I have a collection of butterflies from around the world that I would
like to photograph without any shadows against a white background. I
can make a nice sharp image with a black background (I use a polarizer
sheet on a light table and a cross-polarlized filter on the camera, plus
2 side flashes on the butterfly front). That works like a charm, but I
have have no real luck with white backgrounds.

I have tried a coat hanger with a glob of blue-tack on both ends (one
end to stick into a white holder and the other to the back of the
butterfly). Besides the stress on the (dead) butterfly, it gives a
greyish background. Tried putting a separate flash on the background to
blow it out, but then I get a shadow of the coat hanger.

Lots of other variations (light tent, etc), but none have been
satisfactory.

Any suggestions?

Burt Johnson wrote:
I have a collection of butterflies from around the world that I would
like to photograph without any shadows against a white background. I
can make a nice sharp image with a black background (I use a polarizer
sheet on a light table and a cross-polarlized filter on the camera, plus
2 side flashes on the butterfly front). That works like a charm, but I
have have no real luck with white backgrounds.

I have tried a coat hanger with a glob of blue-tack on both ends (one
end to stick into a white holder and the other to the back of the
butterfly). Besides the stress on the (dead) butterfly, it gives a
greyish background. Tried putting a separate flash on the background to
blow it out, but then I get a shadow of the coat hanger.

Lots of other variations (light tent, etc), but none have been
satisfactory.

Any suggestions?


Use white Plexiglas as the background. Light the background from
underneath. Vary the intensity of that light until you get your nice white
background.


--
JD..

Surely if you mount the 'background' flash so it is behind and to one
side of the butterrfly/coathanger, and the primary (ring or whatever)
flash is close to the butterfly and far from the background, you won't
get the shadow problem. In badly drawn fixed-width font below.

C - camera and primary flash


B - butterfly/hanger







s - secondary flash



------------------------------------------------- white background

you might want to tilt the background so it is more square on to the
secondary flash, to ensure the white is even rather than a gradient.

all of the above are good photography technique solutions
but since this is a PS group I will give an alternate Photoshop solution

photo as you have done on the black or get the white as close as possible
select color range
or other selection technique as you desire (wand, magnetic lasso, etc)
inverse selection so butterfly's selected
control+j to copy butterfly on it's own layer
under that layer make a white layer

Use white Plexiglas as the background. Light the background from
underneath. Vary the intensity of that light until you get your nice
white background.

One problem with white plex is you can sometimes see the upper light
source reflecting in the plex. It's like a mirror. But you just move the
upper light source around until you can't see it from the camera angle.

Since I don't know what strobes(flash) you are using, get the exposure
for the butterfly correct first and then adjust the light under the plex
to make your nice white background.

I used a set-up like this for shooting glassware but I had pro strobes
where I could adjust the output of the upper and lower heads independent
of each other with separate sliders on the power supply.

The beauty of this is, once you get it set up, each shot is just
replacing a butterfly and a few clicks of the shutter!

JD <JD at (no spam) example.invalid> wrote:

Use white Plexiglas as the background. Light the background from
underneath. Vary the intensity of that light until you get your nice
white background.

I actually tried putting it on a light table in one setup. In fact, my
black background that worked best was to put a polarizing film on the
light table, and then a polarizing filter on the lens rotated 90
degrees. Worked like a charm. :-)

I wasn't happy with the white result though.

Your comment is making me rethink that approach. It was my first
attempt, and now that I remember, I was using lower power side flash to
keep the exposure proper (ISO 100, f/16, which is as small as I want to
go).

Since I had no control over the light of the table (simply on or off),
it was too bright. I'll bet I can try that again with the stronger ring
flash and a ND filter to control the relationship of the two sources.

Thanks for the idea -- another one to try tonight.

JD <JD at (no spam) example.invalid> wrote:

One problem with white plex is you can sometimes see the upper light
source reflecting in the plex. It's like a mirror. But you just move the
upper light source around until you can't see it from the camera angle.

I tried two things tonight, but both failed to give me the results I
wanted.

1) Went back to the light table, and varied the flash power on the front
of the butterfly. At one extreme (all light table and minimal flash),
the butterfly became too transparent. At the other extreme (massive
overpower of the flash), there were shadows showing where the wings were
not flush with the table. I could find no middle ground that eliminated
both -- the middle ground just gave me the worst of both (shadows _and_
transparency).

2) Tried usng a light tent on its back. Used two white monofiliment
wires taut across the front. Laid the butterfly on the wires. Put two
studio strobes on the sides of the tent, and a ring flahs in front.
Almost worked, but the wires show through the wings, and would be a real
PITA to clone out... :-(

Since I don't know what strobes(flash) you are using, get the exposure
for the butterfly correct first and then adjust the light under the plex
to make your nice white background.

I've got a variety. I have 3 Canon 580EX flashes (top end Canon battery
powered, variable level), 3 Flashpoint 320A studio flashes (AC variable
power -- one turned flaky on me tonight, but still have 2 working), and
1 AlienBee ARB800 ring flash (AC, variable power that packs a whallop).

I can light up the moon, let alone a butterfly! :-)

I used a set-up like this for shooting glassware but I had pro strobes
where I could adjust the output of the upper and lower heads independent
of each other with separate sliders on the power supply.

The beauty of this is, once you get it set up, each shot is just
replacing a butterfly and a few clicks of the shutter!

Yeah, that is exactly what I am after. Haven't found that magic setup
yet though.

Lighting is causing more of a headache than I expected, but suspending
the butterfly in a way that doesn't cause shadows and causes minimal
stess to the specimen is an even bigger problem...

Since you have over 100 specimens I would vote against any kind of
"suspension". It's not a good photograph if you damage your butterfly
and suspending 100 of them will surely grow tiresome after about 10.

I didn't think about them going transparent when lighting them from
underneath.

You never have said if this is a paying job or just for yourself but I
think it's time you decide what you can "accept" as a final shot.

Personally, I'd try lighting them with a really soft light box located
right over the lens which should create a light shadow around the
butterfly and try to lessen the shadow using some kind of softened copy
lighting on the background. Since they're going transparent I wouldn't
use the plex and under light. I'd try it on smooth, white paper.

JD <JD at (no spam) example.invalid> wrote:

Since you have over 100 specimens I would vote against any kind of
"suspension". It's not a good photograph if you damage your butterfly
and suspending 100 of them will surely grow tiresome after about 10.

I didn't think about them going transparent when lighting them from
underneath.

You never have said if this is a paying job or just for yourself but I
think it's time you decide what you can "accept" as a final shot.

Personally, I'd try lighting them with a really soft light box located
right over the lens which should create a light shadow around the
butterfly and try to lessen the shadow using some kind of softened copy
lighting on the background. Since they're going transparent I wouldn't
use the plex and under light. I'd try it on smooth, white paper.

I think I may have stumbled onto a solution last night. It was pretty
late, but the results are better than I expected. Some more tweaking
tonight may give me the final solution.

And it was found by accident... :-)

I have one of those EZCube "light tent" used occasionally for
photographing small specimens where I want to minimize shadows. I tried
it early on but had trouble getting a decent result.

Last night I set it on its back and stuck an aquarium stand in it.
Mostly I wanted to clear the light tent space, since it is rather large,
but was too lazy to fold it up right then. I then placed a very clean
piece of glass over the stand and placed the butterfly on the glass.

The intent was to angle a piece of white foam board on the lower shelf,
and bounce a light off it to light from beneath. The light tent was
just a distraction, but I figured it wouldn't hurt.

Actually the tent worked to give a nice even light, and the glass
disappeared, with no wing shadows. Just the effect I was after.

I think I can now just dial in the lighting and be good to go.

And yes, I was really dreading any suspension of that many items.
Placing them on a sheet of glass should work fine, with just the need to
pull it out and windex it after every few specimens.

I am getting paid in Brownie Points for this one. It is for my
mother... :-)

JD <JD at (no spam) example.invalid> wrote:


Use white Plexiglas as the background. Light the background from
underneath. Vary the intensity of that light until you get your nice
white background.

I actually tried putting it on a light table in one setup. In fact, my
black background that worked best was to put a polarizing film on the
light table, and then a polarizing filter on the lens rotated 90
degrees. Worked like a charm. :-)

I wasn't happy with the white result though.

Your comment is making me rethink that approach. It was my first
attempt, and now that I remember, I was using lower power side flash to
keep the exposure proper (ISO 100, f/16, which is as small as I want to
go).

Since I had no control over the light of the table (simply on or off),
it was too bright. I'll bet I can try that again with the stronger ring
flash and a ND filter to control the relationship of the two sources.

As I have mentioned in the first message that you may want to use regular
light source instead of flash, then photograph without flash. That's the
technique most jewel, stap, coin etc. colletors use to photograph their
small collector abjects.

I have a collection of butterflies from around the world that I would
like to photograph without any shadows against a white background. I
can make a nice sharp image with a black background (I use a polarizer
sheet on a light table and a cross-polarlized filter on the camera, plus
2 side flashes on the butterfly front). That works like a charm, but I
have have no real luck with white backgrounds.

Burt Johnson wrote:
I have a collection of butterflies from around the world that I would
like to photograph without any shadows against a white background. I
can make a nice sharp image with a black background (I use a polarizer
sheet on a light table and a cross-polarlized filter on the camera, plus
2 side flashes on the butterfly front). That works like a charm, but I
have have no real luck with white backgrounds.

I'm surprised that the cross polarizers give you a jet black background.
But if your black background works like a charm, just use the magic wand
to select the black background. Then EDIT > FILL with 100% White.
Takes about 10-15 seconds to do the steps and the results should be
quite satisfactory.
Bob Williams