Black Portraits – Home Made Setup Explained…

Hi, I have talked about on how to create a Home Made Setup to shoot on a White Background. Today I’ll share my experiences with you on how I shoot on a Black Background.

Shooting on a Black Background is comparatively easy vs. shooting on a White Background, and I find results better on a Black Background simply because of the mystery and warmth attached to these images.

I’ll pick up this example and will explain you the setup I used to shot this image:

That’s my friend Sunil, we did this photo shoot late in the evening to avoid any sunlight coming from the window as we were living on the sixth floor during that period. I used my living room as usual for this setup and photo shoot.


Equipment used:

Camera: Canon 400D DSLR

Lens: Canon 50mm F1.8

Strobe Light 250 Watts (1 Nos.)

Remote Flash Trigger

Black Satin Backdrop

Curtain Rod (which was already there)

Dining Table (whose height was around 3Ft.)

Black Portraits – Home Made Setup

First, install your Backdrop, I have used my window curtain rod but you can use the backdrop stand if you have. Backdrop texture is of a satin material which if placed on light background becomes a bit transparent and will give you problems in post processing, so I would suggest you use a thick black material cloth or at least place your satin backdrop on a dark background. It becomes somewhat “see through” when you try to increase the brightness while doing the processing. Plain Black colored wall would be a best option.

Ok. Now place your Strobe light on the table and make it face towards the wall in 45 Degree angle so that the light bounce back and fall on your Model, not direct. The distance between the Strobe Light and the wall should be around 2 Ft. Get ready with your camera and place it on your tripod. Keep a distance of around 3.5 Ft. from the model. Distance might change depending upon the lens configuration and the kind of framing you want to choose, close up or till waist length.

Switch on the Light, Camera & Action!

Here are few shots clicked on this setup with a bit of twist in the placement of Strobe light:

I hope you find this piece of information useful. Drop me a line if you need any further info on this setup and shoot @ Vickramh Raghuvanssi Photography

Keep Sharing,

Vickramh