How to Make a Pure White Background with a Softbox
2022 UPDATE: Due to high request, we now stock masked softbox covers for your large softboxes for the very purpose of using them as backgrounds for portraits! Find these covers here, or continue to read the original blog below.
Producing a pure white background can be quite tricky, but in this blog we will go through another options or possible solution that will not only produce almost pure white results but can be done using something that is widely available, a softbox.
A pure white background is a very useful thing whilst shooting as it helps to separate the subject from the background, this means that cutting out or changing the background can be much easier. It also makes product photography look professional due to the “floating” look that it gives. To produce a pure white background, it can take a complex setup, playing with light intensity and positing. However, we have another option that you may not of thought of, the softbox.
The softbox is a widely used tool that goes on to your light giving a more diffused, softer light. What you may not know is it also works great as a background. If you would like to produce a pure white background using a softbox on your light as a background can give you the light intensity that you need to separate it from the subject.
When trying to achieve a pure white background we recommend the background to be brighter than the main subject light, this will overexpose the background whilst leaving the subject practically unaffected. To achieve this, we would recommend using a large softbox, a few options that we have are our large 150cm, 170cm or 120x180cm Umbrella Softboxes. These can be placed at the back of your subject and due to it facing directly to your camera, it will give a high light intensity required from your background.
When using either one of our recommended softboxes, you will just need a light the subject and you are on your way producing professional quality images with an easy, quick setup.
Another benefit when using our softboxes is that they have an umbrella easy open feature, this means that using them on location and travelling is not a problem, as they can collapse and setup in less than a minute
Whether shooting fashion, portraits or products for an ecommerce or commercial purposes, this easy option is maybe something else to consider. With an easy setup and very little fuss, you can produce professional results using much less equipment and reducing setup time.
