- The Short Version
- Back to Basics, Quickly
- Shoot: Position Your Modifier with intention
- Shoot: One Speedlite with Fill Reflector
- Shoot: Creating Soft Fill Light with a Big Umbrella
- Shoot: Broad and Short Lighting
- Shoot: Think of The Shutter as a Light Modifier
- Shoot: Just a Slash of Light
- Shoot: RING The Lens with Light
- Shoot: Nose to The Gridded Light
- Shoot: One-Light White Seamless
- Shoot: Speedliting a Silhouette
- Shoot: Does Softbox Size Matter?
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Shoot: One-Light White Seamless
While it is easier to create a white seamless shot (one with a pure white background) using multiple flashes, it is possible to do it with a single Speedlite and a large diffuser.
Most Of The Flash Lights The Background
The key to getting a white background is to overexpose a light-colored wall, meaning that it must be flooded with flash. For this shoot, the Speedlite was zoomed moderately tight (105mm), positioned about 45° to the side, and aimed at the wall behind the model.
Then, as you can see in Figure 19.30, a large diffuser panel (in this case, a Lastolite TriGrip Diffuser) was held between Katie and the flash—just outside of the camera’s view. The diffuser captures the outer rays of the flash and creates soft light on the subject. As always, the closer the diffuser is to the subject, the greater its apparent size becomes (relative to the size of the subject) and the softer the light becomes.
Maximize The Separation Between The Wall And The Subject
The distance between the wall and your subject is the key to creating a shot with sharp, contrasty edges. You want a gap of 5′ or more. If your subject is too close to the background, then the bright wall will act like a giant reflector panel and wrap your subject in edge-softening light. If you find this to be an issue, then have your subject step farther from the background.
Lighting Details
Environment: Rustic exhibition hall
Time of Day: Not a factor
Ambient: Not a factor
Speedlite: One 600EX-RT
Mode: Manual
Zoom: Zoomed to 80mm
Modifier: Lastolite TriGrip Diffuser
Distance: About 12′
Height: 6′
Trigger: ST-E3-RT Transmitter
Camera Details
Camera: 5D Mark III
Lens: 24–105mm f/4L IS at 60mm
Distance to Subject: 6′
Exposure Mode: Manual
Exposure: 
″, f/5.6, ISO 800
White Balance: Daylight
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Figure 19.29 Lighting diagram
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Figure 19.30 Our location for the shoot
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Figure 19.31 The key to getting a white background is to flood it with flash. The key to having a sharp contrast between the subject and the wall is to maximize the distance between them.