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