Photographing reflective objects

[excelguru]

I'm trying to find some good online tutorials and/or tips for photographing highly reflective objects like chrome, gold,

silver, diamonds (or other jewels), etc. Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[garry edwards]

Lighting forum >Lighting Themes>List of Lighting Themes> http://www.photo.net/photography-lighting-equipment-techniques-forum/007tNJ

 

You'd be surprised at how much info there is about lighting in the lighting forum

[charles_stobbs3]

Light tents are one way to go.

[ellis_vener_photography]

"Light tents are one way to go."' yes but a dull way.

[Damon DAmato]

Keith, I don't have advice for online tutorials, but the best book I've seen for lighting metal, glass, etc is "Light: Science and Magic" by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver and Paul Fuqua. Tons of stuff that would take forever to learn by trial and error.

[Charles_Webster]

The Lighting Theme on Specular Highlights is worth reading twice or even 3 times. Brooks Short explains and demonstrates how specular highlights show an objects shape and texture.

 

I second the recommendation for "Light -- Science & Magic" no better book.

 

<Chas>

 

BTW, shooting shiny objects is anything but easy, and there are no shortcuts to learning how it works.

[James G. Dainis]

I have a hard time getting good shots of chrome, silver and stainless steel, especially if it is flat. I check big store

sales sites to see how others do and am not impressed:

 

<a href=http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=183196&CategoryID=29701> <U>Macy's

flatware</U></a><P>

 

Is that really shiny stainless steel or burnished metal? The spoon bowls look like plastic. Shiny items look shiny

because they have reflections. Reduce the reflections with a large soft box or light tent and the flat item has no

reflections, no shine.<P>

 

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

The chrome lighter on the left is reflecting a plain gray background. It looks like a gray, burnished metal lighter. If it

were reflecting a white background, it would look like a white lighter. If it were reflecting a black background, it would

look like a black lighter. I took the photo on the right so that it had reflections of my fingers and the camera on it.

Now it looks like a shiny chrome lighter.<P>

 

Better example. Holding it in my hand gives meaning to the reflections<BR>

<center><img src=http://www.geocities.com/dainisjg/zipcop1.jpg><P></center>

 

Items with curvature such as bottles, candle sticks or teapots are not that hard to do but flat shiny items - brutal.

Almost as much fun as trying to take a picture of a mirror.

[Charles_Webster]

You need to understand the nature of reflections. To eliminate the unwanted reflection in #3, simply place a

small card, I'd use silver, exactly where it reflects on the front of the lighter. Then I'd use another light to

provide hard specular highlights to outline the lettering.

 

You can't do this stuff with flash on camera, or hand held.

 

Read "Light -- Science & Magic" and the "Specular Highlights Theme in the Lighting Forum archives to learn what

this is about.

 

<Chas>

 

Check this out: http://www.photo.net/photo/7336904 and this folder for some examples of controlling

reflections http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=647416

[garry edwards]

James,

 

As you're a moderator perhaps you could move/get this post moved to the Lighting Forum?

And perhaps even ask the admins if the lighting people can have a lighting moderator?

 

As for your points about lighting shiny objects, Charles is right.

[lex_jenkins]

Ditto photo.net's lighting forum. The moderators and veteran members have done a phenomenal job of creating illustrated tutorials within the context of the forum so it's among the most nutrient rich around. ;>

[richard_quindry]

It's really not that hard once you wrap your head around what's happening. Think of it this way - what color is a mirror?

Well it could be white, black, red or anything else - it takes on the character of whatever it's reflecting. So . . . - you don't

light the mirror - you throw the light at what it's reflecting. Charles brought up a good point - if you want to bring out

engraving, or a texture in the surface, you combine it with a grazing directional light (think spotlight) to bring out that

contrast - in addition to what it's reflecting.

 

Rich Quindry

 

www.Quindry.com

[jean labelle]

strobist.com

[excelguru]

Thanks for putting this in the right forum. My apologies. There are so many forums, I didn't even see this one. I've been on PN for a while, but only recently started using the forums. Good stuff in this one.

 

Thanks for all the fantastic information, guys! I really do appreciate it.

[James G. Dainis]

Having what the mirror reflects well lit often doesn't work:<BR>

<center><img src=http://www.geocities.com/dainisjg/mirrorme3.jpg></center><P>

 

Having a mirror reflect a plain white wall makes it look like an empty picture frame:<BR>

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

 

Taking the photo so what is reflected in the mirror looks pleasing, makes it looked like a photo in a frame:<BR>

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

 

Taking the photo of a wall mirror in a well lit room gives the impression that one is looking into another room through a framed opening in the wall. Generally one has to give meaning to the reflections. Having a model next to the mirror and smiling into it works with a plain background behind. For a small mirror a simple flower can work:<BR>

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

 

In the old days photographers would often use dulling spray to soften or blur the reflected image or a sheet of gradient lighted metal reflected in the mirror. With photoshop, gradient blur can be used to good effect:<BR>

 

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

 

To get back on topic, one doesn't want to reduce reflections on flat shiny items, one wants to increase them. A shiny item with no reflections is not shiny it is dull. Silver is gray. The difference between dull brushed silver and shiny polished silver is the reflections.<P>

 

Looking at these <a href=http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=chrome%20zippo%20lighter&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi><U>Chrome Zippo lighters</U>,</a> unless they have reflections on them (and few do) one can't tell which are the shiny polished chrome lighters and which are the dull brushed chrome lighters, without reading the description.

[garry edwards]

*To get back on topic, one doesn't want to reduce reflections on flat shiny items, one wants to increase them.*

 

James, I understand what you're saying but that isn't quite right.

What we need to do is not to reduce or increase them but to control them, i.e. to ensure that they reflect exactly what we want them to.

 

 

*Looking at these Chrome Zippo lighters, unless they have reflections on them (and few do) one can't tell which are the shiny polished chrome lighters and which are the dull brushed chrome lighters, without reading the description.*

 

That's because they've been photogaphed badly by a variety of different people. The reflections are relevant, but not the whole story.

[fil_hunter2]

Thanks for the recommendations for L-S&M, folks!

 

I'd also like to second the suggestion for strobist.com. Furthermore, I'd like to endorse David Hobby's DVD of the Strobist

material (http://www.mpex.com/browse.cfm/4,10149.htm). Expensive, but maybe you have a couple of like-minded friends

to share the cost.

[excelguru]

Thanks for everyone's input. I posted an image to the "specular highlights" theme yesterday and I just now ordered <i>Light: Science and Magic</i> from Amazon based on recommendations I found on SEVERAL websites.