Black background

[DKCN]

I was reading this book about placing flowers behind a black background. At that time i didn't have any velvet black cloth with me. So what i did was to take my friend's handbag and put it behind the flower. How does it look?

[wulf]

It works well, providing a flat black background. Do you want critique on other aspects of the shot?

Wulf

[clockdoc]

You don't necessarily need black velvet cloth. I have even experimented with a white background and then changed the color in Photoshop. Sometimes the bounce light you get from poster board (colored or white) will enhance the overall look of the subject flower. The key is to keep as much ambient spill light from the surface of the background. The handbag worked well in this instance.

[DKCN]

Originally Posted by wulf

It works well, providing a flat black background. Do you want critique on other aspects of the shot?

Wulf

yes please =D

[peeperita]

the handbag worked well...i have been known to use every stitch of black clothing i own stitched together with masking tape to make a suitable background....

job well done...

peeper

[Nicole]

Originally Posted by peeperita

the handbag worked well...i have been known to use every stitch of black clothing i own stitched together with masking tape to make a suitable background....

job well done...

peeper

You know, black cotton t-shirt fabric is a cheap way to get a big piece of black fabric that folds up small, is washable, and obviously, is cheap I paid about $1.50 for the piece I use with my smoke and other shots.

[wulf]

Originally Posted by DKCN

yes please =D

Initially the image is arresting because of the high contrast effect of vivid red on flat black. However, looking closer, the image starts to disappoint - it looks a bit soft even at the sharpest points and the way some of the flowers are cropped seems a bit random (particularly losing part of the larger flower at the bottom).

It is possible that some of that is due to resizing on the site that is hosting the file (and, presumably, the distracting logo is theirs as well?) but definitely pay attention to cropping. It can help to frame things with a bit more space, which allows lots of options for experimenting back in the digital darkroom - the framing is often a compromise and you have to evaluate which elements need to be kept whole and which can be sacrificed.

Wulf