LF studio setup for copying artwork on glass

[russell_houghton1]

I have been asked by an artist to make copies of her work suitable

for making a high quality life size prints. The pictures are 40 x 50

odd centimetres. I have looked on photo net and decided that a 4x5

with suitable lighting would suffice.

 

However the problem is that the artwork is verre eglomise (painting

in reverse & in mirror image in enamels & gold & silver leaf). The

glass is opaque when finished ( ie totally coverred with the paint )

and you see the artwork through the glass. With the paint being

shiny and reflective and the front of the glass being highly

reflective has anyone any experience/ideas on the best way tackle

this to hide the reflections.

[trw]

This is just a guess, but try using a single light, or if there are multiples, make sure they're at 180 degrees from eachother in the plane of the painting, and use a linear polarizer. I'd also suggest experimenting with your setup with a digital camera in manual mode. It could take a lot of shots before you get it right.

[ronald_moravec1]

Light from 45 degrees each side and use enough for even illumination. This may require two per side. Use polaroid sheets over each light all oriented one way.

 

Now put one on the camera lens oriented opposite.

 

You will suck up a lot of light, but the reflections will be gone.

[dk_thompson]

you might need to mask off the camera position with a blind of sorts, black cloth or velvet works good--but an easier way is to use black cards to flag off the lights and throw the camera into shadow. if your studio is black (ours is matte black, inclduing the ceiling and all the fixtures--a big black hole)--this works well. basically, with no light hitting the camera, it won't be reflected. another way to do it is to blow out the existing light with your source, this way you overide the ambient reflection. this works better with shooting into something covered with glass, more 3-D really.

 

if I read your description right though, it sounds like you have some shiny stuff under the glass as well. this sounds like you may need to use some movements on the camera and treat it like you're shooting into a mirror for example, or something where you need that frontal lighting to make the shiny stuff look good....you might have to take a white card or something and light that to reflect back into the piece. depending on the camera position, you use front & back movements to correct. if it's like a mirror--it will look dull & lifeless unless you throw something into it to reflect. polarizers aren't really a good choice here as much as careful lighting. you're not trying to kill the reflection altogether, because if you do, that metallic stuff will probably look pretty bad.

 

in my mind, it sounds similar to shooting a cased daugerrotype--which is shooting into a mirror more or less, with glass on top, and athis fancy frame around it that is usually gold or brass in color. you don't polarize that. you use a black card to reflect back into it, and use a soft source off to the side more or less, with some simple fill cards on the opposite side, low enough to not reflect back into the object. you take the piece, and tilt it towards the black--use front & back movements to correct.

[d_purdy]

I have done a lot of copy work with framed art leaving the glass in which is

pretty much the same as you are doing. I always set up the lights at 45

degrees and then put up a stand on either side of the camera and hang a

piece of black velvet or cloth on a pole on the stands. When you are ready to

shoot cut a hole just large enough in the cloth to put the lens through. Use a

long lens and there will be less area reflecting in the glass.

[troyammons]

on top of all that above I would use a polarizer.

[pvp]

You shouldn't have a problem with reflections; a glass sheet is after all a plane surface so all you need to do is make sure the camera can't see anything reflected. With the lights to either side at 45 degrees, the direct reflections from them won't be a problem.<P>

 

Place the artwork on the floor (or a low table,) lights to either side. The camera must be offset so it can't see its own reflection. Make the film plane and lensboard parallel to the artwork, and use front rise to frame the artwork. On the opposite side of the artwork, hang a black curtain (velvet if possible) so the camera won't see anything reflected. The only drawback that I can see with this setup, is that you'll need a lens with a fairly large image circle to allow the needed rise.<P>

 

<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~w7apd/public/copysetup.jpg">

[john_cremati]

Hi , I shoot a lot of flat glass artwork .......All of the suggestions so far are excellent and exactley what you need to do..... The black cloth, (4)45 degree lights, if possible polarized the light and use a polarizer on the lens, are all exactley what you want to be doing to minimise glare........ Anouther curve ball to watch for is that the camera and your image will appear in the photograph as a reflection unless you take measures to prevent this..... The shooting thru a hole in a black cloth will remedy this.......

John Cremati