Creating an Infinite Backdrop

[grantw]

I'm looking for any ideas on building an infinite backdrop. I've got a backdrop equipment and have done black before but not alot with white. I've used four CLF softbox's and it comes out ok but not stellar.

I saw this online though and didn't know if it might come out better:
http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-create-infinite-white-lighting-cheaply-244069/

Anyone have any other thoughts or what you use?

 

[chsiung]

Four soft boxes should be plenty for an infinite white. The key is to set the aperture so it just overexposes the entire background. The zebra can give you a hint. Then it's just a matter of positioning the subject far enough away so the background doesn't spill over. Then light subject as you wish. And well if you didn't light perfectly, key out in post and replace with white.

 

[Michael Carter]

When I need a large, white backdrop, I don't bother with softboxes. I hang sheets of diffuse white fabric across stands, so there's a panel that's about 5' wide by 9' high on each side of the talent, and blast these with flos, HIDs, whatever. I'll often use a couple biax flos on the background as well, usually with diffusion clipped to the barn doors (often I just use the tissue that comes between sheets of rolled gels).

In many cases, for wide shots you need to widen the background to get rid of stands, etc. I export a frame to Photoshop and create a PNG file that's transparent in the center but has matching floor shading on the sides. Did that in the wide shots of this spot.