Backdrop Archives — Westcott University https://westcottu.com/topic/backdrop Lighting Education for Photographers and Filmmakers Mon, 07 Jul 2025 17:49:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://westcottu.com/wp-content/uploads/icon-university.png Backdrop Archives — Westcott University https://westcottu.com/topic/backdrop 32 32 How to Easily Control the Light and Color Tone on Your Backdrop https://westcottu.com/how-to-easily-control-the-light-and-color-tone-on-your-backdrop Thu, 09 Feb 2023 18:11:13 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=155864 Photographer Ashley Boring explains how to use the Inverse Square Law to control the color shade of her backdrop. Take a deeper look into the video to see how the shade of the backdrop changes with the light 3 feet, 6 feet and 10 feet away from the background. Setting Up the Shot For this […]

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]]> 155864 Go-To High-Volume Headshot Lighting Setups https://westcottu.com/creating-portrait-setups-with-yaneck-wasiek Fri, 05 Feb 2021 18:56:34 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=153049 In this portrait photography video, Yaneck Wasiek, Westcott Top Pro and Founder of Wasio Faces, explains how he approaches individual headshot sessions and how to capture high-volume photos at business events and conferences. With over 12 years of expertise and experience capturing over 6,000 headshots a year, Yaneck explains three go-to workflows and set-ups for […]

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]]> 153049 Improve Your Lighting During Video Calls at Home Using the Ring Light Kit https://westcottu.com/working-from-home-with-the-ring-light-kit Fri, 13 Nov 2020 16:22:15 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=152898 Have you been using window light as your main source for video conferencing and virtual interviews? The Bi-Color Ring Light Kit is complete with features to make your work from home virtual meetings stand out. This ideal key light comes with adjustable color temperatures to match your room’s lighting in Zoom or Skype meetings. The […]

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]]> 152898 How to Create Portrait Lighting to Help Tell a Story https://westcottu.com/how-to-create-portrait-lighting-to-help-tell-a-story Tue, 19 May 2020 17:01:15 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=152659 Celebrity commercial photographer Ian Spanier began taking photographs at six years old when his parents gave him his first point and shoot camera. After majoring in photography in college, Ian worked in publishing as an editor, but making pictures never left him. Since re-entering the photography industry, Ian has mastered commercial portrait lighting. In this […]

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]]> 152659 Capturing Timeless Portraits of Veterans https://westcottu.com/capturing-timeless-portraits-of-veterans Thu, 04 Apr 2019 18:31:01 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=151736 Glyn Dewis is a photographer and best-selling author known for his classic, timeless portraiture. With a fascination for history, Glyn is currently working on an ongoing 1940s-themed project recreating images depicting both military and civilian life. Due to his extensive experience in this field, Glyn has fantastic knowledge on how to properly interact with his […]

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]]> 151736 The Essential Guide To Photography Backdrops https://westcottu.com/the-essential-guide-to-backdrops https://westcottu.com/the-essential-guide-to-backdrops#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2016 21:05:49 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=149404 Selecting backdrops is one of the easiest ways to add personality and style to your studio photography and videos. Whether you are shooting portraits or products, the backdrop behind your subject can make or break your image. Cluttered backgrounds are distracting and draw attention away from your subject. And if you’re attempting to sell products […]

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]]> https://westcottu.com/the-essential-guide-to-backdrops/feed 3 149404 Pet Photography 101 https://westcottu.com/pet-photography-101 Mon, 14 Nov 2016 16:49:37 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=149178 In this video, Team Westcott joins the Toledo Area Humane Society to teach photographers and shelters how to capture professional-quality pet photography. It has been proven that shelters with better photographs of their adoptable pets see higher adoption rates. Here, Brandon photographs pets in the lobby of our local humane society with his portable studio […]

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]]> 149178 Using the Flex with World Class Results https://westcottu.com/using-the-flex-with-world-class-results Thu, 10 Dec 2015 17:06:57 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=148061 I was every bit impressed with all the muscle the Flex light had to offer for a compact, flexible, and continuous light panel. What better subject to power up against than with former World Champion Victor Ortiz. The stage was set for the challenge against “Viscious” Victor, his Championship belts and ring, as well as […]

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]]> 148061 Experimental Lighting Setups for Dynamic Band Portraits https://westcottu.com/experimental-lighting-setups-for-dynamic-band-portraits Wed, 20 May 2015 21:42:58 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=147432 I must admit, I’ve never photographed a band before. Especially for something as important as official promo images that’ll be used for almost everything a band can think of (posters, album art, show banners, website). What scared me most is figuring out an interesting way to position multiple people. Luckily the guys from Birthday Boy […]

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]]> 147432 CLOSED: Enter to Win a Green Screen Video Kit https://westcottu.com/contests/enter-to-win-a-green-screen-video-kit https://westcottu.com/contests/enter-to-win-a-green-screen-video-kit#respond Mon, 03 Nov 2014 06:00:03 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=141767 Get creative with green screen! The perfect introduction to chroma key for video, Westcott’s Green Screen Video Kit includes FXHome’s HitFilm software, a 5’ x 7’ wrinkle-resistant chroma key backdrop, and two wall hooks for quick mounting.

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]]> https://westcottu.com/contests/enter-to-win-a-green-screen-video-kit/feed 0 141767 Beauty Portraits with Terry White and the Skylux LED https://westcottu.com/terry-white-skylux-led Mon, 06 Oct 2014 14:24:32 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=141732 Adobe expert and photography educator Terry White takes us behind-the-scenes of a beauty photo shoot in his Detroit studio. For this beauty shot, Terry utilizes 3  LEDs to light his subject. The Skylux LED by Westcott is a daylight-balanced continuous LED light source. The Skylux’s output can be adjust from 30% to 100% for precise control. The first Skylux is […]

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]]> 141732 Understanding Depth of Field with Terry White https://westcottu.com/depth-of-field-with-terry-white Mon, 31 Mar 2014 13:35:14 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=140323 In photography, depth of field can be the difference between an average image and an exceptional image. Depth of field is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in focus, in an image. Westcott Top Pro Elite photographer and educator Terry White discusses the importance of depth of field in this Photography […]

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]]> 140323 Capturing Low-Key Celebrity Portraits https://westcottu.com/celebrity-portraits Fri, 10 Jan 2014 16:25:29 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=140028 This Westcott Backdrop Stand review and the final celebrity portraits are courtesy of photographer Michael Herb of Michael Herb Photography in Las Vegas, Nevada.  We have all been there, at the crossroads between quality and price. Do you save a few bucks and risk it or do you lay down the cash and buy into […]

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]]> 140028 Erik Valind Gaining Great Expression From Your Subjects https://westcottu.com/erik-valind-getting-great-expression Wed, 20 Nov 2013 18:22:57 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=139360 Westcott Top Pro Elite Erik Valind offers a photography quick tip in this Westcott video. Gaining authentic expression and emotion out from your models and subjects can be a difficult task. Offering a brief back story for your model often helps him or her get “into character”. Erik suggests talking to your models about a […]

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]]> 139360 Creating Sports Composite Portrait with Photo Key https://westcottu.com/sports-composite-photo-key-6 Wed, 20 Nov 2013 16:29:05 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=139349 Westcott Top Pro Matt Hernandez, who specializes in sports photography, uses Photo Key 6 to remove a green background for a sports composite.  Watch how Matt sets up his lighting for this green screen image, and quickly brings it in to a football field background. With Photo Key 6 Pro, Matt was able to make […]

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]]> 139349 Going Retro with Hernan Rodriguez https://westcottu.com/retro-photo-shoot-with-hernan-rodriguez Mon, 26 Aug 2013 17:09:42 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=139133 Top Pro and Celebrity photographer Hernan Rodriguez takes us back in time with a retro photo shoot in this video. Hernan uses a variety of layers to create some fantastic images.  First, Hernan discussess the overall setup involving Westcott’s , and the across a . This combination adds depth to the image. Follow along as Hernan […]

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]]> 139133 Review: Westcott X-Drop Backdrop System https://westcottu.com/review-westcott-x-drop-backdrop-system Fri, 28 Jun 2013 14:29:46 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=135087 White Backgrounds Seamless white backgrounds are a standard request for any portrait photographer. The client needs a clean, distraction free photograph that maybe suits their website or publication – often white. There are many different ways to do this, the standard tends to be seamless white paper, especially useful if you’re shooting full-length body. But […]

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]]> 135087 Review: X-Drop Backdrop System https://westcottu.com/review-x-drop-backdrop-system-by-brian-tetrault Fri, 05 Oct 2012 08:51:39 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=123610 This review was written by Photographer Brian Tetrault Innovative Backdrop Design Shooting many business headshots and portraits, I’m constantly looking for a background solution that’s fast to setup, flexible to use, small and lightweight, and most importantly, can replace the good ol’ fashioned 4ft roll of seamless. Found it! The Westcott X-Drop combines all of […]

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]]> 123610 Lighting Rumours: X-Drop Backdrop Review https://westcottu.com/x-drop-backdrop-review-on-lighting-rumours Fri, 31 Aug 2012 18:30:29 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=123208 The X-Drop Backdrop System was recently featured on Lighting Rumours. Bruce Foster, photographer out of the UK, reviewed the X-Drop with the Green Screen backdrop. If I had to sum up the X-Drop, I would call it the iPhone 5 of the background world. – Bruce Foster What we love about this review is the […]

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]]> 123208 Review: X-Drop Backdrop System by Terry White https://westcottu.com/review-x-drop-backdrop-system-by-terry-white https://westcottu.com/review-x-drop-backdrop-system-by-terry-white#comments Tue, 21 Aug 2012 03:33:54 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=122921 If you’re traveling to do an on location portrait shoot you can either utilize the surrounding area as your backdrop or bring your own. Using a nice location is great, but what if you don’t have one? I’ve done family portraits in hotel hallways and hospitality suites during family reunions and let’s just say that […]

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]]> https://westcottu.com/review-x-drop-backdrop-system-by-terry-white/feed 2 122921 New Photo Basics Kit Featured on NAPP News! https://westcottu.com/new-photo-basics-kit-featured-on-napp-news Thu, 28 May 2009 10:21:33 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/blog/?p=103 Earlier this year, Photo Basics by Westcott introduced the first cost- effective solution for daylight balanced fluorescent lighting.  The new uLite 2-light kit is street priced at only $199 and contains soft boxes, stands, 500-watt Photofloods and free rental of a scenic background. Turn this tungsten balanced kit quickly into a daylight balanced fluorescent lighting system for […]

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