

 

Welcome aboard Natasha, hopefully this will be the first of many visits.

[NannyFerret]

Hi Natasha, and Welcome.

[MissBarefoot]

Hello 'All' Once again. 

 

Thanks so much for your comments & help & advice. Very happy camper xx Will go forth, take advice and take pix - will get back to you....

 

This forum will be my touch stone for some time to come I sense....    N xx

[NannyFerret]

You will soon get addicted.

[Kobione]

Hi, and welcome, Natasha - you have found a place both friendly and informative - just don't look to me for techno advice!

[Terry]

Hi Natasha welcome to TIPF

[MissBarefoot]

I think that the real issue that i have is lack of space. The room that i am taking pictures in is tiny (8x7x8foot).

The lighting that I have is very basic - not 6ft soft boxes or strobe (flash) lights.

I have tried to blow out the back drop before, I followed this blog  http://www.zarias.com/white-seamless-tutorial-part-1-gear-space/ - very good tutorial by the way - but I clearly have got something wrong. I don't have the bifold doors/dividers to block out the side lights from the mannequin yet - perhaps that's the issue? Can I get the effect that 'Black Pearl' has without using the bi-fold doors?

Questions, questions.....

Thank you all so much for saying hello - lovely to meet you all 

[KateW]

Welcome to the forum, Natasha!

[Heather]

hi Natasha welcome to the forum   sorry im not much on the techy side of things, but im sure someone will be along to give you some sound advice pretty soon

[Guest DaveW]

As you can't get away from the background the other alternative is to use a different colour background (say black or grey) then change it's colour using the paint bucket in your Post Processing software.

 

Haven't got a dummy to try on so a plant will have to do. The original picture with a black background:-

 

 

The image above with the paint bucket set to white in Photoshop Elements and just clicked on the black background and then re-saved:-

 

 

It should work better with an item with simple outlines than it does with the flowers above.