Background Creation (Example: Mr. Toledano)

[galvaros]

hi all,

i have a question regarding the full-body-length backgrounds in

http://mrtoledano.com/frame_hopeandfear.php

how do you think they are done? i guess he started each from a studio-backdrop picture, then brightness/color-adjusted them and added some lights (floor/wall). (i think i see some slight structure, though most of them might be compression artifacts)

what do you think?

cheers & thx for any opinions

[Aleksman71]

Sorry, I made a mistake.

[r_dg]

i don't think it's all retouching, it has involved lights like the one used above the head and another one behind the background or behind the model

[HuBBa]

all i see on those images is a fairly standard grey background lit differently and the only "retouching" done on it is smoothing it out and adding a bit of vignetting / darkening where the photographer wanted to emphasise how the light falls.

And forget about any structure in it. If you see any its due to artefacts in the compression. The samples are waaaay to small in resolution to see any detail in the background.

so, grab a grey background, light the scene including how you wish the background to be lit. At least one seem to have a snoot / spot on the background to create a halo behind the model which btw has the added benefit that if you need to do a tougher form of vignetting (such as on the 2nd image) this will do it for you.

[skauskas]

when you are looking at those pictures all you can think of is background? they are a bit sick for my fragile women mind..))
but anyway.. the background looks like pretty standard grey background for me with several sources of light

[galvaros]

thanks for the good responses. i agree, i see that it might be the quickest approach to light the background as desired too, instead of doing any post work.

i was especially interested in the backgrounds of images 3 and 6.

skauskas: i already thought about the subjects/theme, so it was time for me to examine the backgrounds btw, i do find the images great and the theme gives something to think about (see the introduction to the series).

thanks all!
best wishes

[BobZZZ]

I suggest you have a look at F Stop Mag there is an interview with the photographer were he explains everything. These are done with props not photoshop and the background is just lit and photographed.

[galvaros]

thanks BobZZZ, i completely forgot that he was featured there!