Photographing chrome

<p>I'm playing with photographing some 1930's kitchen stuff I have, see <a

href="http://wsrphoto.blogspot.com/2008/01/stl-toaster.html">one example</a> but mentally kinda'

stuck thinking how to reduce the reflected image, especially the camera (pocket wizards help me be out of

the way). Anyone have experience or ideas?

A phototent?

 

http://www.clouddome.com/specs/prodShot_ccpt01.html

Dare I say photoshop? Or maybe placing the items in a controlled envrioment. Or using the reflection to your advantage by adding other elements.

Especially since you're not under any immediate time pressure on the effort, you've got time to take a few days to digest <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FLight-Science-Introduction-Photographic-Lighting%2Fdp%2F0240808193%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1199325840%26sr%3D8-1&tag=uplandlife-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325" target="_blank"><b>the holy of holies</b></a> on the subject. The book takes a more theoretical approach (rather than simple lighting recipes), but you come out the other end of it thinking about light and reflection in a much more strategic way. Worth the read, and keeping as a reference.

I think you need a photo tent as well... buy you can actually build your own: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html

I strongly second the recommendation for Light -- Science & Magic.

<p>

And I'll also second the recommendation for <a href="http://strobist.com/">strobist.com</a>, though I'm not sure I support the tent approach. Just read through Lighting 101 there for starters.

Hey Scott,

 

That was a nice read about your family history and ultimately about yoru toaster. Very well written. I enjoyed it.

 

I like the photo you already have. The reflection is nice and clean. For what it's worth, it might be nice to set a vase of flowers on the kitchen table so that when you photograph the toaster there will be a semi-blurred splatter of shape and color from the flowers. Chrome is shiny. People expect to see reflections. So long as you can put a nice image in the reflection instead of a hot spot I'd say you'd have a great photo on your hands.

 

A chrome toaster with no reflection in it? Why? Is it dirty? Did the chrome flake off? (see?)

<center><img src=http://www.geocities.com/dainisjg/zippobh.jpg></center>

 

<P>On the left is a chrome lighter with no reflections. On the right is the same lighter with reflections. You need reflections to show that the object is shiny chrome. You could try the light tent with the camera and you taking the photo in a darker room so the center of the items will be dark and the sides light. Or simply put the item in a hall way with light walls and shoot from a dark room at the end.

Scott, I agree with James that the reflections actually show it's a nice shiny chrome toaster. I see reflections of kitchen appliances in your pictures - and this works well as it locates the toaster in the kitchen which is where it belongs. Perhaps just play with placement of items to remove anything that looks ugly, and maybe add something that looks interesting....how about a loaf of bread in the reflection, and maybe a slice of toast on a plate with a knife and some butter in a butter dish. Definitely KEEP the reflections but just play with them. You can play with the illumination on the reflected objects too to perhaps makes something stand out.

 

OR, you could do something different and photograph the toaster in an outdoors location so you have reflection or sky and trees and buildings. It would be interesting to see reflection of sky and a completly dilapidated 1930s building/barn as this would then contrast with the immaculate 1930s toaster!

 

Great read by the way - I've enjoyed reading what you link us to.

 

And wicked toaster - we've got through several 1990s and 2000s toasters over the past few years!

Thanks for the ideas. I forgot about photo tents and oudoors (hmmm....). I also have a set

(four) shiny stainless steel canisters too, the ones with the clear plastic handles to show

what's in the canister, but no date found yet. And now I'll play some with the light and

reflection. It's just the damn photographer who keeps getting in the image, until he

remembered his Pocket Wizard, now it's just the camera.

 

Doing this also reminded me how much we forget our grandparents were young once. My

grandmother spent a few summers as a cook in a logging camp in the mountains north of

Boise. Sadly, many older people forget to share their experiences unless prompted by

grandkids, and still many forget to document their personal stories. All we have are the

material reminders.

two approaches 1) a polarizing filter

and 2) spray milk on the kitchenware

Remember that by moving the camera farther away from the object and using a longer lens you completely alter the meaningful reflective angles in the shot. Take, for example, the size of the human photographer in the reflection. If you're up close, using a wide or normal lens, that body occupies some X percentage of the reflected scene. If you back away and use a longer lense, X becomes MUCH smaller, rapidly.

You can also reduce the reflections by spraying the subject with a clear acrylic (Acrylon) spray.

Just in the event that the pointer above expires or goes dead and somebody finds it in archive--here is the book Shy Browning pointed to above:

 

Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting (Paperback)

by Fil Hunter (Author), Steven Biver (Author), Paul Fuqua (Author)