Of all the photography commercial photographers shoot, photography on white seamless is the most common. It’s definitely a fashion photography mainstay. A white cove, or “cyc” (short for cyclorama) in a larger studio, is booked at our north Dallas rental photo studio 20 times more often than any other studio. Available seamless papers in varying colors are only used about 5% of the time.
Why is this so popular? Quite simply because it’s easier to drop out the background in your images if you are dropping the subject into a print layout. Catalogs and the like will often feature text wrapped around a subject. Current design trends favor a subject blending in with the page rather than being constrained by a box. Likewise a baseboard on a background wall would be distracting when the focus of an image is on a model or clothing.
Static Posing on White Seamless
Fashion and catalogs often show an expressionless model “just standing there,” as some describe it. Many feel that this makes a white seamless background looks plain or boring. There’s no color, no texture, and essentially nothingness. If the photographer doesn’t light the white background it can look like a shade of gray (as pictured at left). This example shows the model “in a box,” which a designer may not want in the layout. Compare this to the example at right. Either way you still have a subject. And a subject doesn’t have to “just stand there.” You can always concentrate on bringing out the model’s personality and featuring it. Or better yet add some motion!
Active Posting on White Seamless
Below are a few examples of images we’ve captured on a plain, boring white seamless background. The background of these samples have been adjusted so as to not “float in midair,” so that you can see the image frames. Adjusting for the effect of the top image (of the two young models) in this post is easily achieved in processing. As you can see, once the photographer has built rapport with the subject or subjects, they can collaborate to create some fun, interesting images.
What can you think of doing with a “plain white background?” White seamless can work with anything that ties in with your job, activities, or interests. In other words, anything that is “you.” And it can help make your images much more dynamic. And dynamic images sell!
Have some ideas? Leave a comment! Want to talk about how Morton Visuals can help you look dynamic? Give us a call! We’d love to show you what we can do.
