Whether you’re a professional photographer with studio experience or a hobbyist just starting to explore studio photography, you’ve likely encountered white backdrops—or soon will. For beginners, it’s only a matter of time before a client requests shots on a white background. White seamless paper is a staple in any studio photographer’s toolkit, often considered essential for its versatility and reliability.
White backdrops have become a standard for product photography and catalog shoots. They provide a bright, neutral background that doesn’t distract from the subject or clash with other colors or patterns. Additionally, white is highly adaptable: with different lighting setups and post-editing, you can easily adjust its tone and brightness to suit your project. This flexibility makes it ideal for everything from print ads to online graphics and composite imagery.
In this article, we’ll explore the differences between Colorama and Manfrotto white seamless paper options, compare various lighting setups, and provide side-by-side examples. By the end, you’ll have a clearer understanding of how to choose the right white seamless paper for your needs and how to set up your lighting for different effects.
Creating a high-key shot using white seamless paper can seem daunting, especially when traditional lighting setups often require four or more light sources. Many photographers, particularly those on the move or working in small spaces, don’t have access to that many lights or the space for complex setups. Personally, I’ve had to work with just one light while traveling with minimal gear. In such situations, I recommend Manfrotto’s collapsible backdrops as a space-saving alternative to seamless paper.
Colorama offers three white seamless paper options and Manfrotto offers two white seamless paper options.Be sure to review this and other color samples on a color-calibrated screen.
To provide an accurate comparison of these three options, we photographed them using the same lighting and camera settings. All shots were taken in a compact space, similar to what many photographers work with. For simplicity, we used only one or two lights: a key light and an optional backlight.
Backdrop: 135cm seamless paper.
Key Light: Octa 70cm Softbox
Backlight: An 90-degree reflector on a boom stand, which doubles as a hair light when angled slightly toward the back of the subject’s head.
Depending on your equipment, you could also use a strip softbox or add a grid to the backlight. The key light was set up in a butterfly (or paramount) lighting pattern, ideal for single-light setups as it positions shadows favorably for headshots and ¾-length portraits.
To achieve a clean, bright background, the model stood approximately 125 cm from the backdrop, with the key light positioned 200 cm in front of them. This arrangement allowed some light to spill onto the backdrop, keeping it bright white without appearing gray. Adding the backlight creates an "absolute white" backdrop—perfect for catalog work or composites—minimizing the need for extensive post-editing.
While more space and additional backlights would provide better separation between the model and the backdrop, this two-light setup demonstrates how to achieve professional results in tight spaces.
Tip: When shooting with 1 light source without a backlight, choosing the correct modifier and space between model, backdrop and light source is crucial. Larger diffused light sources like an octabox, softbox, shoot through-umbrellas and others help because they create more spill in a wide area which usually means less shadows on the backdrop, but you need to keep the light source pretty close to the model and backdrop or the white will look more gray in the photo. I prefer a 28″ beauty dish because it gives flattering light and it’s direct but still soft.
However, when using just 1 light, regardless of your setup, you will not achieve an absolute white background regardless of which seamless color you use. A backlight is necessary for achieving absolute white without post editing.
When shooting full length shots where the subject is standing on the seamless paper, cut a piece of the paper off of the roll to lie over the front area where they will be standing on. Be sure to tape it down so the subject doesn’t slip. The seam will not be noticeable especially if you are using backlights to blow out the white. This helps avoid marks from shoes on the white paper. When that piece gets soiled you can flip it over or cut another small piece.
A more permanent solution is to use a large matte finish plexiglass panel. If you can, shoot the full length shots separately from headshots and 3/4 length and wait to pull the backdrop down on the floor until you need it for full length so you don’t waste paper or fight foot prints more than you need to.