How do you photograph shiny things using flash

[arith]

This is a bit more direct:

[will_c]

How did you get the background so black; I bought some so called black card today but it isn't really black and selective brightness is really difficult to do without leaving a halo?

I don't have a proper setup - it's just a black card table propped up vertically. The thing to do is to get separation between the subject and the background by putting the background as far away as possible and by directing the light so that the subject receives relatively much greater illumination. There's some spill to the background that registers a little bit, but as long as you get clear air in the histogram you can generally truncate it to pure black with no noticable effect on the subject (I use the raw converter to do this).

By bouncing off a target of some sort and using that to illuminate other reflectors rather than the subject directly, you can make the light pretty much as flat as you like and manipulate it by moving the secondary reflectors relatively closer or further away, or using different materials.

[arith]

I don't have a proper setup - it's just a black card table propped up vertically. The thing to do is to get separation between the subject and the background by putting the background as far away as possible and by directing the light so that the subject receives relatively much greater illumination. There's some spill to the background that registers a little bit, but as long as you get clear air in the histogram you can generally truncate it to pure black with no noticable effect on the subject (I use the raw converter to do this).

By bouncing off a target of some sort and using that to illuminate other reflectors rather than the subject directly, you can make the light pretty much as flat as you like and manipulate it by moving the secondary reflectors relatively closer or further away, or using different materials.

The knife I wanted all black but the corkscrew only the darker bit because I was doing shadows. I'm a bit limited for space and need a table a little higher than any I've got otherwise I've got big tripod problems; only the flash is on a tripod in the corkscrew images and t is hanging from a black cotton thread tied to a door of a kitchen cupboard.

cheers.

[Wirefox]

Arith all good pointers above. You can also use the method below in PP particularly where you have the 2 tone background. This was the advice I gave in the "Just a Rose" thread

In your image editor open levels click the black dropper at the left of the dialog box then take the dropper and click on the background until it becomes black. You will see the effect subtly but immediately. Then go back to the histogram in the levels dialog box, drag the slider at the far right of the histogram along the axis to the point that the right hand side of histogram starts to rise (but no further - less if you start to blow highlights). Close the dialog and I think you may be surprised at the result. If you have lost any tonal depth open curves. On the left hand side of the diagonal plot grab the plot line about a quarter of the way up, drag down a couple of millimeters. Then go to the far right of the plot line and grab the line about a quarter of the way down. Drag the plot line upward by a couple of millimeters.You will know if you have overdone it.

PS not sure why you need a tripod for the camera if using flash. The image is captured in the instant of flash strobes which is far faster than your cameras mechanical shutter can manage.

[arith]

PS not sure why you need a tripod for the camera if using flash. The image is captured in the instant of flash strobes which is far faster than your cameras mechanical shutter can manage.

Just an awkward angle and help my back Steve.

[arith]

Just for fun

[Ashwin]

Confusing Light:

Hi Arith,

Since last nearly 15 years I am not doing photography, but still we are in photography business my two sons are doing it. On 2/3 occassion I had to
take photographs of very shinning subject. Material was Stainless steel product with very shinning surface, I am trying to explain you how I did
photography for that. Here is rough sketch of how my set up was. ( I am not good in drawing )

As shown in the sketch take BIG CARD BOARD BOX.. cut out 4 side portion plus top - bottom keeping 1" or 2" margin ( Pink area in the skeych is cut out ).. You can do this by getting 1"border Cubicle Wooden frame. cover four sides and bottom of the cut out portion with white cloth. Put 2 studio Light
( not flash light ) in two sides as shown in the sketch, and one from backside

This arrangement is CALLED LIGHT TENT
In India this is ready made available

Put your ITEM to be photographed in the middle of the box.

With camera on stand in the front adjust the hight of the camera as required make hole for lens

LIGHT ON from 3 sides., and bottom.. take exposure reading.... and click.
I hope you will get shadowless desired result

I have VERY SUCCESSFULLY got my work this way

[arith]

Brilliant reply cheers ashwin

[Ashwin]

Brilliant reply cheers ashwin

Hi Arith,

After you have finished your photographic job, please do post your final Photograph with your comment, so that others can learn from your experiment

[Dave Humphries]

This arrangement is CALLED LIGHT TENT
In India this is ready made available

In England too, have a look here, not bad for less than a tenner (plus P&P).

I have one of these - it does the job, plus three cheap, small goose-neck desk lamps with 30W or 60W bulbs.
I haven't used it much to date, but now have a need, to sell some kit, so I'll share some images in due course.

Cheers,

[Wirefox]

Ashwin

Excellent explanation of the light box. You would not believe how many SLR owners at work ask what a lightbox is

[arith]

Ashwin

Excellent explanation of the light box. You would not believe how many SLR owners at work ask what a lightbox is

I didn't know until now The only lightbox I used was the school hall with a few thousand watt (I can't remember that far back) barn door lights.

Being silly now; when I get a lightbox I will post images here. Cheers Ashwin.

[Ashwin]

I didn't know until now The only lightbox I used was the school hall with a few thousand watt (I can't remember that far back) barn door lights.

Being silly now; when I get a lightbox I will post images here. Cheers Ashwin.

I was watching this thread, I was thinking that somebody will definately guide properly, as this is not so tricky/hard solution, waiting uptill the post #26, I thought I will not be able to explain this arrangement fully in words, as such I took little trouble to make out the Sketch as you see, and gave my explanation. I am glad, this has worked.

[Radu Dinu Cordeanu]

Ashwin

Excellent explanation of the light box. You would not believe how many SLR owners at work ask what a lightbox is

Hi Steve,
I cannot believe that!Having a dslr/slr presumes to have a medium to high standard, of course in my opinion.
Regards
Radu Dinu

[Ashwin]

Hi Steve,
I cannot believe that!Having a dslr/slr presumes to have a medium to high standard, of course in my opinion.

Hi Radu Dinu,

Reality is this, I remember one occassion, some 35 years ago I was taking photograph of long procession from a distance of about 50/60 feet in BROAD DAYLIGHT, ( Daylight at that time was so bright that I had to close down to f-11 shutter speed 125 I was not using Flash light ) other photographer who was taking the same shots from the same distance of 50/60 feet was using Flash light. Suddenly he came to me and said your ( my ) photograph will not come out good, I asked him why ? he said your flash did not fire...... I had nothing to explain him

[arith]

Hi Steve,
I cannot believe that!Having a dslr/slr presumes to have a medium to high standard, of course in my opinion.
Regards
Radu Dinu

How are you supposed to know what a lightbox is unless you do a course or join CiC? I used to do landscape and are doing this to get used to my flash guns. I hate single on-board headlight type flash and usually like shadows in my general direction.

I looked at doing a course at the local college but non of there courses have any public examinations and I don't do courses that only depend on a nod to determine a pass or not. The local university wants over £4000 for each course and since I already have a degree I can't get any help towards that.

So this is the only place I will find these things out. cheers

ps I am still interested in landscape especially HDR panorama but I'm recovering from an operation at the moment, as Arny says, I'll be back.

[Ashwin]

Hi Steve,
I cannot believe that!

Hi Radu Dinu,

Photography is a vast subject, more over different type of photography requires different type of knowledge and experiance / and different type of arrangement, it is very difficult to have knowledge of all kind of photography.

Colin can wait for 1 hour or more for his favorite one shot, I can't wait even for one minute. I might be 10 times faster than him in normal good daylight photography. But I will fail to calculate my exposure in such a dim light.

I have very good knowledge of PP in PS, I utilise only 3 % or 4 % of Photoshop, other facility I dont require for my day to day work, as such I have never bothered about existance of other facility nor tried to experiment with them, when needed I will try.... So don't be surprised

[Ashwin]

How are you supposed to know what a lightbox is unless you do a course or join CiC? I used to do landscape and are doing this to get used to my flash guns. I hate single on-board headlight type flash and usually like shadows in my general direction.

I looked at doing a course at the local college but non of there courses have any public examinations and I don't do courses that only depend on a nod to determine a pass or not. The local university wants over £4000 for each course and since I already have a degree I can't get any help towards that.

So this is the only place I will find these things out. cheers

ps I am still interested in landscape especially HDR panorama but I'm recovering from an operation at the moment, as Arny says, I'll be back.

Hi Arith,

Let me first wish you early recovery, so that members here can have more of your panorama, and pictures to study.

I fully agree with your point

[arith]

Cheers ashwin; the hospital says it is ok for me to take my camera out now. cheers again

[Ashwin]

Cheers ashwin; the hospital says it is ok for me to take my camera out now. cheers again

Good news for me as well as the forum member too. Don't hurry. take complete rest, before going out.