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Atlanta based editorial music photographer, Zack Arias. |
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Tue , April 29th, 2008
Richard Avedon, Herb Ritts, and countless other great photographers have rocked the white background for decades. I recently went to a huge bookstore here in Atlanta and counted the number of magazine covers shot with a simple white background like we are going to investigate here. 87 COVERS SHOT ON WHITE OR A VARIATION OF A WHITE BACKGROUND. Eighty-seven magazine covers at one book store. Its everywhere and it is everywhere because it is simple and effective and makes your subjects pop. It beats the bloody hell out of any wrinkled up grey/blue/brown muslin any day of the week. Walk into a Target store this week and look at the in-store signage. How did I learn to shoot like this? Because this is how we shot JC Penney’s catalogue clearance images when I shot for them. Need to add text and other artwork to a photo? A simple white background lets you do so all day long. If I had but one backdrop to use for portraiture I would choose a simple roll of white seamless paper. With one roll of paper you can create many options. For the rest of the week I’m going to break it down for you. We are going to look at getting it to pop to pure white, making it various shades of grey, getting it to go black, gelling it to any color in the rainbow, and doing very easy and quick changes in post production to further the visual options available to us when using such a simple background. As simple as it is, it can be easy to mess up too. I hope to help you out like other photographers have helped me along the way.Before we get into the shooting technique for this, let’s start from the start and look at the gear and resources needed to pull this off. 1. Space Considerations :: The more room you have the less bad words will come out of your mouth. A 20×20′ room with 10′ or higher ceilings is a great place to start. You can do it with less but you’ll have more challenges to face and make this more of a pain in the arse then it needs to be. Trying this in a spare bedroom with 8′ ceilings is going to drive you mad and you’ll sound like the dad in A Christmas Story as he worked on the furnace. You can do it… you’ll just use more cuss words doing so. A hard floor surface is desired. Plush carpeting will bring more cursing. If you are doing this on carpet, lay down an 8′x8′ foundation of 1/2″ plywood so you have something sturdy for your subjects to stand on. My current studio allows me to have a space that is about 15′ wide by 40′ in length. I really wish I had 20′ in width. I would say 80% less cuss words if my area was wider. My ceilings are about 11′ in height and I wish they were 14′ but you do what you can with what you have. My old studio had a cyc wall that was 20′ wide by 40′ long with 14′ ceilings and I never ever said a single bad word when lighting a set. BTW – Cyc is short for “cyclorama”. Also known as an infinity wall. Think of it as a permanent roll of seamless paper from floor to ceiling that can be painted over and over again. They are worth every bit of the few thousands of dollars they cost to have built properly. You only want one built if you know for sure you will be in your space for a long time because you’ll never want to leave it. 2. Lights :: Three lights are pretty much the minimum you are going to need for this. They’ll do everything you need to have done for the most part. 95% of my pure white background images are shot with 3 lights. I don’t care what kind of lights they are. 3 Alien Bees, 3 Travelites, 3 Norman heads, 3 Canon 580′s, 3 Nikon SpeedLites, whatever. I will say that you want more power than less for much of this. You can pull it off with hotshoe flashes but you’ll use 47% more cuss words with small flashes as opposed to more powerful strobes like Alien Bees or Dynalites etc. You can rock the pure white with OneLight and/or two lights but if you want to make life better and your studio to be more of a PG rated environment, go with three lights. 3. Seamless, stands, and misc. grip gear :: You are going to need to 2 solid stands to hold your 9′ wide roll of seamless paper up. You’ll need a sturdy crossbar to go through the roll of paper that gives you at least 3 inches of room on each side of the roll. You can use a 10′ long section of 1.5″ PVC pipe from Home Depot or the like. I then use super clamps to attach the pole to the stands. The following links will take you to B&H. Savage 107″ (9 feet wide) white seamless paper. :: $40 :: You don’t have to have “super white”. A light, light grey can work as well but just plain ol’ white will do it. Try to find it locally as shipping can sometimes cost more than the seamless. It is heavy stuff. Also note – Store your seamless paper standing up. DO NOT store your seamless laying flat on the ground. If you store it flat you will get ripples through the whole roll eventually. Avenger 10.8′ light stands or the 12.8′ version. :: $78 ea. for the 10′ and $84 ea. for the 12′ :: You’ll need two stands to hold your seamless. Matthews Super clamps (you need two of them) :: $27 each. OR… Just buy a background support kit like this Impact set-up. For $99 you get 2 stands, a crossbar that fits on the stands, and a bag to carry it in. I prefer using stronger stands, super clamps, and metal cross bars but a kit will work for you. You get what you pay for though. Cheaper support kits are going to give you more problems. Pick up two sandbags ($22 each) to help keep the whole thing grounded. 1 or 2 A clamps :: $4 each :: You need these to hold the paper on the roll once you have rolled it out. Get a good roll of gaffer tape as well. Don’t be so ghetto that you cheap out and use duct tape. Have a little dignity and use some good industry standard tape! 3. Cutters / Flags / Gobos and tile board :: When we set up to go with a pure white background in our photo we want 2 lights on the background and we don’t want that light to spill on to our subject directly from the strobes. We need some sort of cutter/flag to keep the subject from being lit by those lights hitting the white seamless. You can score a 4×8 sheet of 1/4″ foam core down the vertical center to stand them up. I used those for a long time but they fall over easily. I have now moved to using 2 bi-fold doors that I bought at Home Depot for $20 each. I painted one side of each set white. You can use barn doors on your strobes or whatever. You just want to make darn sure that the light from the strobes hitting the background DOES NOT directly hit your subject. Using tall cutters like the bi-fold doors makes things much easier on you. Tile Board :: $11 per 4×8′ sheet at Home Depot. This stuff rocks. This is going to give you a nice white floor and a reflection under your subject. You need a few sheets of it. Check out the photo below to get the exact stock number. You can find it at Lowes as well. You’ll find these either in the area where they keep paneling or in the bath fixtures department as it is used to wall in showers and bathrooms. You want the pure white smooth kind. They have some that has a bit of a pebbled texture to it. Don’t bother with that stuff. It is brown on the back side which actually photographs beautifully as a background when thrown a bit out of focus. Its a floor! Its a background! Make the most out of what you have! Here is a photo of the basic set up for going pure white.
And here is the tile board you want to get…
Here is the Super Clamp attached to a light stand and holding the cross bar.
Setting up the seamless is going to be the biggest pain in the arse for you. Get it on the stands about face level and roll it out to the floor until it starts to roll back on itself on the floor. Roll out as much slack as you can but don’t allow it to wrinkle or crease. Attach an “A” clamp to the roll and crossbar to keep it from rolling out any more. Extend one stand up a bit. Then go to the other side and extend that up a bit. Then go back to the other side and extend that up a bit. Rinse and repeat until you get the roll all the way to the ceiling. Having another person makes it MUCH easier. You’ll make sailors blush if you are doing this on your own. It could be an olympic sport really. Get on a ladder and let out some more paper from the top and pull it out toward and lightly tape it to the floor. Let out some more paper and pull it back some more. Crap. Not only is it a pain to do, it is a pain to describe. If any of you can’t wrap your head around the set-up, I’ll shoot a little video on it or something. Here is the “A” clamp holding the paper from rolling out any more.
DO NOT just let your seamless sit up there without being clamped. When that stuff starts to unroll on it’s own, you’ll just want to jump off a bridge at that point. Trust me. I know. One last thing on gear notes here… Lens Choice :: When you start shooting into the background when you have lit up like a roman candle you will find that one lens may perform better than another in this situation. When you light that white background you are essentially shooting INTO a very large light source. You can run into all sorts of flare and chromatic aberration (CA) problems with some lenses. I know that my Nikon 35mm f2 and my Nikon 105mm f2 lenses perform really well for this. My Nikon 50mm 1.8 looks like butt. Ugly butt. It is worthless when shooting on a pure white background due to flare and CA and it adds a big ugly purple spot right in the dead center of the photo. A Nikon 50mm 1.4 holds up much better. My 80-200 f2.8 also looks horrible. My 85 f1.8 does “ok” but it isn’t that great. You’ll just need to test a few of your lenses for this. You may find that a zoom works better at one end of the focal length than the other. That wraps up Part 1 of this tutorial. Next, I will be talking about setting up the lights and finding your exposure without a light meter. A light meter sure does help for this but I rarely, if ever, pull the light meter out simply because I have shot this stuff so many times I have my formula worked out. Continue Reading – Part 2 :: Setting Lights And Exposure ETA – If you have questions about any of this, drop them in the comment section here on Part 5 of the tutorial. I will be following up on this tutorial with a new post answering all the questions at once. Cheers, 332 Responses to “White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: Gear & Space”Leave a Reply |
Wow! That was just awesome!!!
Zack, this is great info, thanx for sharing, but I do have a question. Is a cyc wall something that can be built by someone building a house? or does it have to be someone special? I guess along those lines, what is needed to build a cyc wall? Thanx again.
thanks for posting this Zack! I got a tile board the other day at your suggestion and love it. I need to pick up one more though.
Also I was trying to figure out what to use to block light didn’t even think of those bifold doors. YOUR ROCK!!! Thanks so much for always sharing your knowledge.
Looking forward to the rest of the coming posts…
Hey Ramiro!
There are people who just build cyc walls. There are also some kits you can purchase but it isn’t so simple as locking some stuff together and calling it a cyc wall.
Someone who is good at building stuff can make a cyc wall. You just want to have a very, very, very even transition of the cove into the floor and into the wall. You want the cove to be spot on as well. Any imperfections will show up when you are not blowing it to pure white.
Cheers,
Zack
Oh my gosh, that is the funniest thing I’ve ever read! Thanks for the awesome info. full of flavor
I can’t wait for the next installment!
Dumb question, but you show the bi-fold doors as brown, do you paint that side or is the other side painted? I assumed the side toward the camera would be painted, but wasn’t sure.
Thanks again for sharing this information. Seriously, it’s priceless. I wish I had a bigger space, but I make due … I’ll just be cussing more
Anita,
The other sides are painted white. I probably should paint the sides facing the camera black. I’ll talk about that in another part.
I wish I had a bigger space too!
Cheers,
Zack
Can you possibly be any more awesome???
[...] http://www.zarias.com/?p=71We need some sort of cutter/flag to keep the subject from being lit by those lights hitting the white seamless. You can score a 4×8 sheet of 1/4″ foam core down the vertical center to stand them up. I used those for a long time but they … [...]
That was such a great read-you are hilarious! Thanks for sharing your know-how in such a detailed way!
I currently do my high key stuff using stretched white muslin, 2 lights, one softbox camera right and one light behind the muslin with an umbrella pointed toward the camera. Works OK, but not great because of the draping at the bottom where the muslin and tile board meet.
Can’t wait to learn how to do it the right way!
this is way too awesome! thank you for sharing your knowledge! can’t wait for part deux!
Awesome Zack! Thank you so much for sharing this.
I was wondering…instead of light stands is there a cussing % you would apply to a hanger coming down from the ceiling instead?
Zack,
Thanks for writing all of this. I am a total rookie, but one day aspire to take a good pic. I know Meghan from Buckhead Church…on staff in audio.
Thanks for sharing your mind. I need to get to one of your onelight seminars…one coming up?
dude you should be a writer in your spare time (and get paid for it!) You rock. Thanks man.
Dude. You kick ass. I blogged you…
http://photolovecat.blogspot.com/2008/04/lovecat-zack-arias.html
It’s so wonderful how selflessly you give back to the photography community! You rock man.
Great stuff! Very informative – and funny as, um, heck.
Linked to you from my blog….
um.
yeah.
you got it boy. And I’ve had a roll of white paper “let go” with no clamp and it was NOT pretty. Duct tape works too.
Rock on Z!!
Tam (tall girl Detroit workshop)
Zack, I need to use your set up in a week and a half, hurry up and finish this already so I know what to do:) Seriously though, your work simply rocks. I love it.
Freaking awesome as usual Zack! Can’t wait for the next installment!
~Melissa Powell
Thanks for the tutorial. You are the master of effective lighting for minimal cash outlay!
Thanks for the comments thus far ya’ll. Roel – This is the most expensive technique I shoot since it usually requires more than one light!
Cheers,
Zack
Zach~ can you easily remove scuff marks etc. from the white tileboard?
I currently use plexi and when it gets black scuff marks from the guys I use the Mr. Clean magic eraser and they are gone. Just wondered if the tile board was easy to clean?
Thanks so much for all of the great info!
wow. this is really helpful. cheers!
Zack… I guess we’ll see a “two light” workshop next year? (hee hee)
Thank you so much!!!
Well, I shoot white background stuff almost all day everyday, but I love your comical account of all the pit falls… looking forward to the next installment!!
[...] about the many uses of white seamless as a background material. You can catch up by reading part 1, part 2, and part [...]
Zack, great stuff, I sure hope you will explain more on how you did that shot with the honeycomb just grazing his face with light. I can’t seem to get that much control out of it. Waiting for the next post since you’ve already sold out in Denver.
A friend of mine pointed me to your site here Zack. Great job!
zack,
awesome site!
Is that set up you show in a garage? I’ve shied away from shooting in my garage because of all the dust. Do you have issues with that?
also, if one was only going to use shoot white, could the seemless paper be subbed out for a white sheet.
When looking locally, what kind of place sells the seemless paper.
THanks!
great tutorial, I remember being an assistant setting the wider rolls up when the cove already had a set on it. going back to seamless after using coves, instantly makes you miss it lol
[...] doors on the side of the set to block the background (BG) lights from illuminating the subject (see part 1). You can also use those as big reflectors if you paint them white. Mine are painted white on [...]
[...] 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5/ 6 [...]
thanks so much for posting this!
I’m so glad I found this…I can’t wait to read all of the other parts. So awesome! THANKS!
Your blog is so motivating and inspirational, you have given me a boost of ambition again. Im a Canadian working in Sweden as a graphic designer and now am trying my skills at photography. The reason I quite my job was that the answer always seemed to be ahh, we fix it in photoshop. Spending a little extra time on lghts and the set was never an option that was considered.
I love PS and the power of creation that comes with it, but a lot of people are forgetting the power of the camera and the lights. Thank you.
P.S: I have been getting really cool looks with the in camera settings like contrast, saturation and sharpness. I know pretty basic PS things but youll be amazing at how real it looks when done in camera…
Zack, your photos are fantastic and awesome. I’m so glad they are now showing up in my RSS feed!!!
I just ordered a stand, a clamp and some seamless from B&H. If anyone reading this is a member of NAPP (photoshop users group), free shipping is currently one of the benefits… even with seamless! Today I saved $36 in shipping.
Now just a trip to Home Depot, and a few curse words, and I’ll be set!
Thanks for sharing all this wonderful information, Zack!!
Well done Julia! Thanks for the tip on the NAPP membership.
Cheers,
Zack
Excellent tutorial! Very useful for my portraits shots.
No Home depots in France but I’m sure I’ll find some equivalent wares.
thanks for the good info.
i’m going to try to do something similar to this in a 10×10 room. Lighting rules.
[...] you want to get into some seamless stuff, here is an excellent tutorial that I came across today which is excellent. Zach tells you how to go through the a [...]
Excellent Post… will be checking back regularly.
Check out skate board ramps:construction ranges from junque warped plywood to concrete-for-the-ages…
When you build one, cover it with linoleum, hide/smooth any cracks/edges with spackle. Flaws won’t show. Paint with matte white latex paint, repaint whenever it gets dirty (every other day if necessary…cheap…better than seamless.
That title board at $10 a sheet is way cheaper than $300 plexi that scratches up as well. Thanks for the tip.
Shooting on white back in the film days was the toughest thing I had to learn to do.
Thank you so much!
[...] Zack Arias – White Seamless Tutorial [...]
[...] http://www.zarias.com/?p=71 [...]
[...] Robsinlight Rob Davidson’s photo teaching blog « My Business of Photography Course Getting to White (or color) June 11, 2008 I just came across a very detailed and helpful guide to getting pure white backgrounds for shots of people or products. There are some good tips to keep in mind, but most important is having sufficient distance between your subject and the backdrop. Here’s the link! [...]
Muchas Gracias! I was just telling my students how good photographers share information. Thank you for being in that group.
Thanks so much, Zack! I’ve always had a hard time getting a nice clean white background. This is great information that I’ve been searching for for some time.
What kind of lightstands are you using? They have wheels and seem to not take up a lot of real estate.
Thanks for a great tutorial!
Debbi
Great info…I pretty much do the exact same thing.Another idea for the floor,AND I buy sheets of cheap plexi (2′x3′)at Home Depot and paint the under side gloss white. You get a great reflection and the seems can’t be seen when shooting. Also, Instead of buying the folding doors to block out light..I buy a 4′x8′ sheet of black or white foam core.(available at most art supply stores) Cut them into two 2′x8′ sheets and ‘hing’ them w/ black gaffers tape. its more affordable, and easier to move around. Just a couple other ideas I thought I would throw out there!
[...] Zack Arias – Atlanta based editorial music photographer » White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: Gear… If I had but one backdrop to use for portraiture I would choose a simple roll of white seamless paper. With one roll of paper you can create many options. For the rest of the week I’m going to break it down for you. We are going to look at getting it to (tags: photography tips) [...]
[...] Ran across one of the best lighting tutorials in a while recently. It goes into depth on how to shoot lots of different situations with just a white seamless paper background. It has tons of thorough explanation and pictures. Check it out here. [...]
[...] found through Strobist. It’s Zack Arias’ site that David Hobby linked for Zack’s Seamless White Background tutorial, but Zack has other great things too, like his portraits with beautiful eyes. addthis_url = [...]
I enjoyed the tutorial. Could you use grey paper the same way? Blowing it white and using it as black? Then less space would be enough …
It is funny what you say about the 2 Nikon 50mm, my experience is exactly the opposite.
Hey..
Good stuff m8
cheers
Being a visual person I found this tutorial to be very helpful and insiteful. I had kinda figured out a bit of this kinda of setup in my head (& through trial and error), but this tutorial was WONDERFUL in filling in the holes where I was at a loss… Thanks for taking the time to share this greatly detailed tutorial w/ all of us! Your work is amazing!
Creatively,
A.J. Pomales
A.J.
This is great information very well presented! I’m going to post a link to it at http://www.photozo.com, a terrific digital photography site whose members will be delighted to get this information. Thanks!
Not many folks have your attitude of sharing their knowledge about a subject.
A feather in your cap for doing so!
Thanks Zack
[...] good tutorial for shoot on white background at : zarias.com [...]
Zack, thanks for sharing all this great info. I only stumbled across your site because I found a link on the twip blog.
It’s hard to translate the products you mention above in to what we can find locally here in Australia. All I’ve got left to acquire now is the tileboard which either no-one seems to sell or knows of an equivalent.
Thanks again for sharing this wonderful info.
[...] anschaulich weiter, wie er seine täglichen Shootings auswertet, bearbeitet und fertig macht. White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: Gear & Space – Zack Arias aus Atlanta mit dem Beginn eine sehr schicken Tutorialserie zum Thema weisse [...]
I have no problem with successfully getting a pure white background photo. My problem is that after uploading the photos to my computer from my camera, the photos show up pale on my computer but they remain pure white on the camera. how can I fix this??
Great observations. Thanks for sharing
[...] July 7, 2008, 12:56 pm Filed under: photography, stuff, websites This is a great tutorial! Zack Arias’ lighting tutorial. No Comments so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI [...]
Zack you truly rock my man. I hope we can work together someday. I’m new to studio lighting and am going to set this up in my garage space. Are the BG lights hot lights? Or can they be? If no, what sort of ambient light do you use when the strobes aren’t firing–i was thinking if the bg lights aren’t hot it might be a bit startling for the model to have all 3 firing so bright all at once. Cheers, and thanks for all of your great help. I’ll definitely be buying your one-light dvd when it comes available.
Jeff
[...] there is a great tutorial on how to do this style of photography, seamless white background, here. This is where I got the idea to pick up a piece of “Budget White Tile Board” as [...]
[...] Then things started to get better. My fever went away, my tooth stopped hurting (thanks to my sister Alejandra, an upcoming dentist, for giving me those advices by e-mail. They really helped!), and I came across THE tutorial on how to rock a white background. [...]
[...] mejor que seguir la serie de tutoriales de Zack Arias en su blog. Un trabajo impresionante (aunque lo siento, en inglés). Publicado por julio Categorizado en [...]
ok – so i went to home depot and found tileboard, but it has impressions of actual tiles on it (hence the name i guess). The pics on your tutorial does not show the tile impressions. is that due to the light or is there another type of smooth tileboard without the tile impressions on it?
Thanks – josef
Josef – There is a smooth surface tile board. You do not want the one with impressions in it.
Cheers,
Zack
thaking you for the info…
it is tooo helpfull…
I have a question about the bi-fold. what can be an alternative to the bi-fold. DYI wise???
Thanks, Mos
[...] recently posted here about a shoot of a guitar that was done in the style of Zack Arias as blogged here. Well, Lisa saw the images and was willing to let me have a go at creating a similar set, look and [...]
Excellent tutorial!
Hey Zack, just got back from the HD with the tile board. The stuff is kinda warped. Was yours perfectly flat? I’m kinda nervous that it’s not gonna lay flat. Any thoughts?
I always read your blog in high spirits. Thanks
[...] Weg ist, einen vorhandenen weißen Hintergrund etwas überzubelichten. Der Fotograf Zack Arias hat hier eine sehr ausführliche zweiteilige Anleitung geschrieben. Der Nachteil dieser Methode ist, dass [...]
How very kind of you to share! Very clear and simple. Thank you.
[...] video 3: studio setup for a large white background prophotolife If you’ve followed Zack Arias’s white background series, you’ll love this. A quick video on how to provide a white background in a full studio [...]
[...] fond blanc sans bordure ni défaut (White Seamless Tutorial). Un article en 5 parties d’un niveau exceptionnel mais parfaitement compréhensible pour [...]
[...] White Seamless Tutorial. A 5-part article of an exceptionnal quality/expertise but perfectly understandable by anybody willing to get a good studio lighting with a limited budget to have white backgrounds as well as black ones, grey ones, colored ones, with perfect mastering of the result. Really brillant! [...]
Forget the Super clamp. Save money. Drill one hole on each end of the bar through one side only. Insert the light stand end through the one hole. The other non-drilled side of the pipe will act as a stop. I have ten bars of varying length (longest is 14′) with this system and at times have three set up at once for a three sided white enclosure.
Good tutorial. Valid advice.
[...] This whole set up, by the way, is inspired by Zack Arias’ detailed tutorial on white seamless here. The background is lit by two SB-20 strobes, probably set to 1/2 power. The key light was a Norman [...]
Hi,
i’m wondering how much of the paper do you actually have to replace from time to time. I’m from the dominican republic, and therefore shipping for paper rolls is extremely expensive .. Do you actually change the paper on the bottom, or do you always have the tileboard on the floor – and therefore NOT have to “loose/spend” the paper ?
Great page !!!! Keep it up !
i went to the home depot today. they had the board under a different SKU. in the tutorial, it looks like a glossy finish. At Home depot is looked like more of a mat finish. what does this stuff look like?
also, the edges are brown,,,how do you keep from seeing them in the photos?
Hi Zack
In your excellent tutorial you mentioned some lenses that perform better that the others when used against a white overexposed BG. I think that it will be beneficiary to all if photographers that performed comparative testing will share their conclusions. People intending to buy new lenses for white BG will be able to use this guide as the performance of a lens for this specific use is never speced.
I conducted some systematic comparative testing on lenses that I own. I looked mainly on the contrast; how deep is the captured black of a black object placed in front of white BG. Here are my results:
Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D: Bad !
Nikkor 24-120 f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S:: Medium
Nikkor 18-200 f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX VR II: Medium
Nikkor 18-70 f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX: Medium
Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR: Good !
Eric
eric@orckit.com
[...] photographer Zack Arias has been incredibly informative. In particular I learnt a lot from his White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: Gear & Space I don’t have the space to support the set-up but man when I do. I am ever amazed by the [...]
is there any cheaper way to make a picture have a white backround
[...] news :: I’ve never been happy with this studio space right now. If you have followed my white seamless tutorial you’ll know that I’m in a pretty cramped space. The leasing company that owns my [...]
[...] post today from Atlanta photographer Zach Arias. You might know Zach from his great series on shooting with white seamless backgrounds. However this post has nothing to do with photography techniques. What it is about is [...]
[...] Part 1: Gear & Space [...]
[...] Part 1: Gear & Space [...]
[...] Lighten up, Frances: Check out Zack “OneLight” Arias’ excellent series of white background tutorials. Dude gets the Apple reflection look with a $10.97 Home Depot panel — gotta love that. Great [...]
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Any chance you have a picture of the actual tile board up close? I’m interested in how shiny it is/pebbled… Trying to find comparable items locally and not having much luck.
Thanks,
Paul
[...] ha – I’ve spent the last couple days painting my Zarias door. I thought the reason photographers got into this line of work was to avoid manual labor, [...]
I always read your blog in high spirits. Thanks
Thanks for this – it’s a great help for me getting more into studio lighting.
I’d really like to see that video of you setting up the paper roll on your own though…just for the laugh
Thanks again.
A.
[...] the floor to go perfectly white. After seeing a speedlink on the strobist blog to Zack Arias’ White Seamless Tutorial, the solution to this problem suddenly seemed within easy reach. All it required were a few large [...]
[...] the floor to go perfectly white. After seeing a speedlink on the strobist blog to Zack Arias’ White Seamless Tutorial, the solution to this problem suddenly seemed within easy reach. All it required were a few large [...]
[...] the floor to go perfectly white. After seeing a speedlink on the strobist blog to Zack Arias’ White Seamless Tutorial, the solution to this problem suddenly seemed within easy reach. All it required were a few large [...]
I follow you always, this post is excellent.
[...] Zack Arias – Atlanta based editorial music photographer » White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 ::… "If I had but one backdrop to use for portraiture I would choose a simple roll of white seamless paper. With one roll of paper you can create many options. For the rest of the week I’m going to break it down for you. We are going to look at getting it to pop to pure white, making it various shades of grey, getting it to go black, gelling it to any color in the rainbow, and doing very easy and quick changes in post production to further the visual options available to us when using such a simple background." Fantastic tutorial. (tags: tutorial technique lighting strobist photography background studio ) [...]
question:
Can i use that white tileboard on a large white cyc floor, we currently have a large white cyc floor, or choice to use the white seamless, but i always hate cleaning and painting the white floor after use, can i use that white tileboard on it, and how do i clean it afterwards? thx.
~Luis.
[...] have a setup similar to Zack Arias – minus the white tile board. Although, i think i should get one. I use a simple DIY gobo instead. [...]
[...] How to set up a cheap DIY ’seamless white’ photography space. [...]
[...] DIY ?seamless white? photography October 03, 2008 / Posted by: / Category: Adult How to set up a cheap DIY ’seamless white’ photography space. [...]
really informative, I am new to photography but like the style that venture use in the uk.I think it looks so dramatic as used in your photo. Are there any cheap ways to do if if you want it mobile and don’t own any lights yet?
This tutorial was very helpfull and your OneLight DVD was the sh*t. I watched it 4 times so far.
Do you use pocket wizards to trigger each of these lights?
Great stuff – thanks for sharing you skills.
[...] the floor to go perfectly white. After seeing a speedlink on the strobist blog to Zack Arias’ White Seamless Tutorial, the solution to this problem suddenly seemed within easy reach. All it required were a few large [...]
[...] einarbeiten… Diesen Effekt möchte ich haben (schöner weißer Hintergrund) siehe hier http://www.zarias.com/?p=71 wie das geht ist klar, Hintergundpapier + 2 Blitzer fürs Ausleuchten und einen Blitzer mit Soft [...]
[...] werde wohl 2 Blitzer kaufen, um den Hintergrund wie hier http://www.zarias.com/?p=71 aufzuhellen. Welche Leistung ist hierfür erforderlich? Reichen günstige Blitzer mit 200Ws [...]
Awesome stuff! I’m doing a shoot where I’ll be making the bg pure white for the first time and your tutorial is gold!
Unfortunately, the hds in my area don’t sell that thrifty white tile board, but something a LOT more expensive for around 70. Sigh… and there’s no Lowes in my area either. Know of anywhere else I might be able to find a decent tileboard for cheap?
Zack,
I have been looking for information to setup a home photo studio for a long time. Your articles are the best I ever read!
It would be greatly appreciated if you could help me on the follow up questions:
1. My goal is to take whole body portrait for my kids with white and black background. I do not want to spend more than I have to. How powerful the lights should be, in term of w/s or GN? Do you have any recommendations?
2. I have Canon 50D with 24-70mm 2.8L. Can the camera and lens do the work?
2. Where can I buy seamless paper in Atlanta area?
Thanks
[...] want to do white background portraits and found a excellent tutorial by Photographer Zack Arias HERE out of Atlanta, GA. Thanks for all the info Zack. This is my attempt to create a similar but [...]
Thank you Zack!
I think my experimental first shoot went well, even though I didn’t blow out the background.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonbauer/
- Jon
What is the name of the lighting you used side by side?- Not sure If I overlooked that-
BUT I got the soft box is a westcott.
Hey… Can’t seem to find the white tile board???
When shooting my white background usually looks a light gray? Any suggestions – I have two lights – one with a soft box, the other with an umbrella.
Thanks
J
Real big THANKS man, the guys over here in England don’t seem to want to share anything so your stuff is real help, keep it up !
Jennifer – Your background isn’t getting enough light. You need to increase the power of the light hitting the background.
Jene – I use Westcott softboxes most of the time.
Jon – Well done!
Tom – Showcase Inc sells paper. PPR does as well. If you want to shoot full length on black then you will need to get black paper. If you want reflections on black then you need to use plexiglass for that. That = $$$. You don’t need super powerful lights. I can pull it off with some old Nikon Speedlites.
Cheers,
Zack
Bravo, a superb tutorial.
[...] Hello Bon voila d
Hi Zack,
This is really useful stuff – thanks.
Any ideas how I can achieve a pure white background when shooting pets in very limited spaces, ie in dog training classes and pet stores etc. Having 3 or 4 lightstands isn’t practicable due to manic dogs tearing around! A real challenge, right?
Cool set up, when I worked at a large commercial photographic studio in the UK they had several large studios all coved out with no straight edges, great for photography large Mack type trucks on a white background.
[...] Using the tile board as a “floor” is an AMAZING idea – thank you SO much, Zack Arias!!! We’ve still got “techniques” to perfect, but this was a really good [...]
(Edit: bad link to my site – delete the other post)
Zack:
Awesome tutorial. I can’t thank you enough!
I’m about to give it a try and am going through step by step. Are you sure that your PVC pipe is 1.5 inches? It looks more like 1″ or maybe 3/4 inches to me? I ask because I cannot clamp the roll to the cross-bar because the diameter of the roll is too close to that of the cross-bar (i.e., there is no space to put the clamp in there). I’m going to pop out to Home Depot and get a smaller pipe, but I just wanted to mention it. After all, we do want 50% few cuss words.
Thanks again for the detailed instructions. I’m looking forward to seeing my results.
-S.
Hi.. Does anyone know what the uk version of tileboard is as I cant find anything like it… I think we call it backer board over here but its far from white!
Have thought about getting loose vinyl and glueing it too some thing marine plywood.. would this work?
[...] continue at Zarias [...]
Fantastic tutorial, Zack. Thank you so much! You’ve saved me a whole load of time and hurt!
I have one thing that I’m not quite getting. When I shoot full length, I get the background a nice and even white, but I’m still left with a slightly gray area front of where the ‘shadow’ from the doors is. If I expose the back more to get that grey to go white, I’m over-exposed enough on the back that I get flare. My background is all within about 1/3 of a stop, and my lens is pretty sensitive (it’s the 50mm 1.8 Nikon lens), but it doesn’t flare as long as I only just over expose the background. Do you ever put any extra light on the floor at the model’s feet to get that to go grey or do you just push the background a bit harder?
Couple of example images:
Nice pure white
Grey area
Many thanks again!
Bruce
Ah – I figured out the problem. Much better shots now:
Much better
The problem wasn’t that my background was too hot. The extra flare I was getting was coming from the sides – I have a narrow studio with white walls, and the background lights were not directly hitting the model, but a lot of light was bouncing off the sides of the studio and back onto the model, so there was much more flare on her than should have been given the strength of the background. Reducing the sidelight with negative fill let me go hot enough on the backdrop to get the floor to go grey
Thanks again for the great setup 
‘to go grey’ – to go white is what I mean of course
[...] I met Atlanta-based / editorial / music / headshot photographer Zack Arias yesterday… not face-to-face, but through the digital matchmaker, David Hobby over at Strobist. David posted a handful of blurbs – one linked to my other blog, PixSylated, and one linked to Zack’s incredible 5-part white seamless tutorial. [...]
Hi Zack, what a great tutorial, and this is only pt I ! I was wondering if you have tested some other lenses in doing shoots with white backgrounds, like you wrote you would?
I was planning on getting the 85mm 1.8, but I’m having some doubts after reading you found it to be ‘ok’.
[...] be a clean white background . . . the focus is on the subject. I’ve always wanted to make a white studio setup, it’s not always an easy task. Will continue this post . . [...]
thanks, I was wondering why the images do not download. First one is ok, but the rest only about an inch at the top. Can you upload again?
Hi zack,
In a previous post (29 April) you said you would talk more about painting one side of your bi fold doors black and I have been unable to find a further explanation on this.
I am asking as I was thinking about building a more portable set using black cloth to block the light from my subject rather than transporting big heavy doors. Would black blockers on a collapsable screen work?
[...] initial reference was Zack Arias’ White Seamless Tutorial setup. I bought two 4×8 ft. plywood boards and had them constructed and painted white to [...]
This may or may not have been answered, but…
Is the tileboards running north to south (camera to BG) or east to west (camera left to camera right?
Also, is the one light DVD sold out? I need that.
Zack, u just inspired me to renovate my studio rather than buying over priced stands from camera shops with limited functions.
Thanks for the post, u made my day!
[...] Arias has a written very good set of tutorials on working with seamless backgrounds in this way. The background is lit separately from the subject [...]
[...] I stumbled across a really well-done blog post on properly lighting a white seamless the other day and I have to share it. Not only is this photographer’s tutorial well worth the read, but he’s also a minimalist and will show you some inexpensive alternatives to expensive studio gear! His name is Zack Arias. He’s certainly inspired me and there’s no doubt in my mind he’ll inspire you too! Here’s the link to his tutorial. [...]
Hi Zack, what brand of lights did you use for this photo?
Would two “Alien Bees” B800 Flash Units be ok? My model will be standing in most of the shots.
Zack,
Great article. Is it the reflection of the tile board of the background that gives the white under the models feet?
How idi you light the model?
Thanks, Tony
Great article. Literally licked up every word.and you’re in atlanta too. Cool.
Many Thanks
[...] the correct setup, take a look at Atlanta photographer Zack Aries’ blog – he has an excellent five-part tutorial that covers everything you need to know to shoot white seamless. Seriously, the guy makes it [...]
Zack,
I read your tutorial and it made be utter an expletive.
If only I’d seen it a year ago not only would I have saved hours of frustration but also several hundred pounds (even more dollars) on courses.
Brilliant, well done. Thank you.
One question. What is Tile Board? I think it’s a term which does not cross the pond well and here in the UK it probably means something different. Here it is a board applied to walls upon which you fix tiles. I assume that side of the pond it probably refers to a sheet of wood (plywood, MDF or similar) on which is stuck a white laminated (Formica?) covering. Grateful for help with the US-UK translation.
Again, thanks for a great tutorial. Now can’t wait to try it out.
Trevor Taylor
Oxford, England.
[...] and simple lighting techniques to get you started shooting in your own space. Can you say “The many uses of white seamless?” [...]
This is an excellent tutorial my friends and I will learn a lot from this so if you don’t mind I would like to copy this to my website.thanks
[...] wife is available for download on his page Zack is a very good photographer in Atlanta. His white background tutorial been linked to from here at LightandPixels before on this post and about a million other blogs [...]
Hi Zack,
Thanks for the great tutorial. It made all the difference in the world in finishing my small studio.
Here are the results:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1025&thread=31169756
Very interesting; I have limited space but will try this setup to try to get pure white results. Look forward to reading additional tutorials from you. Thanks for sharing.
Where do I find your other tutorials? Didn’t see them on this blog. I like your style of writing and I need all the advice I can get from reputable photographers. Thanks and God bless you.
Betty. click on the technique link on the left and all of the tutorials will magically appear
[...] ago now that I had the time and energy (at least I thought) to try and attempt Zach Arias’s all white seamless background tutorial. I love the effect and I wanted one more trick to add to my bag, and surely something as stylized [...]
this is amazing. I’ve looked for this kind of info for a while now. perfect!
Simply, I love you! Thanks for all the hints
You just saved me a whole lot of money!! I am sooo glad I found this website when I did!
Thanks for the great advise…
hey, you rock zack.. holy cow.. thats an awesome and really really helpful tutorial dude.. thank you so much.. looking forward to see other things from you as well
I now know why my garage has 14 foot ceilings! (other than they messed up getting the level of the plot right for the street). I can’t wait to try this out!
Does anyone know what the tile board might be called in Australia. Would white laminex be any good.
ta.
[...] found a great tutorial online from a photographer named Zack Arias, an Atlanta based [...]
[...] White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: Gear & Space [...]
[...] 2. White Seamless Tutorial [...]
Has anyone tried PLAS-TEX PolyWall sheets from Home Depot?
http://www.waterproofpanels.com/polywall.shtml
[...] Link: Zack Arias on white [...]
I am totally bookmarking this page for future reference. Zack you go above and beyond the call of duty sharing all of this stuff, so much detail, and SO much appreciated. I am just now getting ready to pull together some studio equipment and I am not going to do anything till I sit down and read every word of what you wrote here.
[...] found him while researching for my studio setup – which ended up pretty much entirely based on his white seamless series. He’s also been doing reviews of photographer websites and listening to his comments gives [...]
I am a bit new to this and at the moment have my on camera flash, a metz 45 cl-4 which I hope to be able to sync with a metz 58 somehow. Will this do the trick for the lighting? Or can I also set it up outside as my inside space is limited? If I were to , would I just add one light to the background and a fill flash on the subject if the daylight was bright but diffused?
Also , is there any way to make a homemade transportable background stand, as I can not think of an idea for the base.
what version of photoshop do you use
Zack:
Hi, I just bought two 200w Bowens strobes… I wonder if I could use those for the backround and use my FTZ-500 Pentax flash as main light (That’s a powerful flash though). And what about if I use one single 200w at full power for the BG?; and the remaining one as main light..
[...] if I’d read Zack Arias’s excellent tutorial about lighting against a white background before the shoot this would have all gone more [...]
HI Zack,
I have your nightmare, 6’5″ ceilings, about 16′ wide, using 4×6 plexiglass on top of white muslin. Sometimes I have the lights over exposed to illuminate backdrop and some of the lose hair is a bit fried but usually I get the good popping results. I’d much prefer white paper backdrop. I’m using 3 strobe setup with 5′ octogon softbox as main w/ two strobes to cover backrop. The tile board is a lot less costly than the plexiglass, good to know. Thanks for the usefull info.
[...] Pour les anglophones : Zack Arias – Atlanta based editorial music photographer
THANKS FOR POSTING THIS TUTORIAL. answered a lot of things i wanted to know about setting up a studio. kudos.
[...] HOW to get the screen evenly lit. I’ll spare you the specifics and link you to Zack Arias – White Seamless Tutorial. His tutorial is for shooting on white, but the concept is the same. Light the background [...]
[...] based editorial photographer Zack Arias has a fantastic, in-depth tutorial on shooting against a white seamless background in the studio. Packed full of tips and tricks, [...]
thanks for posting such an extremely helpful page. i refer people to this tutorial all the time.
[...] Zack Arias gives us a really cool tutorial on creating a white seamless background. [...]
Zack cheers for the tutorial. I took what you said and put it into practice…how you say GOYA.
I’ve found that I’ve totally up’d my game thanks to these blogs.
Keep up the work, your a really inspiring person and its websites like these that really help to understand lighting in a simple way without the need to use light meters.
Thanks so much for your incredibly helpful posts. I used this as a starting point for some basic headshots today, and they turned out better than I could have hoped.
[...] This high key photography tutorial by Zack Arias is totally awesome. I probably need to re-read it a few times over. For anyone into shooting at home with solid bg, check that out. Posted October 2, 2008 (23:40) in LJ Life, Product Reviews [...]
[...] and discounts that pay back the membership fee many times over in a years time). Here is a link to a great tutorial on settin up for high key. __________________ Keith New to the forums? Please click here and read The Pact. To make [...]
[...] Zack Arias – Atlanta based editorial music photographer » White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: Gear… f I had but one backdrop to use for portraiture I would choose a simple roll of white seamless paper. With one roll of paper you can create many options. For the rest of the week I’m going to break it down for you. We are going to look at getting it to pop to pure white, making it various shades of grey, getting it to go black, gelling it to any color in the rainbow, and doing very easy and quick changes in post production to further the visual options available to us when using such a simple background. [...]
[...] know if it’ll be much help, but you might want to take the time to buzz through Zack Arias’s white seamless tutorial. __________________ flickr stream and equipment [...]
[...] set up the white seamless background – ala Zack Aria’s Avedon style tutorial – and tried it out on my cats. It’s my first shoot in [...]
[...] out this tutorial, it’s a larger scale than product shots, but the concepts might help you: Zack Arias – Atlanta based editorial music photographer
[...] it takes the release off camera so now you gain sharpness due to less touching of the camera!) Zack Arias – Atlanta based editorial music photographer
[...] that bad, as long as you can avoid GST by keeping your orders under $1k. You may want to give Zack Arias’s white seamless tutorial a read, to get an idea of what might be involved with some kind of Strobist home studio set-up. [...]
Just wondering where I can find the other Parts of your “White Seamless Tutorials”. I’ve seen part 1 and would like to see the others. Do you have a newsletter that I can subscribe to?
Great tutorial, really really good. My garage is now a studio! I found 3 white boards to be just right for my size space so the seemless is just onto the ground. I’m using foam core as the double door in my home depot were $30 so off the list for now.
I had to ask my local Home depot for tile board as it was ‘not sold’ according to the website, but they had it in stock. It was $11 a sheet. I also found fake wood siding next to the tile board which gives me a fake floor to cover my the bare concrete and looks OK in shots too, $18 a 4×8 sheet. Could use it as a background too I suppose but a bit floppy unless bonded to some ply.
I used it for my first session the other day and posted up the pics on my blog. So nice to understand how to separate the white bg light and the subject’s lighting!
Anyway, thanks Zach, you da bomb!
[...] just setup a white seamless background in my home studio based off of Zack Arias’ White Seamless Tutorial series. In his series he explains everything from the equipment required to invaluable [...]
I want to convert my car garage into a part-time studio. Usable space is 20′Wide by 30′Long with an average ceiling height of 10-1/2 feet. I say average because the concrete floor is sloped for drainage. Will it be better to shoot “uphill” or “downhill” and can the tileboard be easily moved when not used as a studio?
Nice – both the content and the delivery style. Even though I’ve got zero studio aspirations, I’m going to read up the rest to help with my photo station stuff. I love your willingness to ‘give back’.
[...] Usually is is accomplished outside of photoshop by having a white background that is lit about 2 stops more than the lighting falling on the subject. Sometimes you need to use photoshot to clean it up… there are some super cool demos on Zach Arias site… Zack Arias – Atlanta based editorial music photographer
[...] I’m still working around but the results have been nice. I’m really glad I saw that Zack Arias tutorial as it has been extremely encouraging for my trying this out in my limited work space. Next time [...]
[...] And saying there is nothing creative about standing 75 people in front of a white backdrop: Zack Arias – Atlanta based editorial music photographer
I was wondering if this can be accomplished using a white muslin backdrop? I am trying to use things I already have:)
Thanks!!
It can be accomplished with a white muslin BG. Just keep the folds and wrinkles flat.
[...] a lighting thang. You’ll want to work your way through Zack Arias’s White Seamless tutorial. The black background is in part 3. __________________ flickr stream and equipment [...]
[...] out this tutorial from Zack Arias. He is obviously using human models, but the fundamentals are sound. Just scale it [...]
[...] seam from the floor, but it’s not a huge deal. (FYI, this is the stuff that Zack Arias, whose excellent white seamless tutorial I learned a lot from, calls “tileboard.” At my Home Depot, it was sold as Thrifty White [...]
Thanks for the info. I am having the pink/purple and white hot spots, never thought about my lense! Canon 2.8 24-70. What should I use for a canon shooting children?
[...] never have got anywhere with this without reading Zack Arias’ guide, so many thanks to [...]
Firstly great tutorial, I only wish there were more of them.
This tileboard you speak of is freakin expensive stuff here in Australia. Do you know if using a clear sheet of perspex would have the same effect?
I just went to home depot today – and it wasn’t called tileboard anymore. If anyone is having trouble finding the thing, it would be near the lumber / wall surfacing area – When I first mentioned tile board, the lady showed me the big heavy tile backing board, which was not what I needed – then when I explained it better I found it, it is still called “thrifty” but I forget the name – it is used for bathroom wall surfaces, and comes in plain, square tiled and this rough surface – good thing the plain one is the cheapest =)
Thank you!!! I have been looking for these answers forever!
I wish there were many more photography tutorials like this!
[...] I purchased a new camera this year and have been working on my photography skills, or lack thereof. I have a great setup and large workspace but I really struggle with lighting and backgrounds. I came across a link to a professional photographer out of Atlanta http://www.zarias.com/?p=71 [...]
[...] Zack Arias – Atlanta based editorial music photographer
Thank you so much. I just bought my white board from home depot and set up my high key background. Shots came out great. Thanks again.
You are an endless source of info & inspiration … we went right out to our local Lowe’s and purchased 2 sheets of tile board to use with our white seamless backdrop and the results have been very pleasing, Thanks for the knowledge & talents you share with those around you!
This site is Superawesome Man.
Warm regards from Indonesia.
I followed your setup and sent the pics to Costco for printing. They called me, saying that my photos were done by a pro studio and that I couldn’t print them out. I replied that it was done in my own basement, and had to sign something to get my prints. I guess your system works! Thx a million for all the great tips.
[...] gear is overly optimistic, mostly because you forgot to put any lights in it. Take a gander at Zack Arias’s white seamless tutorial to get an idea of what you might really need to be budgeting for. __________________ I shoot [...]
Zack,
Love your DVD…..quick question, do you use a semi gloss or flat white paint on your bifold doors?
Cheers,
George
[...] Zack Arias przedstawia swoje talenty stolarsko-budowlane AKPC_IDS += “183,”;Podobne wpisySprzedaję: 3 statywy Manfrotto NanoNowy sprzęt fotograficzny do wypożyczeniaJak kupić taniej sprzęt fotograficznySzkło a nie body, idioto! [...]
My problem has always been that the floor at the feet and in front of the model is not getting enough light to make it white. It’s always gray and has to be edited out in post. I’m shocked that you’re using one light for the model and two for the background. I’ve tried it but can’t get the feet to be white. Could it be the reflective board that’s getting the light from the background?
Thanks Zach
Oops Sorry Zack, spelled your name wrong.
@Jim,
Lower your shooting angle. That should clean it up. Like, “take a knee” kind of shooting angle.
Cheers,
Zack
[...] get ideas, you might want to look at Zack Arias’s white seamless tutorial. __________________ I shoot with a Canon 50D. flickr stream and equipment [...]
Zack, I’m assuming that if you are using shot mounted flashes, that you will need to move everything closer to the backgound, model, tileboard, lights, etc.
I meant “shoe”
what lights are you using
Thank you for all this great info. In searching for studio space, I’m torn. Provided that I can get at least a 20x40x24, would it be better to go with something windowless and bare (warehouse-style), or something with character, windows, wood floors, exposed brick (loft-style). Asthetics aside, any functional reasoning for one over the other? Thanks!
[...] First up, Atlanta based editorial music photographer, Zack Arias has published a superb series of articles on using seamless white backgrounds for studio based portrait shots. Zack goes into great detail not only describing what materials to use and how to set them up, but he also goes into the minutiae of lighting and a whole host of difference scenarios and set ups. A really well written series of articles, and if like me you’re thinking of getting into portrait photography and you want a perfect white background a la Richard Avedon, then this is where to go. [...]
[...] If you’re shooting seamless white, Zack Arias has a good tutorial . [...]
hey Zack, thanx for the tutorial.
I have a question: why don’t you work with a system that is mounted to the wall in the back of your studio? and do you use other backgrounds (Gray ) for fotos??
thanx for you answer!
@verneille – Alien Bees at the moment. Done this with all sorts of lights though. You just need some that turn on and you can control the power.
Hi Zack, just wanted to thank you for being such a graceful Pro. I wish there were more like you that are willing to be the master to so many apprentices! BTW loved the guest blog on scottkelby.com you reignited my passion.
[...] Light: Science and Magic is probably your best bet. For one basic studio setup, take a look at Zack Arias’s white seamless tutorial. I’d also recommend spelunking about in the Flickr Strobist group discussions. [...]
WOW, thanks so much. I look forward to more. I love people who share ideas. Excellent!
Hi there. I’m sure I must be a ditz but I am trying to figure out how to sign up for your postings. Is that how you do it? I am a beginning hobby photographer and trying to absorb all the info I can from people like you who are willing to share your knowledge. Thank you so much.
Just saw that the Avenger stand is discontinued and the new replacement is $180
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/611468-REG/Avenger_A0035B_A0035B_Baby_Alu_Stand.html#reviews
Do you have recommendations for a different stand?
[...] You can get the same setup for a reasonable price by checking out Zack Arias’ tutorial on White Seamless. I don’t have everything he mentions, but I’ve got enough to do something [...]
Zack, Loved the tutorial, best I read. I’ve tried to duplicate the set up in my basement. It looks fantastic, but doesn’t work
. What kind of lights, I’m afraid what I’m using isn’t strong enough to fully light the backdrop. I noticed your celling is white. Mine isn’t I’m thinking if I hung one board in back I’d be able to reflect more light on the background. Right now I have a SB800 in front with umbrella, and 2 freestanding lights 250W on stands behind the doors… do I need more in back?
[...] never shot high key before and had to spend the weekend researching techniques. Unfortunately Zach Arias’ tutorial on white seamless hit the net a couple years too late to help me at the time. But I muddled through and didn’t [...]
[...] http://www.zarias.com/?p=71 [...]
Zack, this is a wonderful tutorial I just got my brand new set of Calumet Genesis lights and this setup worked really nice using my 580 EX II as fill light.
Keep up the great work man!
[...] searching the web looking for an explanation as to how this is done I found his 4 part article on white seamless photography. It was the last stop I needed to make in order to have a good understanding on the subject. Being [...]
Hello all. It seems I can find no “tileboard” in Italy:( Does anyone have any idea what I could look for instead?
Buy stain grade (smooth finish) plywood and paint it with a high gloss white paint. Should do the trick for you. -Zack
[...] setup, take a look at Atlanta photographer Zack Aries’ blog – he has an excellent five-part tutorial that covers everything you need to know to shoot white seamless. Seriously, the guy makes it [...]
[...] For more info on shooting on white seamless backgrounds, check out this awesome tutorial by Zack Arias [...]
[...] You can get the same setup for a reasonable price by checking out Zack Arias’ tutorial on White Seamless. I don’t have everything he mentions, but I’ve got enough to do something [...]
[...] 02:50 PM Check out This link for the principles of white seamless and lighting it: Zack Arias – Atlanta based editorial music photographer White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: G… Oh, yeah, I didn't really think about if you were talking about Photo printing paper. There's a [...]
[...] while back Zack did a 5 part series about shooting on white seamless that is AWESOME! Here’s a link to the first installment and the links to part 2-5 are at the bottom of the entry. Don’t miss [...]
[...] wil verdiepen, dan raad ik je ten zeerste de reeks blog-posts van Zack Arias aan, te vinden op zijn site. Hou er ook rekening mee dat een groot deel van het "wit" te maken heeft met [...]
Great stuff! I’ve shot long enough to know that I do NOT know everything… In thirty years of shooting it never occurred to me to use bi-fold doors as cutters. Doh! (I do use sheets of plywood split down the middle though.) I also love the tile board idea. Eh…PG word…PG word…um…uh…freaking brilliant!) I went out and got a flock. (half dozen sheets) Perfect for locations! I also expanded on the door idea and got a couple sets of folding louver doors…they can work not only as cutters (I line the “inside” to block stray light) but as design elements in other shoots. (I love multitasking gear!) Thanks!
[...] Re: Show us your studio Looks great. Have you ever used 4×8 sheets of white tile board available at Home Depot for about $10? That will save you alot of money by not having to roll out so much white paper. Follow this link for Zach Arias tutorials on shooting with this. Zack Arias – Atlanta based editorial music photographer White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: G… [...]
[...] person who has done it zero times. But in that case shouldn’t you be reading advice from someone who has done it a thousand times? Of course you should read that, but I believe that as a beginner [...]
This stuff is absolutely amazing. Question. I use my living room as a studio whenever I have a client so I literally set up every single time. Is tile board OK for that?? I find working with white seamless paper very hard & was considering switching to a muslin until I read this now having second thoughts. So basically, is tileboard portable, is it going to crack or something being carried back & forth between shoots. Thanks for your help
Answer – Tileboard, while large and cumbersome, is very light weight and can be stored in the garage or on the back deck or wherever.
[...] [...]
[...] There is an excellent tutorial by an outstanding photographer Zack Arias on this technique White Seamless Tutorial [...]
Great post – very useful. Thank you!
Just one question though: How many curse words do you need to roll the paper back up when you’ve finished a shoot?
Zack,
I really really enjoyed your explanation and your writing style. I’ve never tried white seamless, but am thinking about doing so at the reception at weddings. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Blaise
[...] set paper and a stand to hold it on. I’ve been completely inspired by this Zack Arias post here. I’ve been meeting both pro and amateur models this week to ask them if they’ll work [...]
THANKS for sharing!!!
[...] You will need to nuke the background for white. If you're following Zack, then I'm sure you've seen this tutorial. Notice how he is hitting the background with separate lights and using barn doors to prevent wash. [...]
[...] 01:47 PM I found this tutorial from Zack Arias really helpful. There's even a piece on constructing this with one light – [...]
[...] we need to cover. I do the basics, if you want to see where I took my info from the link is Zack Arias’ multi-part studio set-up blog post. A 20×20 foot space is what you need, due to our initial tests and [...]
[...] for some new photos for his blog and I was recently inspired by Zack Arais’ blog about white seamless backgrounds, so I figured I should give it a try to push myself beyod my usual “available [...]
[...] that we need to cover. I do the basics, if you want to see where I took my info from the link is Zack Arias’ multi-part studio set-up blog post. A 20×20 foot space is what you need, due to our initial tests and the space constraints of [...]
[...] [...]
Thank You for all your wonderful resources. You Rock! I can not wait to see you in June in Asheville. Regina turned me on to you. I was looking for someone like you…Have a
Valentine’s Day! Sarah
How many cuss words will you use if you are using 2 omni lights (hot) with video banks?
A fair number of curse words but it can be done.
thanks for the great write up, i’m going to try and incorporate a lot of your ideas. i’ve got myself some seamless white paper background, a d3000 camera, and i’m mostly shooting still products for a catalog. the only thing i’m missing is lighting and i can’t seem to find what i should get. i’ve had brand names thrown at me but i don’t know what model, wattage, size, umbrella, softbox, etc. What brand it is doesn’t really matter to me at this point. i’m wanting 2 lights to blow up the background white and then one main light on the product, such as a softbox but again i don’t know what light to get, or an umbrella. if anyone could just tell me, go to this site, and buy 2 of these and one of these, then i’ll have an idea what to shop for. i would appreciate any suggestions. thank you.
Thanks for sharing the tutorial. I’ve been looking for these kinds of setup to start my own small home-made studio.
Amazing tutorial, I’m currently building this exact setup in my house, what a nightmare!
Thanks for the tips, Zack, this is one of the most coomprehensive and well thought out tutorials I’ve ever seen on anything photography related.
Did anyone else manage to figure out what “tile board” is though, for us UK guys? I’d love to know, thanks.
hi Zack very informative blog you have. I was wondering if beginner strobes of 3pcs 120w would be enough for this kind of studio or would it better if I just purchased 3 430ex flashes. thanks!
Hi, thanks for the info but I was wondering if the reflection on the floor is produced thru photoshop. The legs of the chair, etc seem to have a reflection rather than a shadow. Thanks.
Thanks for the article. This is very cost affective and I would like to try out your ideas.
This post is amazing, i still refer back to it even though it is nearly 2 years old.
As a microstock photographer, I follow MANY of the ideas laid out here! Great info, keep up the good work Zack!
-Dave (Microstuck.blogspot.com)
Zack, Great job at Photoshop World. Can’t believe this gem of a post has been out there for 2 years. What’s everyone’s history for seamless? Will I get hundreds of shoots out of an 18 yard roll, or just 2?
Depends. If you use the tile board you can get several shoots out of one roll.
[...] of shades of gray to even black by using a CYC. Check out Zack Arias‘ extremely informative white seamless tutorial (and here, here, here too, yea and here) on how to accomplish [...]
[...] blog and related to the winter photography funk; a few months ago my husband printed his white background studio setup to hopefully create for me one day in our unfinished [...]
[...] [...]
[...] about a year of looking at Zack Arias’ “White Seamless Tutorial” I decided to take the initiative and actually give it a try. With no surprise to me the [...]
[...] to my studio Yeap, I set up the studio to replicate Zack Arias ‘White seamless’. It was [...]
[...] Gear [...]
[...] i was playing around with some lighting setups and eva got to model again. i was trying to recreate the sort of look that zack arias wrote about in this tutorial: White Seamless Tutorial. [...]
I have been looking for something like the thrifty white tileboard you mention for years…never have found anything like it and even searching Home Depot (and a few other large building supply centers) I still cannot find it or anything like it….
[...] are available in a variety of colors but if you buy just one, white is by far the most versatile. Zack Arias has a good, multi-part tutorial on seamless on his [...]
Nate – Paint thin stain ready (smooth finish) plywood with high gloss white paint.
[...] lying on a seamless white background and is properly illuminated. The best tutorial I've found is this one. __________________ http://www.os-am.com Gear [...]
I was F…ing with room 10′x 14′ and I made it.Sealing only 8′.I had to paint all walls black. Light from background was also lighting my object. I was not in control of my lighting . I was this close to trow my camera away together with my hands. LOL. As background I used linoleum from YOU GAST IT home depot.10′x12′ $ 45. All I need is a little paint (pure white) and here we go.
[...] here is an example of a small studio cyclorama by the great Zack Arias. Maybe a little overkill for the amateur home shooter, but reading through the post will go a long [...]
[...] Check out Zack Arias – White Seamless Tutorial. [...]
Zack,
Excellent post. It has help tremendously.
[...] a white wall and a Vivitar 285hv to blow it out. For fill I used a silver reflector. I used the Zack Arias tutorial which was very [...]
Hey Zack,
Could you suggest a more portable / flexible substitute for your White Tile Board? As someone starting out, I’m finding space to be a real issue. Without a permanent place to shoot, it’ll be great to be able to roll it up into a tube and stick in my car when I’m done. A 4′x8′ board is brutal to store and to transport without a van.
And this whole White Tutorial series totally rocks!
Thanks,
John
John – I’ve tried a number of things for portability and they all suck. Suck as in a complete waste of time and not worth the time/money/resources. Like that Lastolite vinyl crap. Worthless. You can cut the tile board into smaller pieces and then shingle them on the floor. Not the best solution but far better than anything I’ve found that can be rolled up.
Cheers,
Zack
[...] Zack Arias – Now if you want to take lighting to a higher level, then Zack knows how to get you there. I first came across his website last year and have been way impressed ever since. If you want to see an example, check out the guest blog that Zack did on Scott Kelby’s website. [...]
[...] Be sure to check out an awesome tutorial by Zack Arias on how to set up a white seamless shot, here. [...]
[...] flash. And one last tutorial when you're starting to get the off-camera stuff under your belt, is Zack Arias's white seamless tutorial. __________________ I shoot with a Canon 50D. flickr stream and equipment [...]
[...] keep tile board down to minimize scuffs. Check out Zack Aria’s seamless tutorial for tile board [...]
[...] recently posted here about a shoot of a guitar that was done in the style of Zack Arias as blogged here. Well, Lisa saw the images and was willing to let me have a go at creating a similar set, look and [...]
[...] 1. I know it's not the equipment you're using but it may give you some ideas.(like the bifolds) zarias.com :: The blog of editorial photographer Zack Arias White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: Gea… __________________ Members don't see ads in threads. Register your free account today [...]
[...] you want to read on, you should check out Zack Arias’ 5 part tutorial on isolating on white, or visit an iStock shooter that shows the lighting setups of his great fashion stuff. /////// [...]
Hello Zack,
I have been watching the training workshop on creative live and it has been awesome. I have learned much and I just wanted to say thank you
Best Regards,
Glenn
[...] White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: Gear & Space White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 2 :: Setting Lights & Exposure White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 2b :: Full Length With OneLight White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 3 :: From White To Black [...]
[...] what I'm thinking of, you need lights on a white background. Check this tutorial by Zack Arias: zarias.com :: The blog of editorial photographer Zack Arias White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: Gea… Start there and read through it. You may not have that gear/space, but it gives you the idea. Hope [...]
[...] Part 1 [...]
[...] [...]
[...] here: Zack Arias: White Seamless Tutorial Part 1 Part 2 Part 2b Part 3 Part [...]
[...] shoot in her room:-) Want to see how the pros get that perfect white background? Check out this White Seamless Tutorial by Zack [...]
[...] they work. Here is a link to the tuts straight to his site (so he gets the traffic he deserves) zarias.com :: The blog of editorial photographer Zack Arias White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: Gea… I have seen some variations but the main idea is to segregate the background lights. the one [...]
[...] for updates on this topic.Powered by WP Greet Box WordPress PluginInspired by Zack Arias’s white seamless tutorial and needing to take head shots for a friend’s daughter who is involved in acting, I recently [...]
[...] started off shooting on white seamless, I picked up the chair from a local thrift store for $25, I’m not really sure what to do with [...]
[...] the full tutorial, see this post at [...]
[...] White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: Gear & Space [...]
[...] for film making ). Anyway, I decided to use a set up that I read about a couple years ago from the blog of Zack Arias. I thought it was a very simple yet effective set up and I have used it for a couple of situations [...]
[...] Using a white seamless background tutorial by Zack Arias [...]
Awesome. I recently purchased the downloads for your videos at creativelive.com and they are awesome. There’s so much info packed into each one that I find myself re-watching them over and over.
This site is just as informative and helpful. Thanks!
Btw, thanks for the great tips on what to get at each budget level.. that really rocks.
zack — i have read all 5 parts to this and i really have to thank you!! quality lighting tutorials are very hard to find online — and you have such an easy uncomplicated way of explaining things — this has really been an eye opening tutorial from start to finish!! thank you!!
now for a question that i have: i guess here you are using three constant light sources? i am trying to do the same but with 2 constant light sources on the model and 1 strobe / flash on the background.
now the background gets illuminated just fine, a perfect beautiful white — but the model is left in dim light — even with the 2 flourescent day temperature (5500K x2)constant lights on her. why is that? is my camera’s pop flash changing that?
or is it that the shutter is blinking too fast (1/250)for the light on the face and body to register? but the light from the background is bright enough to reach the lens in that time?
i don’t have a light reader, which i guess i should buy. i was trying to wing it.
any advice you could give would be amazing. thank you again!!!
cheers.
jaycee
what do i need to do?
@Jaycee – I’m using strobes for all of the lights. You’ll have a hard time trying to do this mixing continuous lights and strobes unless they are BIG lights. Like 1.5k’s or bigger.
2 flashes on the background and one on the subject is the best way to get this done.
Cheers,
Zack
an alternative to seamless is a cheap flooring material such as linoleum and then paint the backside white and mount it on the wall .. sort of a self made cyc
michael
@Michael – True!
Cheers,
Zack
Zack .. i love you
[...] browsing around the Internet, I came across this superb tuturial about flash photography. Despite not having all the kit that is described there are some excellent [...]
[...] add on to what Big Mike said……. Zack Arias zarias.com :: The blog of editorial photographer Zack Arias White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: Gea… __________________ The liver is evil and must be punished!!! She said Honey…. Honey, you [...]
[...] [...]
Zack, with the 9 foot paper, how wide of an actual shooting area are we talking about? I’ve been trying this out and it seems my effective area is about three or four feet or so before I start seeing the edge of the seamless/wall reflected in the tile-board.
[...] Arias White Seamless Tutorial Part 1, 2, 2b, 3, 4, [...]
great tutorial!
cheers from germany
MJ – Not very wide. Using a longer lens can help if you have the room to back up. Telephoto lenses compress the background.
[...] the backdrop and the lights. I’m not kdding – if I wouldn’t have read Zack Arias‘ blog post about the white seamless, oh I don’t know, about 15 times – I would [...]