Kenneth Hoffman is a retired portrait photographer
who has some sound advice to offer on backgrounds. If
you're serious about studio portraiture then read on...
Background Talk
Portrait backgrounds are an important component of a
portrait. For a background to be successful, it must
not compete with the main subject yet support the mood
of the portrait. Competing shapes and lines intersecting
the center of interest must be avoided. Unless an artistic
statement, strong colors tend to distract from the message.
If you have a studio in your basement or in a separate
room, your background will probably be along the longest
uncluttered wall. One unavoidable feature is the line
made by the intersection of the wall and the floor. This
line often appears in the lower third of the picture,
cutting through the portrait without regard to the affect
it has on the subject. It can be airbrushed out or otherwise
digitally removed but the best solution is to remove
it from the room physically.
Before I tell you how to do that, a discussion on muslins
is in order. Many studios rely on hanging a large muslin
cloth background on the wall. The benefits of a muslin
is that it hides corners and floor lines and can be stored
in a bag when not in use. Scenes, however look best when
not draped, but stretched fairly tightly across the wall.
Solid colors and subtle patterns can be draped loosely
or bunched for an artistic effect. Most useful are the
subtly blended pastel shades and a solid black. Attached
at the ceiling level, they can be long enough to be brought
out just short of the camera position for full freedom
of posing.
Many portrait studios cater to the popular background
choice of white. While pure white does not exist in nature,
it is the ultimate expression of non interference in
a portrait background. The effect is somewhat remindful
of catalog ads but relates well to high key photography
and faded out vignettes. A large roll of white paper
can be used, but over time is expensive and mars easily.
A better solution is a washable painted surface.
This brings us back to the floor line problem. One solution
is to build a permanent curved edge into the corner.
You take a four foot by four foot piece of three quarter
inch plywood and mark it in four squares. Mark the center
of each square with a nail and draw a circle to the edges
on each square. Jig saw out the center and discard. The
four remaining pieces are placed along the wall to support
a panel of one quarter inch plywood. Before screwing
the panel to the curved supports, sand off the long edge
to a sharp bevel. Make sure the flat headed screws are
slightly countersunk. Spackle the edges along the wall
and floor to appear continuously smooth. Also fill in
the screw holes. Paint with one coat of matte white and
two coats of washable wall paint. To save the floor from
marking, you have an option of using throw rugs on the
posing area.
An alternative to a pure white background with curved
corners is a fully hand painted ’Rembrandt’ background.
Done in tones of gray-brown, beige and highlights of
blended shades of apple green and wine red, this background
can be the default choice for your groups and children
portraits. This painted background can be brought out
on the floor, gradually shaded to a neutral gray. The
curved floor ’invisible horizon’ will add
much distance and separation to your portraits. With
today’s digital cameras showing increased depth
of field, it is important that the background appear
soft and uncluttered.
Retired portrait photographer. Glad to
answer any questions. kchoffman71@juno.com
