How can I get full-length 'shadowless' portrait photography?












5














I have little experience in this field of photography. I would like to get a "shadowless" photo on a gray background. An example of what I want I found on the Internet:



Click for full size
enter image description here



My results are unfortunately bad. I use two 180x120 softboxes and radio synchronizer. One softbox was placed right in front of the target another softbox 45 degrees from the target. They are set to the same power. I use Canon EOS 5D Mark III with Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens. I upload simple example (ISO 100, F9, 1/125). Although the photo is slightly underexposed



enter image description here



The photo was unsuccessful. As I understand it is surely the wrong scheme of light. But I can not understand how to achieve a shadowless effect as at the top of the photo. And of course my photo doesn’t look like a contrast compare to others.










share|improve this question









New contributor




Jonh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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  • Imgur doesn't seem to be resizing the 2nd image properly - I've posted about it on Meta - photo.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5821/…
    – Tetsujin
    Dec 16 at 18:08






  • 1




    You said product photography but you posted portrait photos. Have you read any books on studio lighting?
    – Alaska man
    Dec 16 at 18:43










  • @Alaska man Many internet stores photograph their products on models (sweaters, etc.) But you are right, I edited my post to avoid misunderstandings
    – Jonh
    Dec 16 at 20:52












  • Note that if you look very carefully at the background, you do see some slight shadows that may provide useful clues.
    – chrylis
    Dec 17 at 0:09






  • 1




    Putting shoes on the model will already improve the image a lot :) Especially since the kind of background used does not feel like anything you would want to walk on in socks.
    – rackandboneman
    Dec 17 at 10:32


















5














I have little experience in this field of photography. I would like to get a "shadowless" photo on a gray background. An example of what I want I found on the Internet:



Click for full size
enter image description here



My results are unfortunately bad. I use two 180x120 softboxes and radio synchronizer. One softbox was placed right in front of the target another softbox 45 degrees from the target. They are set to the same power. I use Canon EOS 5D Mark III with Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens. I upload simple example (ISO 100, F9, 1/125). Although the photo is slightly underexposed



enter image description here



The photo was unsuccessful. As I understand it is surely the wrong scheme of light. But I can not understand how to achieve a shadowless effect as at the top of the photo. And of course my photo doesn’t look like a contrast compare to others.










share|improve this question









New contributor




Jonh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.




















  • Imgur doesn't seem to be resizing the 2nd image properly - I've posted about it on Meta - photo.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5821/…
    – Tetsujin
    Dec 16 at 18:08






  • 1




    You said product photography but you posted portrait photos. Have you read any books on studio lighting?
    – Alaska man
    Dec 16 at 18:43










  • @Alaska man Many internet stores photograph their products on models (sweaters, etc.) But you are right, I edited my post to avoid misunderstandings
    – Jonh
    Dec 16 at 20:52












  • Note that if you look very carefully at the background, you do see some slight shadows that may provide useful clues.
    – chrylis
    Dec 17 at 0:09






  • 1




    Putting shoes on the model will already improve the image a lot :) Especially since the kind of background used does not feel like anything you would want to walk on in socks.
    – rackandboneman
    Dec 17 at 10:32
















5












5








5







I have little experience in this field of photography. I would like to get a "shadowless" photo on a gray background. An example of what I want I found on the Internet:



Click for full size
enter image description here



My results are unfortunately bad. I use two 180x120 softboxes and radio synchronizer. One softbox was placed right in front of the target another softbox 45 degrees from the target. They are set to the same power. I use Canon EOS 5D Mark III with Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens. I upload simple example (ISO 100, F9, 1/125). Although the photo is slightly underexposed



enter image description here



The photo was unsuccessful. As I understand it is surely the wrong scheme of light. But I can not understand how to achieve a shadowless effect as at the top of the photo. And of course my photo doesn’t look like a contrast compare to others.










share|improve this question









New contributor




Jonh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











I have little experience in this field of photography. I would like to get a "shadowless" photo on a gray background. An example of what I want I found on the Internet:



Click for full size
enter image description here



My results are unfortunately bad. I use two 180x120 softboxes and radio synchronizer. One softbox was placed right in front of the target another softbox 45 degrees from the target. They are set to the same power. I use Canon EOS 5D Mark III with Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens. I upload simple example (ISO 100, F9, 1/125). Although the photo is slightly underexposed



enter image description here



The photo was unsuccessful. As I understand it is surely the wrong scheme of light. But I can not understand how to achieve a shadowless effect as at the top of the photo. And of course my photo doesn’t look like a contrast compare to others.







portrait studio-lighting






share|improve this question









New contributor




Jonh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









New contributor




Jonh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Dec 18 at 14:38









Tetsujin

7,59621946




7,59621946






New contributor




Jonh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









asked Dec 16 at 17:44









Jonh

262




262




New contributor




Jonh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





Jonh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






Jonh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.












  • Imgur doesn't seem to be resizing the 2nd image properly - I've posted about it on Meta - photo.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5821/…
    – Tetsujin
    Dec 16 at 18:08






  • 1




    You said product photography but you posted portrait photos. Have you read any books on studio lighting?
    – Alaska man
    Dec 16 at 18:43










  • @Alaska man Many internet stores photograph their products on models (sweaters, etc.) But you are right, I edited my post to avoid misunderstandings
    – Jonh
    Dec 16 at 20:52












  • Note that if you look very carefully at the background, you do see some slight shadows that may provide useful clues.
    – chrylis
    Dec 17 at 0:09






  • 1




    Putting shoes on the model will already improve the image a lot :) Especially since the kind of background used does not feel like anything you would want to walk on in socks.
    – rackandboneman
    Dec 17 at 10:32




















  • Imgur doesn't seem to be resizing the 2nd image properly - I've posted about it on Meta - photo.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5821/…
    – Tetsujin
    Dec 16 at 18:08






  • 1




    You said product photography but you posted portrait photos. Have you read any books on studio lighting?
    – Alaska man
    Dec 16 at 18:43










  • @Alaska man Many internet stores photograph their products on models (sweaters, etc.) But you are right, I edited my post to avoid misunderstandings
    – Jonh
    Dec 16 at 20:52












  • Note that if you look very carefully at the background, you do see some slight shadows that may provide useful clues.
    – chrylis
    Dec 17 at 0:09






  • 1




    Putting shoes on the model will already improve the image a lot :) Especially since the kind of background used does not feel like anything you would want to walk on in socks.
    – rackandboneman
    Dec 17 at 10:32


















Imgur doesn't seem to be resizing the 2nd image properly - I've posted about it on Meta - photo.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5821/…
– Tetsujin
Dec 16 at 18:08




Imgur doesn't seem to be resizing the 2nd image properly - I've posted about it on Meta - photo.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5821/…
– Tetsujin
Dec 16 at 18:08




1




1




You said product photography but you posted portrait photos. Have you read any books on studio lighting?
– Alaska man
Dec 16 at 18:43




You said product photography but you posted portrait photos. Have you read any books on studio lighting?
– Alaska man
Dec 16 at 18:43












@Alaska man Many internet stores photograph their products on models (sweaters, etc.) But you are right, I edited my post to avoid misunderstandings
– Jonh
Dec 16 at 20:52






@Alaska man Many internet stores photograph their products on models (sweaters, etc.) But you are right, I edited my post to avoid misunderstandings
– Jonh
Dec 16 at 20:52














Note that if you look very carefully at the background, you do see some slight shadows that may provide useful clues.
– chrylis
Dec 17 at 0:09




Note that if you look very carefully at the background, you do see some slight shadows that may provide useful clues.
– chrylis
Dec 17 at 0:09




1




1




Putting shoes on the model will already improve the image a lot :) Especially since the kind of background used does not feel like anything you would want to walk on in socks.
– rackandboneman
Dec 17 at 10:32






Putting shoes on the model will already improve the image a lot :) Especially since the kind of background used does not feel like anything you would want to walk on in socks.
– rackandboneman
Dec 17 at 10:32












3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















4














Your results would improve if you change your lamp placement so that some shadows are realized. I am talking about the face as well as the garment. Set the frontal lamp at ½ power and the side lamp at full power. If the power is non-adjustable, back-up the frontal lamp so that it is about 1 ½ times the distanced from the subject as the side light. Such a lash-up will create the shadows you need to give an illusion of depth and add some pizzazz. Too much diffused light results in flat photographs.



The above set-up will create shadows on the background. You can remove these shadows via your photo editor or – illuminate the background with a dedicated lamp. You adjusts its power and or distance from the background to darken or lighten. For a permanent set-up – use a translucent background and illuminate from the rear. This will yield a shadow less background provided you can evenly illuminate.



Also, if editing using a photo editor is not your forte, consider, shadows are not as distracting if they are restrained.






share|improve this answer





























    1














    Have you considered a ring-flash?



    These are often used in macro photography to eliminate shadow, but there are large ring-flashes for studio work, too.



    By surrounding your lens with a light source, it ensures that the shadow is behind the subject.



    Ring-flashes tend to be high-contrast, but some manufacturers have light modifiers — reflectors or softboxes — that spread out the light and make it lower contrast.



    Powerful studio ring-flashes can be pricey, especially if you don't already have a pack-and-head system. I use Profoto Acute D4 with reflectors, converted to work on my Speedotron packs. I have also modified large "beauty dish" softboxes to work with the Profoto. That results in absolutely shadowless shots of even large items, but your catchlights will be little doughnuts. :-)



    enter image description here



    Finally, here is a cheap (under $20) light modifier to work with your speedlight to give it ringflash capabilities. I have one, and find it is okay, but a bit uneven, and I don't really like speedlights. It may be all you need, or it may help you determine if you want to spend the money on a decent pack-and-head ring-flash.



    ring softbox for speedlight






    share|improve this answer





























      0














      The picture used as the example has probably been retouched in photoshop to even out the background and get rid of any unwanted shadows, a procedure that is quite easy in photoshop and very common.






      share|improve this answer





















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        3 Answers
        3






        active

        oldest

        votes








        3 Answers
        3






        active

        oldest

        votes









        active

        oldest

        votes






        active

        oldest

        votes









        4














        Your results would improve if you change your lamp placement so that some shadows are realized. I am talking about the face as well as the garment. Set the frontal lamp at ½ power and the side lamp at full power. If the power is non-adjustable, back-up the frontal lamp so that it is about 1 ½ times the distanced from the subject as the side light. Such a lash-up will create the shadows you need to give an illusion of depth and add some pizzazz. Too much diffused light results in flat photographs.



        The above set-up will create shadows on the background. You can remove these shadows via your photo editor or – illuminate the background with a dedicated lamp. You adjusts its power and or distance from the background to darken or lighten. For a permanent set-up – use a translucent background and illuminate from the rear. This will yield a shadow less background provided you can evenly illuminate.



        Also, if editing using a photo editor is not your forte, consider, shadows are not as distracting if they are restrained.






        share|improve this answer


























          4














          Your results would improve if you change your lamp placement so that some shadows are realized. I am talking about the face as well as the garment. Set the frontal lamp at ½ power and the side lamp at full power. If the power is non-adjustable, back-up the frontal lamp so that it is about 1 ½ times the distanced from the subject as the side light. Such a lash-up will create the shadows you need to give an illusion of depth and add some pizzazz. Too much diffused light results in flat photographs.



          The above set-up will create shadows on the background. You can remove these shadows via your photo editor or – illuminate the background with a dedicated lamp. You adjusts its power and or distance from the background to darken or lighten. For a permanent set-up – use a translucent background and illuminate from the rear. This will yield a shadow less background provided you can evenly illuminate.



          Also, if editing using a photo editor is not your forte, consider, shadows are not as distracting if they are restrained.






          share|improve this answer
























            4












            4








            4






            Your results would improve if you change your lamp placement so that some shadows are realized. I am talking about the face as well as the garment. Set the frontal lamp at ½ power and the side lamp at full power. If the power is non-adjustable, back-up the frontal lamp so that it is about 1 ½ times the distanced from the subject as the side light. Such a lash-up will create the shadows you need to give an illusion of depth and add some pizzazz. Too much diffused light results in flat photographs.



            The above set-up will create shadows on the background. You can remove these shadows via your photo editor or – illuminate the background with a dedicated lamp. You adjusts its power and or distance from the background to darken or lighten. For a permanent set-up – use a translucent background and illuminate from the rear. This will yield a shadow less background provided you can evenly illuminate.



            Also, if editing using a photo editor is not your forte, consider, shadows are not as distracting if they are restrained.






            share|improve this answer












            Your results would improve if you change your lamp placement so that some shadows are realized. I am talking about the face as well as the garment. Set the frontal lamp at ½ power and the side lamp at full power. If the power is non-adjustable, back-up the frontal lamp so that it is about 1 ½ times the distanced from the subject as the side light. Such a lash-up will create the shadows you need to give an illusion of depth and add some pizzazz. Too much diffused light results in flat photographs.



            The above set-up will create shadows on the background. You can remove these shadows via your photo editor or – illuminate the background with a dedicated lamp. You adjusts its power and or distance from the background to darken or lighten. For a permanent set-up – use a translucent background and illuminate from the rear. This will yield a shadow less background provided you can evenly illuminate.



            Also, if editing using a photo editor is not your forte, consider, shadows are not as distracting if they are restrained.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered Dec 16 at 20:49









            Alan Marcus

            24.4k12858




            24.4k12858

























                1














                Have you considered a ring-flash?



                These are often used in macro photography to eliminate shadow, but there are large ring-flashes for studio work, too.



                By surrounding your lens with a light source, it ensures that the shadow is behind the subject.



                Ring-flashes tend to be high-contrast, but some manufacturers have light modifiers — reflectors or softboxes — that spread out the light and make it lower contrast.



                Powerful studio ring-flashes can be pricey, especially if you don't already have a pack-and-head system. I use Profoto Acute D4 with reflectors, converted to work on my Speedotron packs. I have also modified large "beauty dish" softboxes to work with the Profoto. That results in absolutely shadowless shots of even large items, but your catchlights will be little doughnuts. :-)



                enter image description here



                Finally, here is a cheap (under $20) light modifier to work with your speedlight to give it ringflash capabilities. I have one, and find it is okay, but a bit uneven, and I don't really like speedlights. It may be all you need, or it may help you determine if you want to spend the money on a decent pack-and-head ring-flash.



                ring softbox for speedlight






                share|improve this answer


























                  1














                  Have you considered a ring-flash?



                  These are often used in macro photography to eliminate shadow, but there are large ring-flashes for studio work, too.



                  By surrounding your lens with a light source, it ensures that the shadow is behind the subject.



                  Ring-flashes tend to be high-contrast, but some manufacturers have light modifiers — reflectors or softboxes — that spread out the light and make it lower contrast.



                  Powerful studio ring-flashes can be pricey, especially if you don't already have a pack-and-head system. I use Profoto Acute D4 with reflectors, converted to work on my Speedotron packs. I have also modified large "beauty dish" softboxes to work with the Profoto. That results in absolutely shadowless shots of even large items, but your catchlights will be little doughnuts. :-)



                  enter image description here



                  Finally, here is a cheap (under $20) light modifier to work with your speedlight to give it ringflash capabilities. I have one, and find it is okay, but a bit uneven, and I don't really like speedlights. It may be all you need, or it may help you determine if you want to spend the money on a decent pack-and-head ring-flash.



                  ring softbox for speedlight






                  share|improve this answer
























                    1












                    1








                    1






                    Have you considered a ring-flash?



                    These are often used in macro photography to eliminate shadow, but there are large ring-flashes for studio work, too.



                    By surrounding your lens with a light source, it ensures that the shadow is behind the subject.



                    Ring-flashes tend to be high-contrast, but some manufacturers have light modifiers — reflectors or softboxes — that spread out the light and make it lower contrast.



                    Powerful studio ring-flashes can be pricey, especially if you don't already have a pack-and-head system. I use Profoto Acute D4 with reflectors, converted to work on my Speedotron packs. I have also modified large "beauty dish" softboxes to work with the Profoto. That results in absolutely shadowless shots of even large items, but your catchlights will be little doughnuts. :-)



                    enter image description here



                    Finally, here is a cheap (under $20) light modifier to work with your speedlight to give it ringflash capabilities. I have one, and find it is okay, but a bit uneven, and I don't really like speedlights. It may be all you need, or it may help you determine if you want to spend the money on a decent pack-and-head ring-flash.



                    ring softbox for speedlight






                    share|improve this answer












                    Have you considered a ring-flash?



                    These are often used in macro photography to eliminate shadow, but there are large ring-flashes for studio work, too.



                    By surrounding your lens with a light source, it ensures that the shadow is behind the subject.



                    Ring-flashes tend to be high-contrast, but some manufacturers have light modifiers — reflectors or softboxes — that spread out the light and make it lower contrast.



                    Powerful studio ring-flashes can be pricey, especially if you don't already have a pack-and-head system. I use Profoto Acute D4 with reflectors, converted to work on my Speedotron packs. I have also modified large "beauty dish" softboxes to work with the Profoto. That results in absolutely shadowless shots of even large items, but your catchlights will be little doughnuts. :-)



                    enter image description here



                    Finally, here is a cheap (under $20) light modifier to work with your speedlight to give it ringflash capabilities. I have one, and find it is okay, but a bit uneven, and I don't really like speedlights. It may be all you need, or it may help you determine if you want to spend the money on a decent pack-and-head ring-flash.



                    ring softbox for speedlight







                    share|improve this answer












                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer










                    answered Dec 17 at 2:42









                    Jan Steinman

                    40425




                    40425























                        0














                        The picture used as the example has probably been retouched in photoshop to even out the background and get rid of any unwanted shadows, a procedure that is quite easy in photoshop and very common.






                        share|improve this answer


























                          0














                          The picture used as the example has probably been retouched in photoshop to even out the background and get rid of any unwanted shadows, a procedure that is quite easy in photoshop and very common.






                          share|improve this answer
























                            0












                            0








                            0






                            The picture used as the example has probably been retouched in photoshop to even out the background and get rid of any unwanted shadows, a procedure that is quite easy in photoshop and very common.






                            share|improve this answer












                            The picture used as the example has probably been retouched in photoshop to even out the background and get rid of any unwanted shadows, a procedure that is quite easy in photoshop and very common.







                            share|improve this answer












                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer










                            answered 2 days ago









                            abetancort

                            35315




                            35315






















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