Have you gotten to the point of being sick and tired of capturing (plus viewing) the same old photography, time and time again? You've discovered that "green screen" may be the route to go, except you do not truly understand it or even know a great deal about it? This is everything you must be familiar with to put it to use as a photography background!

Firstly…What is it?

You'll hear the terms "green screen", "blue screen", and "chroma key" tossed around and used to mean the same thing when discussing a photography background.

Chroma key merely means using a backdrop that's one un-patterned, uniformly lit color. The green and blue are the most used hues. In reality, you could potentially make use of ANY color - but green and blue are easiest. I'll make clear why that's the situation in a moment.

Blue screen systems can be employed within either video and still work. You shoot someone in front of the blue screen and then we later (or at once using high quality video cameras) you take out the solid color and swap it using any type of backdrop you need!

That's the way the local meteorologist does the weather report. They're just in front of a green screen and the camera digitally deletes it and inserts your local weather map. They're just looking at themselves on the monitor to determine where to point and so on. That's perplexing and more difficult than you may think in order to be a weatherman/woman!

Second…Why green or blue?

Normally we make use of blue and green because they're the farthest from the colors present in skin coloration. The procedure was initially done with blue, although as the quality of cameras improves, green appears to work more efficiently. It is a lot easier to strip out of the backdrop, so most studios are switching to green. But it does not do any harm to get both.

An additional good point for green is that it creates less apparel conflicts.

Since the color is automatically stripped out and replaced, if the model has on a shade of that color (blue) in their clothing…it is replaced. You'll frequently see shirts and ties that develop into peculiar looking holes in the model - showing through to the replacement background.

It's even happened among blue eyes!

Green tends to make not as much of a apparel conflict, it can be less difficult for the cameras to work with and it's easier to light uniformly.

Even light is important because shadows on the backdrop will appear in the ultimate result. This can damage the realistic effect of the photography background. And also, working with irregular lights, you would get different hues of the color…several of which might not get deleted correctly.

The three chief kinds of green screen backgrounds are: fabric, paper and paint.

Paint is useful if you have a studio which includes a cove and you do all your work there…it is useless should you ever have to shoot on location.

Paper is available in huge rolls, but is easily ripped and continuously needs replacing. This could get pricey in a hurry.

Material tends to endure longest and is portable. And material is simple to clean (grimy green screen backgrounds won't work well).

Any material store can provide some material that should accomplish the task. Obtain some and do some testing with your photography background, any photo editing program is able to take out the color. Take a crack at it, you'll enjoy it!

One of the easiest methods to separate your photography from "the crowd" would be to concentrate more on your photography background.

Modern cameras are so sophisticated that almost everyone will get a reasonably exposed, in focus photograph. Notice, I said reasonably exposed as well as in focus …even while using the superior technology we've got nowadays, we nevertheless ought to learn a bit about good, old fashioned photography strategies so that you can rise above the crowd at the "grabbed shot" level and begin to move into the realm of fine art.

First up is a technique for giving your photos a pro appearance. Which is accomplished by a professional photography background.

Let us face it, when you've got a beautiful, white, black or hand painted "Old Masters" style background, you'll instantly shoot ahead of the "grabbed shot" crowd and can quickly turn into the go to photographer in your area.

As soon as your friends and family would like a nice photo, they will think of YOU. (And, they will stop hiding if they notice you coming - you KNOW what I mean.)

The best part regarding using a photography background is that it makes it possible to control what is happening to the rear of your subject. There will be no more "antlers" sticking out of the head - no more annoying elements like traffic, other people or even just litter on the ground.

One perceived drawback to using a photography background is that everyone assumes that you must have a large studio and a bunch of high-priced pro lighting to make it work.

This is not the situation!

With the well thought-out use of your on camera flash, various reflectors and possibly even a mirror or mirror finished plastic, it is possible to make the equivalent of a five light arrangement!

I have seen it accomplished and on the completed photograph, you can't tell it had been all reflectors and mirrors.

By the way, as an alternative to your on camera flash, exactly the same result could be accomplished by means of the sun as your light source. Suspend your background over the branches of a tree, set up a number of reflectors and fire away! Your family members will think it had been all done in a studio!

The fundamentals that should be in any photographer's collection are - at the very minimum - a white background, a black one and also a gray "Old Masters" type.

The white one is usually a bed sheet, piece of muslin, canvas or another white material. You should not fold it up or you will not like the outcome - the white will be apt to show wrinkles and creases. To start with, iron the background and then we roll it on a cylindar. (Buy a little PVC piping at a local "do it yourself" store. Something like 3 or 4 inches in diameter should work nicely.)

The black photography background can yet again be any type of material, however "Duck Canvas" is my preference. With black, wrinkles are not as much of an issue, but the background - in fact ALL your backdrops - need to be rolled up as well.

For your "Old Masters" style, I recommend gray because by striking it with a colored light source, gray is a simple color to alter. This way, you may create any color backdrop you want.

Test buying a little photography background material and shoot several photos of a loved one. You'll never look back!

If you are interested in photography - and need to move your images to a whole new, higher level - the important thing to success would be the photography background!

Among the basic differences between beginner and professional photography is that the pro has learned to control and manipulate the photography background - where the beginner focuses all their attention on the subject and usually merely lets the background happen on its own.

Have you ever been so caught up with your model and lighting and so on that (when you look at the completed photo) you see an enormous garbage can - right behind your subject - spilling rubbish all over the ground? In every photograph? And you never even noticed it during the photo shoot!

Or, maybe you've been guilty of having tree branches seeming to erupt out of the subject's head, resembling horns?

These are ridiculous mistakes that're effortlessly fixed and can promptly increase your photography's effectiveness.

The unpleasant news is we don't really observe how much better our pictures are! Let's face it; if you don't have trash or horns and so on, you don't stop to think how much better your photograph is…you just never notice. Our attention only comes to bear if we forget and mess up (we all do sometimes).

If you want admiration for your creative accomplishments, you CANNOT let these problems into your images. This is an easy repair…just remember to look at the backdrop and all 4 corners inside the viewfinder before you push the shutter button - next you fine-tune accordingly.

In case you have a difficult time remembering, get a strip of masking tape and record - in huge black print - "CHECK THE SURROUNDINGS". After that place the tape to the backside of your camera. It will help jog your memory you until it turns into a habit.

You won't ever realize the number of pictures you've saved, nevertheless it's definitely worth the effort.

The next most straightforward photography background procedure - to make your subject "explode" from your image - is to isolate them.

I'm certain you've noticed images where the model is in clear, sharp focus - but the backdrop is completely out of focus and is nothing but a wash of color.

It is done with controlling the depth of field.

Depth of field determines how much of your photo is in focus. You can find whole courses written re this photo technique (heck, I wrote one myself!) but the simplest ways to do this "wash of color" technique are to:

1. Utilize the longest focal length lens possible.
2. Open it up towards the widest aperture possible - this would be the lowest f-stop number.
3. Make the backdrop as far behind the model as is feasible. Or else situate the model as far in front of the backdrop as possible.

Obviously each of the three tips has numerous variables. Through adjusting the options offered to you, you can make your photography background as focused or de-focused as you require. There's no right or wrong.

Absolutely out of focus, partially in focus, sharp as a tack…this is now the point where your creative eye comes into play.

After you've mastered the "in camera" techniques of controlling your backdrops, after that it's time to think about getting selected fabric backdrops. This can give your projects an expert "studio" look.

A good quality backdrop can literally cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars. So, rather than dishing out the big bucks, I recommend making your own. Fortunately a photography background is simple to make and can be made for pennies on the dollar.

Put some effort into your photography background and you can be capturing pro level images very quickly.

I am commonly asked - by annoyed shooters - what materials they should be using to get a crisp, sparkling, pure white photography background.

Regrettably, that is the inappropriate question to pose! It actually is not the backdrop material that gives you the unsoiled white that you are in search of.

It is the source of the light!

Here's the situation…you set up a pure white bed sheet or a roll of white paper - and you situate your subject matter in front of it.

You set up a light source or two and light your subject matter. All is looking fine. You think you've gotten a correctly lit subject matter and a pleasant white background.

Now, you shoot the photo.

Apprehensively, you run to the photo lab if you're shooting film or to a computer if you're shooting digital. You look at the completed photograph and ta daaa!

Your subject matter is impeccably lit, however the backdrop is really a drab gray color. Not the sparkling, untainted white you saw within the viewfinder!

Seem typical? If you've been having a tough time making high key photos…And you've been getting that dingy gray color (regardless of the materials you use) here is the way to repair the problem!

All light has a certain fall off factor.

By that I mean that the further the light is from a subject matter, the less bright it is. Subsequently, meaning… when you've got a certain quantity of light hitting your subject matter, and you are using that SAME light to light your background, your light is further from the background than from the subject matter. Hence, it is going to be slightly less bright by the time it gets to your backdrop substance.

Wow! That is a mouthful. Simply stated…

The main reason you are getting that gray color is because there is more light hitting your subject matter than is hitting the photography background.

To have your background be a real, picture perfect white…merely hit it with MORE light than you will be using for your subject matter!

Seems obvious after you realize it, but this is a major sticking point for many shooters.

The amount of "over-exposure" you may need on the backdrop is dependent on the color of the background substance. If it is already white, you could probably get by with using enough extra light to get an over-exposure of approximately half an f-stop. Maybe even one full f-stop.

If the fabric you are beginning with is gray…that is OK too! Merely hit it with around 2 ½ stops (give or take) more illumination than you are using on the subject matter.

Here's one that should blow a large number of minds…what if your photography background fabric is a pure black piece of canvas - or black roll of paper?

It doesn't matter! Zap it with 5, 6 or possibly even 7 extra stops worth of light (over what you might be using on the primary subject matter) and you'll once again have a pleasant clean white set.

It is a BUNCH of light and I would not advocate starting out with a black background. If you begin nearer to white initially, it's a lot easier. However, take a crack at it! It is a amusing experiment and will teach you a lot about light!

The point being - with enough light, you can achieve a pleasant white photography background regardless of the type or color substance you begin with.

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For some more photography background information, check out this video:

If you are the CEO of your company, a Realtor, Mortgage Lender, Attorney or anyone with a Facebook account you all have one thing in common. You need a really good headshot or business portrait. Even if you just got out of school a professional quality photo is needed for your resume and on line applications.

Things to ask about

• Background Color
• Lighting Style
• Serious or Fun
• Solid Black
• Avoid Patterns

I am going to talk about basic business style portraits. If you are in a creative field you may want to do something totally different. The choice is yours. Just remember after you post on the internet it is going to be copied and will be available for all to see for the rest of your life. With that said the first area I like to cover with my clients is clothing. Most people don't know what looks good on them so you may want to ask a friend to help pick out a few outfits for the photo session. I usually ask my female clients not to wear black. Black is slimming but your body also disappears making your head appear a little bit larger. It also says "Hide Me". Bright colors say I am here, take a look. Men have fewer options so dark suits with pinstripes will have the same effect. The pinstripes break up the solid black so it is not as harsh.

The wrong clothing choice can add several pounds to your photo. If you want to look wide in a portrait then keep your shoulders uncovered. Bare skin draws the eye to the area. Same for a rounded neckline. A round neckline draws the eye wide and will add a few pounds to the person in the photo. I would go easy on the jewelry also. Platinum jewelry looks great but may reflect too much light and may draw too much attention away from your face. You want all of the attention on you!

Solid backgrounds are my first choice for business portraits. The reason is simple. They are easy to use and allow fast clean-up of stray hairs. They also give 100% of the attention to the subject in the portrait and a solid background done right is seldom noticed. I avoid solid black backgrounds. Very dark hair can get blended with the background. I prefer a dark gray or earthtone. If I had to pick I would say a medium dark brown is the best all around color. I know it sounds boring but it works. If you want to use white be careful. White can really change how a person looks in a photo. Most people seem to look more important and in charge when using a darker background.

Be sure to ask about re-touching. Re-touching is great if done right. It shoud enhance your look but not look like a plastic doll. Super smooth skin is not natural and super bright teeth are also to be avoided. A good re-touched photo should leave the viewer wondering if anything was done to it or not. I would also ask about the availability of professional hair and make-up services. For women it is almost a requirement and does help men look better in front of the camera. Ask about use rights to the images. Will you receive a CD so the images can be used on line or are you limited to prints. If you do get a digital copy make sure to have a release so you have legal rights to use it as agreed.