Does anyone out there want to share how...

TheLorax · Dec 2, 2007

Does anyone out there want to share how they get those black backgrounds to their photos? I've tried black t-shirts and dark navy curtain drapes and black construction paper and only once was I able to get the black back ground and that was totally by accident while using a flash. Haven't been able to re-create it since.

JeanLux · Dec 2, 2007

for my believe there are (at least) 2 methodologies in orchid photography, a) pictures coming from the 'studio', with black curtain, and b) pictures trying to show the orchid in 'normal' environment. I know of course that b) is mostly quite difficult, because of all the surrounding: other plants, reflection from window, pillars and so on..., and of course a greenhouse is no 'normal', native environment for orchids. Nevertheless, I am b) adherant.

but here a link bringing some tips for orchid photography, icl. background.

http://www.orchidworks.com/ozone/fototips/index.html

Jean

TheLorax · Dec 2, 2007

Ah, it's referred to as an isolation back ground.
http://www.orchidworks.com/ozone/fototips/isolate.htm

Maybe some day for me. Thank you for sharing that link with me.

goldenrose · Dec 2, 2007

Nice link Jean, thanks!
Lauren, I think we need to replace our point & click cameras!

TheLorax · Dec 2, 2007

Mine can do more than point and click. I simply don't know how to use all that it does so I leave it on point and click. I've got that Canon PowerShot S2 something or other. The problem isn't the camera. The problem is the user.

My husband, God bless him, bought me another new camera last week thinking that maybe it would be able to do black backgrounds for me. I think he got tired of me asking him to come and look at photos of plants with black backgrounds on the computer monitor while whining about why I couldn't do that. It's an Olympus SP550 UZ that has some sort of image stabilization. He felt this camera might get me the close ups I've been wanting with black back grounds. Oops, another camera that will sit in the box or get passed down to a kid. I've been trying to tell him it's not the camera but the user.

I must admit I decided that if I could figure out how to use this PowerShot that I have (and I am plugging away at that- I did find that it had a built in flash recently), that I will buy something along the lines of the Nikon D80 plus an additional lens or two. I just can't condone shelling out that kind of money when I can't use all of the features on the camera I currently have. I'm working on it, I'm getting there slowly but surely. Maybe another year or two.

Oh ya, I've seen your photos. What are you talking about??? You take fine photos.

SlipperFan · Dec 2, 2007

I'm speculating the reason the flash gave you a black background: I suspect you had a dark background that was some distance from the flower you were photographing. Light from flash falls off very quickly, so while there was enough to give good exposure to the subject (flower), there wasn't enough to reach the background and so it was "underexposed" -- making it black.

I use a black velvet cloth behind my flowers. Black velvet absorbs light and doesn't bounce much back, unlike your blue curtain and black construction paper. Even so, I often have to tweak the background in Photoshop to get it to a true black instead of a very dark gray.

TheLorax · Dec 2, 2007

I have no idea how I ended up with a black background. The walls in that room are all white ceramic or semi gloss white paint. The pots that all the plants are in are white. Sheesh, the tub is white and so are the window frames. Blows my mind that I got one black background picture and it definitely came off of my camera.It was dark in the room when I took the photos and I did use a flash. I'll pick up some black velvet and try that. I have no idea how to do anything with photos other than to crop them and I don't have Photoshop.

goldenrose · Dec 3, 2007

TheLorax said:
Mine can do more than point and click. I simply don't know how to use all that it does so I leave it on point and click. I've got that Canon PowerShot S2 something or other. The problem isn't the camera. The problem is the user.
I must admit I decided that if I could figure out how to use this PowerShot that I have (and I am plugging away at that- I did find that it had a built in flash recently), that I will buy something along the lines of the Nikon D80 plus an additional lens or two.
Oh ya, I've seen your photos. What are you talking about??? You take fine photos.

It may NOT be all in the user. Mine can do more than point & click, you can controll everything, it has a macro feature but you can't change the LENS. I think I get decent photos for the camera I have but I want better. My sister in law got a Nikon not long ago & I'm pretty sure it's a D80, I'm going to ask to borrow it & I'll find out how much of it is the user!

TheLorax · Dec 3, 2007

For me it is the user.

Please do let me know what you think of the camera because that is the one I settled on being the camera I would upgrade to sooner or later and I am very curious. It's good you know someone who has one that you can borrow so you don't have to buy one to experiment. I tested out the Olympus last night just a little bit and it may be a great camera and all but I'm thinking it is in the league of what I already have so no point to the exercise of trying to learn how to use another camera right now. It was a sweet gesture on behalf of my husband and I'm not unappreciative but I seriously struggle to use the one I have already.

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