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Photographing glass
Hi everyone this is my first post, yay!! Anyway a company has asked me to shoot some product shots for them. I've attached a picture that I shot today, I used a white background and 3 lights. The problem I'm having is getting a perfectly white background and still keep the detail in the product. Any help is greatly appreciate, thanks!!!
Paul
Paul
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Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!
Ya know, this is in the wrong forum. You really want to be in the Technique forum.
With luck, folks there will be able to give you some feedback.
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
For this kind of work an incident meter is almost mandatory especially if shooting on a schedule or you will spend tons of time guessing with in camera reflected metering.
It's gonna be like shooting snow. Your camera will want to make it 18% gray. I'd meter off a 18% gray card if you have it. That's also where a hand held light meter comes in handy. Otherwise use manual settings, take a shot, check it, adjust it...repeat.
You can also shoot the white background and set your custom white balance to that.
May not be the perfect answer, but it should help!
Wow..art posted while I was typing...sort of the same track...
See: http://mercphoto.smugmug.com/gallery/290218/1/11596572
A former sports shooter
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Just what it sounds like...it's a piece of card board that is 18% gray...which is what a camera tries to base it's metering off of. Usually the other side is white, which can be used for setting your white balance.
If you don't know how to meter, in manual mode, I suggest reading your manual. Set shutter speed or set aperature, put gray card in your sets lighting, focus on card, fill the view finder with said card, adjust speed or aperature until your meter shows you have the right exposure. Leave settings like that, even once you put your subject in said lighting. Your meter will more than likely move, but since you metered off of the gray card you will be fine...try it you'll see.
Paul
No gray card, light meter, etc. Just two lights, RAW, shoot.
Sam
I have a feeling that photographing glass is a bit more involved than you believe it is going to be. This is a difficult subject to photograph properly.
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
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You are correct in shooting RAW. You need all the exposure latitude possible to massage the subtle tones and values from the piece.
You are correct in using lights that run continuously. That's a very good way to pre-judge the shot.
Try putting your head where the camera is going to be. Move the lights and reflectors and absorbers while you keep your head still. (This may require assistance. Use a video camera and large monitor if it helps to visualize.)
Start with a single light, trying for a single element of the shot, and work with it until it is doing what you want. Layer in additional lights, watching how they coordinate or confuse the image.
Learn to understand how the light works with the piece. Use a piece of paper to block your view of too much of the image area at one time until you get comfortable "seeing" the different image parts.
Tenting the object can be extremely valuable in controlling reflections and avoiding hot spots. "Flag" is the name used to describe dark panels and sheets which are used to provide light control and add depth to the image.
Take your time and don't photograph except to verify what you already see and to validate the exposure.
You can use the palm of your hand in lieu of a gray-card. Your palm is about 1 stop more reflective than an 18% gray card so just compensate the exposure by adding 1 stop either via the aperture or the exposure duration. (You can do this because the lights are burning continuously. With flash you would control either the aperture or adjust the flash ouput at the flash head.)
ziggy53
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
http://www.tabletopstudio.com/documents/glass_photography.htm#background
My favoarite how-to site. Of course they are trying to sell their products, but for the light tent, as someone else already mentioned, a white sheet (or I use ripstop nylon) and the lights outside the tent will give you the best light.
I have a makeshift "studio" I use. It's a folding card table.
Unfold the legs and make the table. Lift the table and place it on a platform. I use my dining room table. Instead of putting the table the "right" way on the table, turn it on it's side so the solid table part is resting on the dining room table. The extended legs then form a place to drape your sheet or fabric. This leaves an open area for you to reach inside the tent to place your object.
You can use the underside of the card table top to tape seamless paper, cloth or plastic to form a seamless background.
This is the same idea as the light tents the site referenced above is selling. A lot less elegant, for sure, but since it's not my job to do this kind of photography, but only something I do once in awhile, I find this easier and more economical.
I have some halogen work shop lights that come on a stand. They go outside the fabric on either side of my dining room table and provide the light I need. I use a tripod and a cable release to take the photos.
You can get more elaborate with flashes instead of hot lights, but I like to see what the light is doing.
If you read through all the "how to photograph glass" tutorials, you'll see the trick with the black pieces of cardboard.
Since I use hot lights, I just take a lot of different manual exposures to get the correct exposure. One I see what is working, then I take the "real" photos.
Sometimes I angle the work lights up toward the ceiling, or move them away more from the table, or lower them to get the light I want. I also sometimes use a small halogen desk lamp directly on the object inside the tent, I couldn't do this for glass, however, as it would reflect.
I hope this helps a little... please show us your results.
http://www.twitter.com/deegolden
That link is an excellent short tutorial on photographing glass objects! Good find!
Thanks,
ziggy53
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Thanks for the link. I like the tecnique with the bottom lighting and hole in the paper.
Sam
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
You have a whiter white! Not sure I like that black thing underneath, or what it's purpose is. And it does look like it's about to fall over....
It looks a tad over exposed....are you in full manual when you shoot.....I will a lot of times have camera set up on tridod, place 18% greycard directly in from of subject fill frame with card only ...jot down meter reading...move from Aperature priority to full manual and set camera meter settings as they were in AP and shoot......and it maybe that for thei extremely clear glass you might need to under expose it...but that can be fixed in post with photoshop or what ever image editor you have.
You are getting good control over the lighting, now just add some drama.
The angle is a little too low to get a real feel about the shape of the object, so just raise the camera and shoot down a bit more.
The edges of the object need a few more hints that they are edges. You may need a slit in the diffusor or add a strip of smooth aluminum foil (mounted on something like a strip of corrugated cardboard or a paint stir-stick) in the foreground and to the right. (Maybe also try aluminum foild wrapped around a tube, or just a really shiny tube instead.) Play around until you find something that works, kind of a "glint".
Similarly, a dark strip, positioned to the back and left, just off camera. might yield a nice subtractive element. Again, try stuff 'till it works.
A graduated backdrop can be simulated with a dark base, a light background, and a translucent "sweep". That will also make for easier cropping later.
If you are shooting RAW, like I recommended, do rough processing with the RAW conversion, but stay in 16 bit as long as possible and save a 16 bit TIFF, or PhotoShop format, for additional processing. You will probably want to play with the "Curves" to enhance certain tones and demote others. You want to develope the "personality" of each image, which is hard to explain with words or even images, as every piece has its own attributes. Experience is best here.
ziggy53
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Clear glass on white backgrounds are boring photos that show no detail. That is not the type of photograph you want in a catalog designed to sell that piece of glass. In my opinion, the problem here is you are attempting to give the customer what they say they want, but they don't realize what they are asking for is not what they really want to get.
Show them a photo on white, show them a photo on black. That should change their mind.
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
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That looks like it is backlit on white plexiglass with black fill cards in tight and probably tweaked in post production.
Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150006671676&ssPageName=MERC_VIC_RSCC_Pr12_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT
What are black fill cards, and how do I set them up to get those nice detailed edges? Thanks again for all the help and input.
Paul
like the product has been "isolated" in photoshop or some other editing program.
If this is going straight to web (not being offset printed) then you will have to mask out the background.
The black fill cards look like pieces of black plastic, black thin cardboard, etc. They are placed rather close to the object, and then masked out in photoshop.
If you look closely, there is color in the glass on the sides -- sort of a bluish gray and the back of the glass looks whiter.
The black fill cards are vertical -- you'll need something to rest them against, perhaps a tall drinking glass would work.
http://www.tabletopstudio.com/documents/glass_photography.htm#background
Scroll down this page (linked above) and look at the Waterford Glass -- they have simply taken some black paper (looks like construction paper) and taped it to make a soft roll. They then placed the rolls very close to the glass to get the reflections.
You could also stand the rolled paper on edge if you don't want to get black cardboard. Notice how close the black paper is to the clear glass object? After you take the photo you have to crop those black rolls or fill cards, or whatever out of the frame.
I strongly suspect you will have to mask out your background to get close to the photo you showed us.
You will also have to use curves to bring up the contrast to give the image some "snap."
http://www.twitter.com/deegolden