In fact, to widen my area of hatred, I hate spherical objects, especially if they are shiny; because they are complete and utter bastards to photograph.
Their shape ensures that they take light from everywhere and throw the resulting reflections straight into my camera lens; and reflections are generally not what you are hoping for.
Yesterday I was asked to take a photo of a desk lamp. Cool in shape, LED lit and a pleasant little subject to photograph, or so I thought. I photographed it on a table and the head of the lamp presented me with a reflection of most of the objects in the room. I surrounded it with white boards, I redirected studio lights, I generally fucked about for a couple of hours with the sodding thing. At the end of the ordeal, I had this:
I had lit it with two studio lights bounced off the ceiling, and it of course reflected those two lights, but maybe in a subtle enough way to make it acceptable. The guy I was shooting it for didn’t think so, and neither did I upon reflection (sic), and I went to bed with a challenge on my mind.
This morning I woke early and in an hour or so had constructed this contraption:
White everywhere and just a small hole for my lens to poke through. Show reflections now you bastard! It did, from the light coming through the window and various small holes and even places I didn’t know there were reflections. Oh dear.
Not to be beaten, it was out to the shops and home with 12 metres of white cloth and some safety pins (which are a misnomer, I am bleeding from several small holes).
I built a frame out on the balcony, but when I started to wrap it in cloth it turned into a kite, so the whole thing was dismantled and re-erected just inside the condo.
Of course, once I took some photos, there were reflections, this time of the brightest part of the cloth next to the window. So I closed the windows which are slightly smoked, a little better. So I draped some more cloth over the front and the patch almost went away, although there was still a black blob reflected the camera lens. But a bit of Photoshop would say goodbye to that.
Approximately twenty hours and twelve metres of cloth later, I had banished most of the reflection, apart from the reflection of the stand, but physics dictates that can’t be avoided.
So that is what I did today; I trust your day was less challenging.
Comments 🔗
2011-09-04| Wally saysIt looks a bit like that little Pixar character
2011-09-05| TheSon saysLuxo Modernism indeed!
Looks good - certainly worth it, the bottom picture looks much more like a product shot. Could have done with that enclosure when trying to photograph that tiny pebble for Nik…
2011-09-07| J.D. saysGlad you stuck with it, great job persevering!