Creating a black background on your videoshots

Hello guys and girls,

I'm still wondering how to create a full black background on my macro shots? Is there a technique or do you do it with editting software?

An example of what I mean; http://vimeo.com/84533213

Can anyone help me out?

Thanks in advance for your time and effort.

Greetings,

Roegie

Hi Roegie,

I would think this effect has been done by shooting at night and using barn doors or snoots on the lights so that can be 'modelled' on the Nudi's

Have to say, its an impressive look - only really something I've seen in stills before - a good find!

1. Shoot at night or either end of the day when it's relatively dark.

2. Make sure that the lights cover only the subject.

3. Manual control of the iris / aperture so that the auto exposure doesn't try to make the whole frame brighter.

4. Increase the contrast / lower the blacks when editing.

Roegie,

Thanks for the compliment in my shooting. Peter is right on the money with what he is suggesting. I pray for dark cloudy days when shooting macro! Sometimes I even have the dive guide hover over the subject to block sun light. Night shooting works too, but you can generally tell those shots as there is a bunch what I call "sea lice" swarming the lights and subject. But light positioning is key. Try not to light up the background at all, and frame the shot so that it can get the look. It doesn't work for everything... I made a snoot, but don't use that anymore it is too much of a pain...so none of the shots in the nudi video used a snoot. Don't use barn doors either.

Hope that helps.

Dustin