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Gray Instead of White

I have been taking product photos for my Web site and eBay. I have a problem, though: the background behind my products should be white, but they turn out gray. I spent way too much time turning the backgrounds white in a photo editor. Is there any way to be able to get white background when I take the shot?

--Kaya Atli, Springfield, Missouri

It sounds to me like you simply aren't putting enough light on the white backdrop, Kaya. To get that gorgeous white backing behind whatever you're shooting, you'll probably want to point a couple of lights at the background--one on either side of the product you're photographing--with a third, "key" light on the product itself. You'll want to use a lower wattage light or a diffuser on the key light. If you can't set up that many lights, then you'll probably need to whiten the background manually in your photo editor each time.