Black Background Photo Guide Like a Pro [2021]

When you see photos with a black background, what do they inspire you? We could say that they convey elegance, mystery, grandeur and professionalism.

That is why we are sure that if you like photography you have probably already experienced doing photos with dark background or you are interested in achieving the best image of this type.

Now, we would like to know what your experience has been with black backgrounds. Have you already tried black card stock or background fabric to darken your image? Regardless of the answer, we want to anticipate giving you the cLaves on how to take a photo with the black background avoiding textures or color changes in it.

In addition to helping you be clear about how to take photos with a black background, it will help you grow in the world of photography and achieve incredible results.

So get your camera ready and pay close attention to all the secrets that you are about to discover. We can’t wait for you to put into practice what we have to tell you about black background photos. Let’s get started! 📷

Index

1. What is and why use the black background in photography?
2. Photos with homemade black background. They’re working? We give you the solution
3. Recommended Materials for Capturing Amazing Black Background Photos
4. How to set the camera to take photos with a black background?
5. Step by step on how to take professional black background photos
6. Edit your photos with black background

To achieve a greater contrast in the image we go to the photos with black and white backgroundSince these are neutral, they highlight the colors of the object, animal or person that you are photographing.

You don’t need to be the most professional or experienced to achieve very good results on photos with a black or white background. The important is always take lighting into accountWell, this, beyond the colors that we have behind our object, is what helps us to accentuate the details of the image, and with a good combination of the light triangle it will allow us to achieve impressive photographs.

Source: Pixabay

In this article we will focus on photos with dark background, which as we explained above, is achieved through good use of the camera and lighting, but can also be captured using black background colors to underexpose the scene. At this point we recommend that you be very careful, because doing this will not always ensure a completely dark photo. We will explain why later.

Benefits of using black background in photos

• Focus on the main object, removing unnecessary objects from the background. This recommendation is very useful for taking portraits with a black background.
• When you take photos on a black background you better control the lighting on the object to be captured.
• The black background for photos allows you to go beyond the scene you are capturing, creating an even more professional composition. You can add elements to the scene that contrast and complement the main character.

Did you dare to take photos with a black background, did you look for the most creative dark backgrounds you had at home and when you saw the result, the photo I stay gray or textured backgroundor? Don’t worry, we’ve all been through the same thing during the learning stage and this is what has led us to become experts. In this basic lighting course you will understand why photography is practical and technical.

Source: dzoom

Results like the one in the previous photograph happen because there are a lot of light that reaches both the foreground of our photo, and the background, and instead of enhancing our image ends up being another object that makes it up.

According to the Photographer’s Blog there are other reasons why your photos with a black background are not very effective. The first is because “the flash has too much power and ends up illuminating both planes, second because the foreground and background are too close and third because the illuminations of both planes are too similar”.

How to improve your photos with a black background?

To find the solution to the montage and take photos with a black background successfully always keep in mind darken the background and brighten the object that you are going to capture. We assure you that this advice will take you far and it will be very useful to repeat it every time you are faced with this type of photography.

Other recommendations for handling black background in photos are:

✔️ Locate the main character or object away from the black background. That way, you prevent ambient light or flash from reaching it.

✔️If it is impossible to zoom out both planes too far, brings the light closer to the protagonist of the scene. At this point it’s worth experimenting to again avoid background textures overshadowing the main scene. Remember that if you are working with photos with a dark background with the light very close, you must lower the power of the flash.

Source: Pixabay

The way you configure the exposure triangle It will also play a key role in your photos with a black background. We will teach you how to adjust the camera to achieve the best results. We also recommend this article to learn more about speed, aperture and ISO and take beautiful photos with a black background.

Your partner in this exploration of photos with a black background will be the flash, because with it, then, better control the amount of light that will have your main character. This refers to an external flash, as it allows you to control the power of the flash and the direction.

If you only work with the flash that is integrated into the camera, keep in mind that the light will always point to the front direction, so you must be very careful about how to take a photo with a black background in this way. We recommend that this type of light be a complement to the materials you will use to capture the photos and that is not the only resource you use.

In this open class of Crehana our teacher Emanuel Combin tells us how to handle the flash, a tool with which you will enhance your photographs with a dark background:

If you’re just starting out and don’t have a flash, don’t worry, it’s not a reason to stop taking photos with a black background. Find a source of continuous light, can be a lamp or flashlight, recursion and creativity will allow you to see further and achieve images that you never thought would be possible with these types of tools.

Dark background or not?

You can continue using the black cardboard or the fabric, you do not have to deny yourself the option of doing so if you consider that it is more comfortable to control the amount of objects that are in the background. If you take into account the use of directed light We know that textures will no longer be a problem for you.

If you prefer not to use dark backgrounds for your photos it is also valid, challenge yourself and play with light, shadow, aperture and speed to get the black background effect.

If you are at home and need ideas about photographs, we recommend this article so that you take advantage of all the spaces, people and even pets.

We reached the point that will help you to be even more professional, to master photography with dark backgrounds and capture photos that inspire, the camera setting, which if you are passionate about photography will be very easy to take into account.

These are the camera settings when working with dark backgrounds:

• The diaphragm aperture can vary but the most important thing is to find that it is as wide as possible to have a shallow depth of field in your black backgrounds. Values ​​can be between f / 5.6 or f / 8.
• The exposure speed can be managed between 1/250 or 1/200. This can be adapted according to the ambient light you have, so it can be reduced or increased depending on the photos with a black background that you want to capture.

Source: dzoom

• ISO sensitivity will be your complement, so you can use it at 100 or 200, so that the least amount of ambient light enters and the flash does its thing.
• Work in RAW format, to later modify your image with a black background in editing programs.

You already have almost all the tricks to achieve the best photos with a black background, now you just need to imagine the moment when you will capture your image. So we designed a step by step for you to take into account within the check list when photographing.

According to the photography blog 365 Approaches, the steps to take professional photos with dark backgrounds they are:

1. Locate the background and your character or object with a good distance. Start by varying the aperture until you see that your photo is completely black.
2. Take the flash and set it on the camera, set it to the lowest power and according to the lighting you require, increase the power. “Only the area in which the flash works appears in the photo, the rest must be a uniform black color.”
3. Do various tests, because the photo with a dark background may not be perfect on the first try. But surely after several captures you will achieve the dream photograph.

Source: Pixabay

If you want to achieve photos with dark background outdoors The above recommendations will also work for you. “You just need to fire the flash at relatively high power, make a composition with no backlight on the subject, and shoot with such a high shutter speed and ISO so low that the background is totally underexposed,” explains the blog Chaman Experience.

Clever! Did you think it was more steps? Actually this is a question start capturing the image and trust that you will achieve the most professional photos with dark backgrounds. If you want a complete lighting guide for your photos, in this note you will find all the tricks.

Finally, we bring you the last tip in case you want to know how to take a photo with a black background through editing programs, which will be very useful for adjusting details and totally underexposing the environment.

This pack of presets for Lightroom could help you adjust your photos with a black background and give them greater contrast

Editing in Photoshop or Lightroom serves to darken shadows, increase the black of the background of your image, retouch the photos, adjust the contrasts and saturation and of course, the lighting of your dark background photography.

If you are going to go to these programs, the page specialized in photography Dzoom recommends that “in the case of Photoshop we could make use of an Adjustment Layer ‘Levels’ and through it achieve a purer background. And Lightroom is achieved through the ‘Tone Curve’, a tool that allows working on lights and shadows (Blacks, Shadows, Exposure, Highlights and Whites) ”.

Now we want to know how prepared you feel to achieve the best photos with a black background? Again we are not going to wait for the answer to know that by applying all the recommendations that we tell you, you will be able to capture this type of photos like a professional. So go ahead and do it. Are you ready!