jmichaelc Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 Hello, I did a product inventory a few months back for a place called "Chrome Shack"; an automotive accessory store. We did about 50 products as a sample shoot and now they have opted to proceed to do the entire product line for a catalog. The samples turned out ok but this was a fist experience for me with such a reflective material - Chrome! My equipement was a solid white background, 10D and 550 flash (bouncing). Any suggestions/techniques out there on how to best shoot Chrome would be greatly appreciated!! Kindest Regards, Jammey Church Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmichaelc Posted April 6, 2004 Author Share Posted April 6, 2004 One more thing.....a studio set-up was not possible....this was an onsite request. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_hovland Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 "Light- Science and Magic" is a good resource for photographing metal. The key issue is: does a particular area need to be light or dark? If light, then you need to have something white covering all of the relevant angles. Foamcore sheeting and ways to hold pieces at odd angles will be important tools here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waldemar_chadzynski Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 www.webphotoschool.com try something from free lessons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_levine Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 Usually chrome stuff is tented to minimize reflection of the light source.A semi permanent table top tent can be built pretty inexpensive.I have shot some chromed tools with a big softbox over head,and some small fill lights heavily diffused,this works fine.Like any metal objects,you have to have some highlights or metal looks like plastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_burns1 Posted April 7, 2004 Share Posted April 7, 2004 Photographing chrome is just like photgraphing mirrors. You end up photographing the images of whatever is being reflected by the chrome. You have to surround your chrome pieces with reflecting surfaces that also act as the light sources. You can use fabric that can be used as either a light reflector or light diffuser, or foamcore, paper, etc to act as light reflectors. Working with rounded shapes can end up requiring you to totally surround the pieces with these materials and engulf them in light. In order to give a three dimensional appearance, you will need to work with different light intensities and shapes to accent the shapes and curves. You might even want to work with light subtraction, using dark reflector boards or fabrics to accent the three dimensionality by creating what looks like "shadows". You will definitely need more than one light source to make something like this work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now