The Workaholic Muslin

Have you wondered what’s common among all astonishing photos on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook? They all have top notch unique backgrounds which makes each picture stand out. Let it be natural backgrounds like the sky, water body, trees, walls and buildings or artificial cotton backdrops. Backgrounds add flavour to the photo. Backdrops contribute an airy lovely texture to the photographs.

From long the backdrops have evolved and those in vogue are fashion muslins made of natural fiber fabric, subtle designs with smooth textures, variegated shades etc. Muslin is a woven fabric to deliver high quality finish. It is cost effective, seam-less and 100% cotton yarn. Fashion muslin are commonly for headshots, portraits, party photography, formal and casual photography.
Muslin is known as Jane Austen fabric because the material had been used for dressmaking and other special occasions. It is a one piece natural/ organic fabric with hand painted designs that can be used with different shades on both sides.  Fashion muslin backdrops are rolled in large sizes without seam. The different colours, shades, subtle textures add interest and accentuate the subject. It absorbs light and rejects reflection.

Muslins are the Professional’s pet as they are flexible, portable and wrinkle resistant. Maximum usage and professional effect with minimum time and effort. Blue and Brown backdrops blend with nearly all kinds of clothes. To start with they’re perfect suggestions of professionals.

Hang vertically or drape the fashion backgrounds to create textures in photographs. Prominent wrinkles can be steamed for a clear effect. Fashion muslins can also be pattern-stamped, like retro-prints for fun, nostalgic look. Genealogically fashion backdrop is the sister of solid muslins. Perfect for all kinds of video productions, portraits and group photos (ceremonial, conventional, informal, casual).

Backdrop fabric artwork printing in Australia

I endeavor to shoot photos that tell its story in one glance has led me to explore for more distinct, abstract, monolithic, historical, vintage, lively, rocking, grunge, mottled, motif, mural backgrounds. My zeal has led me to explore different environments, travel places, live in different cultures, learn new traditions. There are many images that remain in your imagination from your vivid experiences of life and others that can be captured with your lens for a picturesque memory. Mostly I get vicarious liberation by using the photography props and studio gears presently available. I always desired of using my perfectly shot images as backdrops for my many different theme shoots. This urge has let me to keep the curiosity growing. The available backdrops seal the deal for standard photo shoots, passport id shots, visa photographs, portraiture. I desire to do more for that photographic shot and exploration has led me to backdropsource.

The site offers a stupendous collection of photo images from different genres of birthday, wedding, sports, festival, fire lighting, easter, party etc. that can be chosen and edited to suit specific theme requirements. The artwork for print is created using the images and the designers offer their services at no charge, which is remarkable. I have got 3 images edited for my wedding photography and printed them on polyester and vinyl fabric with matte finish. There are many other fabric to choose from based on the dimensions, print colour quality, output image resolution, studio usage.

I received my printed backdrops delivered after 5 days to Sydney. The finish of the product was impeccable. The vinyl printed backdrop were of size 20ft x 30ft that was delivered to me as a roll with the width folded thrice at 7 feet. The backdrop when spread open has few lines due to transit packaging. I was advised by the backdropsource support to expose the backdrop in sun for an hour and stretch it even on the support structure. After following through the processes I was very impressed with my final output background. It immensely impressed my clients who received accolades for my photography acumen. In all, those party to the event had a wonderful time and created lots of memories for posterity. I did special bride and groom shoot with solo and couple photos on the polyester printed backdrop with size 5ft x 8ft. The polyester backdrop is very easy to setup on a stand and it can be easily folded and stored in a bag. There is no hassle on reuse as it doesn't crease when using at different locations.

There are different fabrics to choose from like vinyl, canvas, polyester etc. These fabrics have different properties and I choose them based on my usage for a specific photo shoot. There are multiple fabrics available to be used as photography backdrops or studio backgrounds for fashion photos, wedding shoot, group photography, family portraits etc. The major types are muslin, seamless paper, vinyl, fashion muslin, solid colours.

There are different studio lights, reflectors, softboxes, diffusers to provide with a wonderful lighting effect for professional photography. All these make my photos stand out all the time and provide a competitive advantage.

High Dynamic Range Photography tips

Of late, HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography is one of the latest trends that is catching up fast with many photographers. The human eye is more powerful when it comes to the range of exposures it can see in a frame. The digital cameras that we get in the market cannot do that there is a limitation at the exposure levels that it can capture. To overcome this limitation, software developers have come up with some awesome tools to use pictures taken at different exposures and merge them to make one picture with a wide range of exposure values.

The fact that every photography website or magazine features HDR tips and tutorials is testimony to the growing popularity of HDR. After the introduction of HDR in iPhone 4, it is suffice to say that the craze for HDR has only increased. HDR is an advanced technique that allows a greater range of luminance between the brightest and darkest areas of a picture. This is considered unique because it is very advanced than current imaging techniques and it truly adds great amount of detail to the photograph. In other words, HDR imaging is pushing digital photography beyond boundaries that we are used to.

High dynamic ranging photographs are achieved by capturing multiple photographs, using a feature called exposure bracketing, where photographs will be captured in increasing order of exposure (measured in terms of stops). These images are later merged together to create a single HDR image. One of the advantages of a HDR image is that any digital camera that allows manual control of exposure can be used to create a HDR image.
Alright now that we have dealt in detail on what the HDR technique is all about, let’s get into it, along with some tips to go along with it.
1 . Although there is no prescribed limit on the number of exposures used to generate an HDR image, 3 to 5 exposures is optimal to generate a good HDR image.
2. Set your camera in Aperture Priority mode or Manual Exposure mode so that you don’t get varying depths of field that might not produce the desired output.
3. Keep your ISO at a minimum to reduce the noise in the merged pictures.
4. Start with an exposure of-2EV and then increase it by 1. Now you’ll have five frames of the same image ( -2 EV ,-1 EV ,0,+1 EV ,+2 EV ) under different exposures.

5. Try to use the auto exposure bracket function in the camera. Some cameras that come with the auto–bracketing feature allow up to 3 exposures.
6. Most importantly, use a sturdy and steady tripod, to avoid shakes and to get a clean image. After the pictures are ready, the next step is finalizing a tool that can be used to merge these pictures. Photoshop and Photomatix Pro or HDR Soft are couple of the popular software tools available. If you have trouble deciding between the 2, you can get the 30 day trail package of both these applications and decide based on what you feel more comfortable with.
The last part of the process is the merging of the photographs into a single HDR image. If you have Photomatix, just use that. If not, you can use the ‘Merge to HDR’ option in Photoshop (File–> Automate –> Merge to HDR pro) that allows you to select multiple images and merge them into a single file.

How to focus the lights on subject and backdrops

Lighting is a vital component for a thriving portrait. Light brings in the quality, feel and the pleasing ambience for any photo shoot. So it is essential to use the light appropriately to get quality portraits. It enhances the colour vibrancy and glows on our subject. By eventually dispersing lights, we can portrait amazingly. Let's now consider the role of light in photography: 

 Placing the light:

The light falling on the subject depends on the basis from where it is positioned. The light behind the camera facing the subject gives a flat lighting and casts shadows on the background. A side view shows the shape of the subject clearly and shadows produced gives a spectacular look. Light positioned behind the subject hits it directly and casts a bright image

Influential Light:

Light can be diffused using a softbox, umbrella and in many other ways. This helps to lessen the glow and narrow shadows cast. It produces a natural look to the environment and
Control the Light. We can make the light highlight a particular portion of the subject using the reflectors and diffusers. Reflectors help to highlight a particular portion of the subject and a spot light is used to control the direction of the light.

Wide light:

Wide light source spills delicate light. When the light source is wide, it reduces the shadows, contrast and kerbs the consistency. As the light strikes the subject from all directions, it is delicate and enlightens the portrait. On the other hand, a slender light source emits hard light. An additional effect is when positioning the subject near a large window, where no sunlight is visible. It overcomes the role of a softbox and produces a fantastic outcome.

Delicate light:

Delicate light spilts when it is placed closer. When the light source is placed closer, the light widens and spills delicate light. Whereas when it is placed far from the subject, the light is harder. So for indoor shots, the lights have to be placed closer to a pleasing result.

Diffuser:

Diffuser helps to gain soft light. A softbox helps to prevent the harsh light hitting the subject. Any substance such as a transparent plastic or white cloth can be used to spread out the harsh light hitting the subject. A strobe can also be used to diffuse the light.

A bounce effect spills soft light. When a hard light is hit on a wall or a ceiling, it reflects and diffuses a soft light on the subject. For a sparking effect, a mirror or a shiny material can be used as reflectors.

Flashlight:

Flash light is used for the harsh lights. When the light source is placed far from the subject, only a meagre portion of the light gets emitted on the subject and gives a dull look. A camera flash can be used to light up the subject when exposed to harsh sunlight.

Distance between the subject and background
For a background to appear bright on our shoot, ensure that the light is placed at an appropriate distance from the subject. This is applicable for side lights too

Highlights the quality

Front lighting doesn't improve the quality of the portrait like lights from below and sides. We have to consider the angle of positioning to get a quality

Colour temperature of lights.

Even white colour lights can appear to be in color, and this is called color temperature. The color of the light may vary depending on the time of the day. In the case of indoor shooting with tungsten light, the color will be yellow. The color of the surface where the light hits can influence the subject when it gets bounced. In digital cameras, white balance control is used to influence or neutralise the effect.
Lighting effects are the main component that can add beauty to the portrait or can ruin the entire photo shoot. The art of using the light makes ultimate photography. That makes him as unique and a professional photographer.