CAD
How to get that black background photo? day or night …
Surely many times you have felt attracted to black background macro or super macro photography and have asked yourself how this image would have been taken on a sunny day and what technique and tool have been used to achieve it. In this type of image your subject became the protagonist when controlling the effect of light on the background and by enhancing the subject’s texture and colors.
Do you want to make a change to your macro or super macro photography style? In this article we will provide you basic information and useful tools that will help in this adventure. You will learn to position the strobes, use a focus light and other basic adjustments of your mirrorless camera, reflex or compact camera.
These two photos are of the same subject with different backgrounds. In the first image the strobe was placed on top of camera facing to the front. The settings used were F13.0, 1/250, ISO100. In the second image the position of the strobe was placed on top of the camera, but the strobe was pointing slightly towards the inside of the camera and settings used were F16, 1/250, ISO100.
My name is Magali Márquez, an SNSI and PADI instructor from Puerto Rico specializing in underwater photography. My passion for underwater photography has led me to work and perfect techniques along the past years. I have specialized in macro photography with which I fall in love every day. Find me as MLUWPHOTOGRAPHY on Instagram, on Facebook as Magali Marquez-Ramos and seek my portfolio on Scubashooters.net
…let me guide you in this adventure and try some settings that should help you to achieve the black background effect.
Settings
We cannot ignore several factors that affect us when taking a photo, one of them are the settings of our cameras. It is important to make adjustments to our cameras before you go into the water. Once you submerge the environment changes and the camera will not recognize where it is and you might not get the desired results.
We have three important elements that will help improve your photos: shutter speed, aperture and ISO sensitivity. Those are the three key elements in photography, known as the famous exposure triangle.
- Shutter speed freezes movement is one of the ways that will help us regulate the amount of light that enters the camera sensor.
- Diaphragm aperture is represented by the letter F. The smaller the opening of the diaphragm, the less light will enter and the depth of field will increase (amount of scene that appears in focus in the photo).
- ISO sensitivity marks the amount of light our camera needs.
Once we are clear about those three main elements we should be able to obtain the black background in our photos.
The first step is to set our camera to fast shutter speeds because it will help us reduce the amount of light that reaches the sensor. For example, in compact cameras we can start with speeds of 1/500, 1/1000, etc. and you go making adjustments little by little, as necessary. For DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) and mirrorless cameras you can start with speeds of shutter of 1/200, 1/250, etc.
The second step is to program our camera in small apertures because it will help us control the artificial light that enters the camera. For example, on a compact camera we can use apertures of
F/8, F/10, etc. and you keep adjusting until the black background is achieved. For DSLR and mirrorless cameras you can start with an F/11 aperture and continue closing the openings (…F/18, F/20, F/25, etc.) if there is a lot of ambient light.
Third, the ISO sensitivity must be programmed to the lowest ISO that the camera allows.
Adjusting these three elements in our cameras with the option of manual mode will help us to block the light and obtain the black background that we are wishing for.
So how do you get that black background with a semi-automatic compact like a TG6?
For cameras like the Olympus TG6 you must program it in the aperture mode (A), in which you will be able to work with the aperture and exposure compensation (+/-) or the amount of light in the image.
That means you can force the camera to a darker image (decrease exposure compensation) and then use the strobe to light the foreground.
Subject and camera position
For our subject (protagonist), we must be careful not to have anything in the background, because the artificial light of the strobe might bounce, illuminating the back of the subject. A black background is more easily obtained when subjects are located in elevated places, such as in Gorgonians (ie. sea fans), stones, a wall, etc.
In most occasions we usually have a background or objects in the back of the main subject. So in order to achieve that black background we must use fast speeds and small openings to block artificial light from the strobe, preventing a second plane (objects in the back) being illuminated and focus the light on the main subject.
We must position the camera below the subject, tilting the camera a little upwards, getting closer to the subject little by little and avoiding sudden movements, so that the subject does not go away or to prevent unwanted particles from appearing in the image.
It is recommended to have a macro lens to magnify the subject, minimizing the distance between the subject and the camera.
In these two images you can see that the subjects are located in good positions to achieve the black background. The position of the strobe was placed on top of the camera, but the strobes were pointing slightly towards the inside of the camera.
Strobe position and focus light
Once we have our camera ready with the settings, we must not overlook the positioning the strobes. In underwater photography it is a continuous positioning challenge. Sometimes, we make the mistake of not turning on or positioning the strobes correctly when taking a picture and that error is often realized when we review the sample on the camera screen or later if we do not take a look of that result. Always remember to review your images after each shot and adjust the position of the strobes and intensity of artificial light as required.
We can start with the most basic equipment of a strobe and a focus light. The strobe is going to be placed in the upper part inclined slightly towards the inside of the chamber at half the intensity. The focus light can be placed in the upper part next to the Strobe, but you must move it as necessary so that the focus light illuminates the subject, helping the camera to focus faster.
If we are going to use two strobes we must place them on the sides of the camera looking slightly in the direction of the camera, at medium intensity, while the focus light is on top of your camera. The advantage of using two strobes is that you will be minimizing shadows created by the artificial light of the strobe and the subject will be fully illuminated.
If the reflection of the light from the strobe appears in the lens when taking the photo, you must bring the strobe inwards and then tilt the strobe forward until the photo comes out without the flash of light. If the photo is still overexposed (a lot of light) or underexposed (low light) you should adjust the artificial light intensity of the strobe.
The focus light will allow the camera to see the contrast, achieving focus and managing to take the image quickly. The focus light will mostly not appear on the image because generally the fast speeds and small aperture does not allows the light to come in.
Take your first test shots with a fixed subject, then go on adjusting the parameters of your camera (aperture, ISO speed), the position and intensity of artificial light of the strobe and the position of the focus light. Once you have managed to take a good photo with those settings, perform a second test with another subject, using the same distance used in the first test take. Remember to change the settings when the distance between the subject and the camera are different.
Subjects (Protagonists)
The best subjects to make the black background are those who do not have a background. Some subjects are those we can find living or feeding on coral reefs. Examples of some subjects that can be achieves without a background are Flamingo tongue feeding on soft corals, such as Gorgonians (sea fans), Coral Gobi living on Whip Corals, Four-lobed porcelain crab in a Sea Pen, etc., These are some subjects that give us the opportunity to practice with them.
Snoot
What is a Snoot?
The snoot is a cone that adapts to the strobe concentrating the light in a single point, illuminating only the subject. In this way we can easily obtain the effect of the black background. The artificial light generated by the strobe generally has an angle of 100 to 120 degrees. When we connect the snoot to the strobe we will be reducing the width of the beam (where the light is projected actually), which can be from the size of a water bottle cap to the size of the tip of a pencil.
The snoot will help us to control the artificial light of the strobe easily. It will be illuminating your main subject, preventing background (objects in the back) from being illuminated, which results in the effect of black background. Most of the strobes have a guide light that will allow us to see where the beam light is going to be illuminating (where the light actually projects), allowing the snoot to be placed directly on the subject. Remember that it has to be at the same distance from the subject that you took the test photo.
This fascinating accessory called snoot has been on the market for several years and has become popular for photographers who typically shoot macro and super macro photography. Some photographers have built their own snoot and get excellent results.
On the market there are different snoot for strobes and snoot for video lights that will help achieve the black background in photos and videos. There are different brands on the market and styles, other snoots have a separate battery powered guide light that helps you to illuminate the subject, saving the battery of the strobe.
Photos taken with a Snoot in Puerto Rico
Black backgrounds at night
If you have not yet had the opportunity to do a night dive, I invite you to have the experience…it’s quite an adventure!!!
Remember we must first verify the settings of our camera before you go into the water, then adjust the position of the strobes and the focus light. Once you verify these settings, the adventure starts!!!
As previously mentioned in photos taken during the day, we must seek subjects that don’t have nothing in the back, we must place the camera below the subject, tilting the camera slightly upwards, getting closer to the subject little by little and avoid making strong movements to prevent unwanted particles from appearing in the image or scare away the subject.
One of the advantages of diving at night is that some of the species stand still and others go out looking for food, which gives us the opportunity to have easier subjects for photography. We can also practice with our partners and also get beautiful black background images.
Practice at home
Yes!!!…the best way to perfection this technique is by practicing at home. Go to the garden and take pictures of flowers, insects, leaves, etc. If you don’t have a place like the garden to practice, use objects that normally you have in the house as a figures, stuffed toys, a coin, etc. The important thing is to practice and know how your camera works.
Summary
Getting black backgrounds in your photos is not as difficult as it seems. The trick is in knowing your camera, learning the importance of the exposure triangle (diaphragm aperture, shutter speed and ISO sensitivity) and practice with the camera in and out of the water as many times as possible.
Do not forget to learn how the strobe works and practice how to place them. Sometimes we limit ourselves by not experimenting with new techniques in photography when we don’t know how to perform them. It’s time to learn, practice and give a new twist to your photos with a black background.
And most important…let’s be responsible and respect the marine environment, let’s not harm the corals reefs and its inhabitants and enjoy the beauties of the sea.
- How to get that black background photo? day or night … – January 10, 2023
- Bonfire Diving in Puerto Rico – June 28, 2022