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08/03/2004 08:18:54 AM · #1 |
I will take some studio photos of a product that is mainly made out of stainless steel. My problem is the reflections from the flash in the steel. I got a suggestion that I should build a white "tent" over the product and let the flashlight go though the "tent". The problem is that the product is the size of a minivan so it is a bit difficult to build a tent around it.
If anyone have any tips or tricks to get rid of the reflection please let me know.
This is what I have to play with:
Canon D60 and a 300D
2 Elinchrom style 600 flash
1 small softbox
2 white umbrella
Canon flash speedlite 550ex and 420ex
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08/03/2004 08:20:10 AM · #2 |
| Complete guess - bounce the light off a large piece of white card/sheet?? |
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08/03/2004 08:46:37 AM · #3 |
If it is just the reflection of the flash you are worried about (and not of the other surroundings), then you only need to consider the subject as a funny shaped mirror and be aware that the angle of incoming light is the same as reflected light.
So determine the angle from camera to surface, use the same angle away from the surface, do this for every point on the subject and ensure your flash stays outside the area defined by all these angles.
Sounds difficult, hard to explain in words, but very simple really. Look in the subject from camera angle and determine what you can see and stay out of that area.
However if you subject is funny shaped, or round, your surface to avoid might be so large that you can't light it anymore. In that case just choose a position or shape of the light that caused minimum disturbance. You might also consider a bounce on a large white surface within the visible area.
To shield of the rest of the surroundings for a big subject you might consider a big white party tent, or a large garage with white walls, covered with white sheets.
A small stainless steel object, with description of setup for inspiration :
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08/03/2004 08:47:31 AM · #4 |
Hi Bjorn -
I would suggest sending a PM to JoelHSmith. Photographing metallics is what he does for a living. Here is one of the hips he photographed for a challenge here.
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08/03/2004 08:58:20 AM · #5 |
i think part of what makes a shot of stainless, or chrome for that matter is the reflections - it's just a matter of controlling them to get the effect you're after.
not that i am pro - but i think its nearly impossible to get reflectionless photos of stainless w/o it looking black.
Message edited by author 2004-08-03 08:58:48.
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08/03/2004 09:05:33 AM · #6 |
Softbox, by whatever means: this allows you to shape tthe reflections with positioning, and avoid weird lines more than you want. The real interest for me in shooting something as highly reflective, is that all the shape information is given by the reflections - at some point, there's an ideal that approaches pure black and white (light and not-light) - the essence of photography, perhaps.
E
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08/03/2004 09:26:56 AM · #7 |
sounds like a soft box is out of the question under the circumstances here../
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08/03/2004 11:08:53 PM · #8 |
| Styrofoam insulation sheets make good lightweight large reflectors. They are usually 4x8 feet. Buy a few and clamp them together for a huge light tent. You can even get ones with a silver side. There was an article in PhotoPro a few issues back that described a studio used to photograph cars and such. At least I think it was in that magazine. |
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08/03/2004 11:14:48 PM · #9 |
For this
I improvized something kind of like the tent you were suggested to use. On a chair I layed a white sheet folded in two and 2 lights from behind the sheet on both sides. Subject under the chair.
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08/03/2004 11:17:21 PM · #10 |
get a polarizer and use flash, and hope for the best.
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08/03/2004 11:22:19 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by hsteg:
get a polarizer and use flash, and hope for the best. |
I think polarisers work only on non-metallic surfaces
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08/03/2004 11:25:20 PM · #12 |
As far as I know I think polarizers don't work good on metalic reflections. Anyways I read now more carefuly the initial post and first I overlooked the size of the object. Well I guess the only thing in this case is to avoid direct light and try to bounce it on some white soft surface...
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08/04/2004 05:20:18 AM · #13 |
Thank you all for your suggestions.
The product is located in a factory so i guess the surroundings will be a problem as well. So i probably need to build some kind of "tent" around it.
Looking at the pictures in this thread I assume that you have use some sort of dark reflector. What is the purpose with a dark reflector? Will that help me? |
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08/04/2004 05:41:49 AM · #14 |
Originally posted by Tirpitz:
What is the purpose with a dark reflector? Will that help me? |
A dark reflector (in my case often black velvet) can be very effective to add contrast. It ensures that light is not reflected from the side you place the reflector (or better non-reflector) and in that way it ensures that the object maintains shadows which can emphasise its shape.
For example, the details in the petals in this image would not have been that clear if the light had bounced back to fill in the shadows. it would become very flat.
Another example is this image by kiwiness :
You can also place it strategically so it is directly visible in the reflection itself and accentuates the shape of the object in that way, like the example of the artifical hip posted earlier in this thread.
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08/04/2004 09:27:23 AM · #15 |
For reflective objects, you don't light the object itself, but rather the environment around it.
Message edited by author 2004-08-04 09:27:38.
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08/04/2004 09:47:42 AM · #16 |
FIRST OF ALL, where can you photograph it?
Inside is best. Outside is a much bigger challenge.
If it is inside tell me the size of the room. How tall is it?
Send in a quick crap shot of the object so we can see the geometry of the refective surface. Tubes are done differently than curved objects.
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08/04/2004 06:17:41 PM · #17 |
Can you turn the lights out in the factory? If you can then it should be pitch black. If that is the case, By using flash the only thing in the factory that will show up in your photo is your subject.
If light bleeds off and indirectly lights a machine near your subject drape it in black fabric. (Its cheep and at Walmart.)
That should isolate your subject. Unless you cannnot turn the lights out. (lemme know)
I do like the idea of bouncing the light off of a sheet of 4x8 styrofoam (Cheep and available at any Lowe's, Menards, Home DePot.)
As far as positioning your softboxes I can't give you any advice without seeing your subject. Could you post a pic of it?
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08/10/2004 08:21:53 AM · #18 |
Unfortunatly I had to take the picture before I got your answer. The result as you can see is not good. I took me a while to figure out that I should turn off the lights, which isn't that easy in a factory.
However I will have a second chance to shoot this product during this fall. This time I hope I could get it right.
The location is a nightmare. It is at the shipping and packaging area next to the assambly line. Surrounded with very tall yellow shelfs and brick walls. The roof is very very high with small windows you can't cover (well I don't know how to), so there are some reflection from the roof unless I take the shoot at night.
I have some money to spend on this project so if there is anything that you think I need, let me know.
Take a look at the pictures and tell me what you think. What have I done wrong? What is good? How would you do it?
I really appriciate the help you have given me so far.
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08/10/2004 08:34:09 AM · #19 |
If I'd realised you were shooting something that size and in that location I'd have shut up!
I think you've done great work there - don't immediately see any reflection problems at all. Just a suspicion that the whited-out areas could be more cleanly done, but that's just more time in post.
For the purposes of illustration purely, showing detail etc. I couldn't really fault it.
ed
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