Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2010 July 23

= July 23 =

White photo backgrounds


How do photographers produce photos such as the ones I've shown here, with perfectly or virtually-perfectly white backgrounds? I see what appears to be some sort of paper or fabric behind the wine glass, but the bread appears to be sitting on nothingness. I'd welcome a link to an article, as I couldn't find anything with the search feature. Nyttend (talk) 02:13, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * We've had a question similar to this but it was at least a year ago, maybe two. One way of achieving the effect is to use a white sheet.  That way you don't have a horizontal line where the "floor" meets the "wall" to contend with.  Also the sheet allows for the light to either remain fairly constant or to taper as it goes.  It's all in how you position the sheet relative to the lights.  (My wife is a professional photographer and she was shooting with a white backdrop today).  From her:  A lot of photographers will use white vinyl (what she was using today) or white seamless paper.  Dismas |(talk) 02:31, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Also look up light tents (though we have no article, unfortunately, just a picture of an improvised light tent). These days it could be photoshopped too, of course. ---Sluzzelin talk  02:42, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Even before Photoshop, photographers could remove or diminish shadows and the like with crufty analog techniques like dodging and burning. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 10:38, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * The simplest way to achieve the effect is to drape white paper of low gloss from a rod, allowing it to gently curve down to the surface behind, and then under the subject. As Dismas says, white vinyl would be more durable.  Diffused lighting, (perhaps from a soft box if you're going all out) on both sides and above will minimize shadows, and you can position a narrow key light on the subject if you want highlights, or you can bias to one side and accept a modest shadow. Also, judicious choice of aperture (and use of a tripod) will yield a controlled depth of field that will obscure variations in the foreground and background. You can get a lot of mileage out of a very basic set-up, once you've got the kind of light you like.   Acroterion  (talk)  04:08, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Put "light box" and "light tent" into Google images for examples of exactly what you are talking about. They are standard setups for professional photographers. --Mr.98 (talk) 11:25, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * The photo of the wine glass looks like it was taken against white paper or something - but the bread basket was edited with something like GIMP or Photoshop to remove the background and insert a white background instead. You can tell because the shadow under the basket is completely unconvincing.  If you want to do it 'naturally' - then Acroterion's instructions (above) are great - you can make your own "soft box" really easily:
 * Buy a super-bright (but cheap) 500 Watt construction light from the tools section of your local DIY store. These have a very bright white strip-light in them which is enclosed in a wire frame to stop you touching the hot surface - a reflector behind them and usually a fancy black and yellow stand.  I've seen them as cheap as $10 in Home Depot.
 * Get some white 'foam core' from a hobby store or art supplies shop and cut out four large equilateral triangles - they should be at least 3' across.
 * Cut the last 10cm off of one point of each triangle and tape the four sides together with duct tape to make a kind of funnel.
 * Get some thin white cloth ("scrim" works best - but an old cotton bedsheet will do at a pinch) and tape this over the large end of the funnel.
 * Duct tape the small end of the funnel to the construction lamp.
 * This makes a GREAT soft box and you can do it for under $15 (I built two of them for $25). The only problem is the tendancy for the thing to overheat because it's all too easy to block the air flow over that super-hot construction lamp.  So PLEASE - don't leave them turned on for more than a couple of minutes at a time and NEVER leave them on when you aren't there!  I keep a fire extinguisher handy!
 * SteveBaker (talk) 13:53, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

A day to kill in Kent, England
I'll be staying in Tunbridge Wells, England (traveling from overseas) in a couple of weeks, and it looks like I'll have a day with nothing to do until evening on the Monday, as well as some unbooked time on Sunday. Anything worth seeing around there? I won't have a car. Churchill's house seems to be closed on Mondays. I'm happy to visit a seaside town if it's interesting, but I live on a coast, so seeing water won't blow me away. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 02:27, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * There is plenty to see in Kent. List of tourist attractions in Kent might give you some ideas. Canterbury is the main tourist hub and the Cathedral is well worth a visit. (It inspired me to take up an apprenticeship in stained glass.) If you find yourself in the Margate area don't miss the mysterious Shell Grotto. On the other side of the county the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway is fun if you like railways, and it takes you to the wide open spaces of Dungeness.--Shantavira|feed me 07:39, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * I would suggest Leeds Castle (which despite its name is not in West Yorkshire). It is about 25 mi from Tunbridge Wells; but if there's no bus direct from Tunbridge Wells, it might be easier and cheaper to get to Maidstone about 5.5 mi from the castle and take a taxi from there.  There are some complex options to travel by train (involving two changes since most trains in that area are set up to take commuters into London) but the castle runs shuttle buses from Bearsted station.  Astronaut (talk) 09:55, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Lots to see in Dover. Also recommended is Rochester, which has a splendid Norman castle and a cathedral almost next door. Adjascent Chatham has an 18th Century fort and the historic Chatham Dockyard, now a maritime museum where you could easily spend a whole day. Alansplodge (talk) 12:42, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * As mentioned, Chatham Dockyard is a great day out if you have any interest in maritime history. The working ropewalk is especially fascinating. Gandalf61 (talk) 13:18, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * The following refers to Royal Tunbridge Wells Alansplodge (talk) 19:06, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * There are some things to do nearby, as well. The town itself is pleasant, particularly the Pantiles area, and there are various museums which may or may not interest you.  High Rocks is a popular area for walking, and you can walk there from the town, or catch the Spa Valley Railway if it is running.  Also, Tudeley is nearby, with its famous church. Warofdreams talk 14:09, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Dover Castle is pretty neat. Margate is pretty much the iconic British seaside experience - bring a bucket and spade. SteveBaker (talk) 14:15, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * I like Deal Castle too. If you fancy some exercise, the walk between Dover and Deal along the White Cliffs is stunning; "impossible to get lost" and "one of the finest coastal walks in England". A little-known curiosity in Dover is the Napoleonic Grand Shaft; WP doesn't even have a page about it. Alansplodge (talk) 18:59, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * I don't see that a staircase is really worth its own article. It's covered a bit in Dover Western Heights. Algebraist 08:51, 24 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Those are all good ideas, but which ones are reasonably accessible by public transportation from Tunbridge Wells? I'm not as concerned with what county the place I go is in as whether I can get there from where I'm staying without too much trouble. Thanks -- Mwalcoff (talk) 22:24, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * By rail, Tunbridge Wells is on the Charing Cross - Hastings line. Charing Cross is in central London.  Just two stops from Tunbridge Wells is Tonbridge where you can change trains to get to Maidstone or Canterbury, Folkstone and Dover.  Towards Hastings is the small town of Battle, site of the last successful invasion of England in 1066, now with a small museum and an empty field where the battle is supposed to have taken place.
 * By bus, this map shows the central Tunbridge Wells bus stops (generally outside the railway station). This site is a journey planner that covers buses in Kent.  I easily found guidance on what bus to get from Tunbridge Wells to Leeds Castle for example.  Unfortunately, that site is not good for suggesting places you could visit.  Astronaut (talk) 11:49, 24 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Thanks. What about Hastings? Is that worth a visit? -- Mwalcoff (talk) 01:50, 25 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes. The old town, the fishing quarter, funicular railway, castle, sea front. Tunbridge Wells itself is delightful, and it would be a pity not to allow enough time to look around. Itsmejudith (talk) 11:47, 26 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Well it doesn't seem likely you're going to receive any more replies so I hopefully won't be killing the question by asking, are you visiting Tunbridge Wells so you can write letters to newspapers and such?? Nil Einne (talk) 12:57, 28 July 2010 (UTC)

Online talent competition
http://www.talenthouse.com/creativeinvites/show/detail/120. Do you scan a picture you drew, and then upload it? 24.189.87.160 (talk) 03:37, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Ask them directly. You'd have a better chance of getting a quality answer from them rather than anyone here.  -- Jayron  32  04:12, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * If you click on the details link - you'll see that it says "Submission requirements: Please submit one illustration design of the outfit you will create for Florence in .jpg format". So you either have to draw it on paper and scan it - or use software like GIMP or Photoshop to draw the design directly in the computer.  If you don't have access to a scanner, I suppose you could draw the design on paper and photograph it with a digital camera - but it's quite hard to do that well, keeping it in focus and well-lit without reflections and shadows.   Good luck with the competition! SteveBaker (talk) 13:38, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks, I'll need it! 24.189.87.160 (talk) 23:42, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

Falkland Islands
Can a British citizen who doesn't have a passport legally travel to the Falkland Islands? Because it's British right? —Preceding unsigned comment added by ComputerKeyboardUser (talk • contribs) 10:10, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Flights to the Falklands are either via Chile (which will obviously mean you'll need your passport) or on an RAF flight from RAF Brize Norton (which are open to civilians, space permitting). Details of that are here - they don't even let you onto the station without either a passport or a similar document (see the "access to the station" section). They also give an email and phone number for the office that you have to deal with when arranging the flights, so I'd recommend you ask them if that's not enough info. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 10:36, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * To be clear here: Legally - yes you can. Practically - getting there without a passport is definitely going to be difficult.  However, if you were to (say) lease a private aircraft to fly you there non-stop from the UK, it ought to be legal.  The tricky part of this is that while (as a UK citizen) you are legally entitled to go there without a passport - how do you prove that you're a UK citizen if you don't have a UK passport?  Any time you leave the UK and head out into international waters/airspace, you are potentially going to have to prove you're a UK citizen in order to get back in again.  That's what passports are for...they make it easy for you to pass through ports when you are legally entitled to do so.  If I were to fly back to the UK from the USA without a passport, I'm certainly legally allowed back into the UK - but it might take a bit of work to convince the authorities that I am indeed a British citizen.  That's even tougher these days because most airlines and ocean cruisers won't let you on board unless you can provide a passport to show that they won't have to bear the cost of flying you back again in the event that you don't have a right of entry. SteveBaker (talk) 13:28, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

City of London Police
Why did I see several City of London Police vehicles and officers working in Tower Hamlets last night (one police car was stopped for about an hour dealing with something and when backup arrived it was more City of London police, so it seems they weren't just lending a hand as the nearest police to an incident)? Doesn't the Met have responsible for Tower Hamlets? --Tango (talk) 11:22, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes, Tower Hamlets is in the Metropolitan Police District. The two forces have been working much more closely with each other in recent years. I used to work in the City and it was not too uncommon for Met vehicles to arrive at incidents there; as Tower Hamlets borders the City, I expect it works the other way. Maybe the incentive is the regular murmerings by politicians about merging the two forces. During the 7 July 2005 London bombings, a Met Deputy Commissioner was "Gold Commander" and the City counterpart was "Silver Commander". Alansplodge (talk) 12:26, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

Brackeler Straße
Why are automobiles without sticker or with red sticker not allowed to use the Brackeler Straße in Dortmund? --84.61.131.18 (talk) 13:58, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

Are buses without sticker or with red sticker allowed to use the Brackeler Straße in Dortmund? --84.61.131.18 (talk) 13:59, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * A Google-translate of this document suggests that this is to do with severe pollution problems in the area. There seem to be special provisions for busses - but sadly the translation quality (and my German) isn't good enough for me to get you a definitive answer. SteveBaker (talk) 14:43, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * As SteveBaker has correctly found, parts of Brackeler Straße are designated an Umweltzone, or a zone with restricted access for environmental reasons, according to this source. Umweltzonen are being created in urban areas across Germany to combat air pollution.  Our German sister project has an article on Umweltzonen.  That article offers a list of types of vehicles exempted from restrictions on access, but the list does not include buses.  So buses passing through the Umweltzone would presumably have to meet the same emission standards as other comparable vehicles.  Marco polo (talk) 15:00, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

Weight loss and extra skin
If a teenager looses 100 pounds will they have extra skin? or no? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.190.246.216 (talk) 14:41, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Well, it's got to depend on the person's initial weight. To take an extreme case, if the person started off weighing 800lbs and dropped to 700lbs - the amount of skin stretch required would be fairly small as a percentage...but if the person started at 200lbs and shrank to 100lbs - then the effect would be much greater because proportionately more weight was lost in that case.  Fortunately, when you're just a teenager, your skin is still fairly elastic - so I suppose it would shrink back quickly.  Another question is: How fast is the weight being lost?  If it were as a result of some dramatic crash diet or liposuction or something - then the skin doesn't have time to change - but if you lost 100lbs over the course of (let's say) a year or two - then it would adapt gradually and there would be no "extra". SteveBaker (talk) 14:50, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * BTW while there's nothing wrong with this question, I would point out if anyone is planning to lose 100 pounds they most definitely should see a medical professional first. Nil Einne (talk) 06:58, 24 July 2010 (UTC)


 * May I also point out an unintentional Biblical echo arising from the spelling "looses".
 * II Maccabees 12:46: "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins".
 * 21st century version: "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the obese, that they may be loosed from their skins". :)  --   Jack of Oz    ... speak! ...   19:32, 24 July 2010 (UTC)
 * At one point in my life, I lost about 60 pounds. There wasn't 'extra skin,' because the skin shrinks to adjust as long as you lose weight at a reasonable pace.  I did have some 'stretch marks,' but they faded with time. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 19:35, 24 July 2010 (UTC)


 * If a teenager weighing 100 pounds looses 100 pounds, (S)he will have no extra skin. —Preceding unsigned comment added by FeedMyTrollPuppet (talk • contribs) 21:42, 23 July 2010 (UTC)  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.104.95.35 (talk)

bmw locking nutkeys
could anybody tell me where i can purchase a locking nut key for a bmw 3 series. all i want to do is get a new key rather than buy a new set and have trouble getting the the old ones off. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.197.226.196 (talk) 16:37, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Your nearest BMW dealership and service centre should be able to help. Astronaut (talk) 17:56, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * It really depends if they are OEM lock nuts (probably not) or some brand of aftermarket item (likely). If they are OEM BMW will be able to help, if they aren't you might be able to determine the company that made them and they might be able to help.  If you can't get either of these to work they will have to be cut off.  I hate locking wheel nuts as the key will inevitably be lost at the worst possible moment.  --Leivick (talk) 07:13, 24 July 2010 (UTC)