Photographic Lighting - Shiny Surfaces (4.5e)

Requirement

4 to 10 images

Purpose

To learn how best to shoot objects with shiny to mirror-like surfaces

Technical learning

• Photographing shiny surfaces, like chrome or silver, present special challenges

Exercise instructions

• Pick an object with a very shiny surface
• Place it against a suitable background (e.g. black velvet) on the floor
• Set up your camera on a tripod (so as to avoid a reflection of the camera on the object)
• Place a light close to the camera
• Take a photograph for reference
• Obtain a large sheet of tracing paper and roll into a cone so that the small end fits around the camera lens and the wider end around the subject (but not visible in the viewfinder)
• Observe the difference and take a second image
• Experiment with different (a) lighting positions, (b) distances and (c) camera angles

Images and review
An inheritance from my uncle. Shot in a Photo Tent on a piece of black acrylic and a black card background. Light sources were 2 photo tungsten lamps. 1 lamp stayed in the same position during the 6 shots, at 90 degrees to the camera left. The other lamp was moved into different positions, as described below.

Cufflinks

Moving light (right) - at 90 degrees to camera

...at 45 degrees level with camera

...directly above camera elevated at 45 degrees
to subject

...directly above camera elevated at 70 degrees
to subject

...next to camera lens

..below camera lens

Photographic Lighting - Concentrating Light (4.5d)

Requirement

Several images

Purpose

To experiment with the effect of concentrating light on the subject and creating shadow around it

Technical learning

• Concentrating light on part of a scene can be achieved in 3 ways: (a) use a dish reflector with a tungsten lamp or flash unit, (b) fit a snoot to a light source, and (c) block light falling onto the scene (with a black card)
• You can create a DIY snoot by rolling black card into a conical shape and taping it to a flash unit

Exercise instructions

• Experiment with concentrating light on a scene using an improvised snoot and black card to block part of the scene

Images and review
Made a DIY snoot from A4 black craft foam rolled into a cylinder around the flash head and held together with duck tape. Cost 51p. Cheapest piece of useful photo gear yet!

Paint pots on garage shelf

Snoot pointed upwards and 45 degrees from
left to create an impression of a high shelf

Odds and ends

Snoot pointed moderately downwards
towards the front of the shelf
to bring the focus onto the metal
tray and its contents

Green Jerry Can

Snoot pointed into mouth of plastic
jerry can to give the plastic a
luminous green glow
as well as show the traces of dried
petrol from use

Photographic Lighting - Contrast and Shadow Fill (4.5c)

Requirement

6 images

Purpose

To experiment with contrast using flash as the light source (by diffusion, reflection and distance from the subject)

Technical learning

• Contrast is the difference between light and shadow
• 2 important roles for strong shadow: it adds to (a) the graphic design of an image and (b) the atmosphere and emotional appeal (see below)
• However, shadow sacrifices detail. Shadow in-fill can enhance detail but increasingly makes for a flatter image.

Strong shadows - graphic design

Stairs
Aleksandr Rodchenko

Girl with a Leica
Aleksandr Rodchenko

Light Contour Map
Ralph Morse

Strong shadows - emotional impact

Lionel Shriver
Manuel Vazquez

Miles Davis
Irving Penn

Truman Capote
Irving Penn

Big Cloud, Los Angeles
Mitch Dobrowner

Trees Clouds
Mitch Dobrowner

• Difficult to change outdoors in daylight (other than waiting for the light to change), it can be managed indoors with photographic lighting with/without reflectors
• 3 ways to change contrast: (a) alter distance between light source and subject (further away increases contrast), (b) set up a second light source and (c) use a reflector (reduce contrast), or not/ using black card/ velvet
• Reflectors fill in shadows when set up opposite to the light source: their strength depends on the shininess of their surface
• Shadow fill adds more detail but as its effect increases so does the flatness of the image

Exercise instructions

• Set up a still life
• Obtain a large white card (2 x 3 feet) and aluminium foil (as a reflector)
• Choose a background away from walls that allows access from the sides
• Place the camera on a tripod level with the subject
• Set up a flash unit 2/3 feet away from and at right angles to the subject

Take 6 images as follows:

• 2 x flash unit: 1 with diffuser, 1 without
• 2 x reflector (white card): at 3 feet from subject, then 1.5 feet from subject
• 2x aluminium foil: 1 x dull surface outwards, 1 x shiny surface outwards
• Organise images in order of contrast, highest first

Images and review

The Petrol Can

Naked Flash
Hard Shadows, particularly of cap
on front of petrol can

Flash diffused by Soft Box
Soft edges and moderately more
detail in the shadows

...White Card Reflector at 36 inches
more detail emerges on side of can

...White Card Reflector at 18 inches
even more detail than at 36 inches

...Aluminium Foil (dull side) at 18 inches
slightly more detail than using a white card
reflector at the same distance

...Aluminium Foil (shiny side) at 18 inches
more detail again, although the position
of the reflector is evident on the side of the can
(unintended effect)

...Aluminium Foil (shiny side) at 36 inches,
more detail than white card reflector at that distance

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Photographic Lighting - The Lighting Angle (4.5b)

Requirement

11 images

Purpose

• To experiment with using diffused light at different angles

Technical learning

Direction and elevation

• 2 dimensions to the position of light source: (a) direction and (b) elevation
• Both have a major impact on how viewer reads image
• Photographers describe direction variously - by angles, points of compass, clock positions or relationship to the subject (as in chart below)
• Photographers sometimes describe elevation as between 'high' and 'low', but more useful to consider the angle at which light strikes the subject, since this takes account of the height of the light and its distance from the subject

Impact of lightening angles
David Praekel, 'Lighting'

Backlighting and rim-lighting

• Both are effective in revealing shape
• Back light is behind the subject directed towards the camera. This creates a silhouette sitting in a bright background. 
• Rim light comes round the edge of the subject from a source behind or to the side so that it reveals the edges of the subject

Top and base lighting

• Top lighting with a softbox, with reflectors to throw light towards the front of the subject, is common in product advertising
• Base lighting requires the subject to be placed on a transparent surface and lit from below

Exercise instructions

• Pick a small subject (e.g. sculpture) so that you have several planes to show differences in shadow and light
• Use a tripod (and keep in the same location during shoot)
• Set the subject against a plain background
• Move the flash and diffuser around the subject as you shoot
• With the light level with the subject, (1) front, (2/3/4) side, (5) behind
• With the light 45 degrees above the subject, (6) front, (7) side, (8) behind
• With the light 90 degrees above the subject, (9) directly overhead, (10) slightly in front, (11) slightly behind
• Compare the results 

Images and review

Still life# 1 Bowl

• The 2nd attempt: the 1st attempt was OK for learning, I just didn't like the images much. So having another go, in addition to reinforcing the learning, made me happier with the result
• Improvements were mainly from the use of a black card background and conversion to monochrome

Still life# 2 Tennis Ball

• Use of yellow tennis ball on a red rush table mat, provides contrasts: one of adjacent warm colours, the other of textures. 
• The shape of the ball provides a useful way to show the modelling effect of the flash. 

Key points of flash impact

• Location, surface area, diffusion of shadow
• Subject and background
• Intensity on illuminated surfaces

1. Bowl

1. Front - level with subject

No back shadow but some light
reflection from inner glass onto black surface,
with shadow pattern as well.
Detail bleached out by flash, but for the difference
in the reflection from the black card 
the image has no depth

2. Three quarter - level with subject

Shadow thrown onto background in the opposite
direction to the flash, right hand edge of bowl
is also in shadow. More texture revealed.

3. Direct left  - level with subject

Shadow cast to the side, but light seeping through
glass lights up inside right of bowl.
Not particularly appealing - mildly chaotic
Strange shadow at 8 o'clock (unsure what
caused it - might be light reflected from the background?)

4. One quarter - level with subject

Unexplained shadow (however, can this really
be reflected light at work? Doubt it)

5. Back - level with subject

Replaced the black back board with my DIY
polythene A3 diffuser.
Reveals the shape in silhouette.

6. Front - at 45° elevation

Bleaches detail but 45 degree elevation 
casts a small shadow behind to add some depth, 
compared to image #1 above

7. Direct left - at 45° elevation

The diagonal shadow across the face of the bowl
is interrupted by light passing through the
lattice. Neat shadow on the base of the set.

8. Back - at 45° elevation

Interesting illumination of the structure, almost
a film negative or infrared effect.
Shadow on the base is nearly as
appealing as the rendering of the image.

9. Overhead

Top half illuminated, bottom half of bowl not.
Slight loss of symmetry of shadow on base suggests
that flash wasn't directly overhead.

10. Overhead - slightly backward

Again the effect of light passing through the structure
is evident here

11. Overhead - slightly forward

Top 2/3 rds lit by flash, soft shadow
across remaining 1/3rd of bowl

2. Tennis Ball

1. Front - level with subject

Eliminates nearly all shadow on ball and mat

2. Three quarter - level with subject

Creates a shadow on the ball (25% of its
surface) and makes illuminated side look brighter. 
Also, diffuser creates a graduated shadow,
light to dark in the direction of the light source.
Long hard shadow on mat.

3. Direct left  - level with subject

Shadow now covers c. 50% of subject,
left hand edge has a luminous glow
(Is this an illusion caused by contrast, or is
this is a real increase in brightness?)

4. One quarter - level with subject

The ball is in silhouette, but for a
crescent shaped area of brightness on
the same side as the flash. 
Rear side of mat lit, front side not.
Faint lens flare.

5. Back - level with subject

A silhouette (created by shooting through the 
framed greaseproof paper).
Lens flare corrected in Photoshop.

6. Front - at 45° elevation

Mostly even lighting, modest
shadow at base of ball, diffused on ball but
hard on mat.

7. Direct left - at 45° elevation

Diagonal shadow on subject, oblong shadow 
on the mat

8. Back - at 45° elevation

Near silhouette. 
Edge round top half of ball
is rim lit

9. Overhead

Shadow covers 25% of lower part of ball
and is highly diffused on the subject. Hard shadow
thrown underneath, mimics shape

10. Overhead - slightly forward

Shadow covers lower half of ball.

Hard shadow

underneath, distorted shape

11. Overhead - slightly backward

Shadow covers bottom 2/3rds
of subject and appears harder
on the face of the ball. Hard shadow

underneath, even more misshapen