Hot Glass

[Loose Canon]

Guess it’s getting to be about that time again.

My glassblower friends are looking for an update on their 2016/2017 jury images.

This is a test shot of a hand blown glass piece of theirs done before the actual shoot starts.

They seem to be somewhat more versed on what they need from these shots than they have been in the past. Needless to say that is a great help to me!

The shot was approved.

Looks like it may be busy for a while!

[Shadowman]

Nicely composed, interesting presentation as the bottom looks liquefied.

[Loose Canon]

Thanks John.

If you mean "liquified" as in the PS filter, it has not been.

It is however, hand blown so there are going to be some imperfections.

[Loose Canon]

Well, I guess the shot was so bad that it couldn’t elicit but one response out of close to 100 views by those who viewed while logged in!

I’ll try to do better moving forward!

[terrib]

Well, I'm just now getting here. I like how the background fades from black to gray and how the object seems to be floating. It's a very unusual piece.

[Loose Canon]

Thanks for bringing it Terrib!

This Bg is what seems to be required for these jury shots. Apparently there are specific requirements and I have to photograph the pieces accordingly. Otherwise the jurists will reject them offhand with no regard. At least I am told! Very cool of you to say!

I wonder if there's not just a bit too much light at the very top of the vase. I did a slight isolation of the top and made a curves adjustment with a blend mode at multiply...

Excellent comment and edit cc, or whoever you are. I would say you are right on the $$!

Being a test shot it was not so much about the post-production as it was about the actual lighting of the object and BG rendering. That is what these guys are looking for. I didn’t give it the TLC I would have in post but your comment is sure on target and an improvement. And thank you for that.

In the interest of grabbing it in one shot and reducing post time, what suggestions would you have to improve the lighting, BG, and how do you like to light this type of subject?

And do you have a name so I get to have a cool dialogue with someone who is not anonymous?

[ccphoto]

Cris is the name and 1/2 stop less light at the top is the game. BG is just fine.

[Rob Ekins]

Hey Terry.... viewer 142 here

Not a fan of this reflection for this piece.



It seems a bit harsh for such an organic object. I would put a large diffuser in front of the strip box to soften the edges, I have used a translucent white shower curtain from the dollar shop for this but you could use ripstop nylon as well.

You could also argue that the highlight is not necessary as there is plenty of edge definition from the BG and the top light shows the curvature and texture in that area.

[Loose Canon]

Okay Cris. I’ll take that ½ stop advice next shoot.

Hi Viewer 142! Thanks for commenting. Hope everything is going your way Rob!

As a matter of fact, the strip box was fired behind a large diffuser and believe it or not at about a 45* angle behind the piece. It is also responsible for the highlight down the bottom part of the piece on that side.

As I was yutzing around with this, I moved the box into different positions to see what I could come up with. With the box in a higher position, the lower highlight disappeared which is not a bad thing necessarily, but the upper highlight would not. At least it would not disappear in a position that would help light the piece.

Originally I wanted to light this piece with only one light from above, which is also fired through a large diffuser and wearing barn doors and a grid, which would accomplish the BG gradient they are requesting. The problem was that was not enough light in the right places to adequately light the piece. Too much light and risk blowing out the top of the piece as Cris has pointed out already. Not enough and the taper in the piece goes into deep shadow. Move the top light forward and the highlight comes down the piece to the front and I didn’t want a honking highlight right in front of the piece being the first thing one sees. Move it back and you lose the light on the piece.

One advantage with this particular piece is that it is translucent. A lot of the pieces I’m going to be shooting are opaque and will have to be directly lit. To add to that they are black and white with complex patterns and rounded vessels of various shapes. Plus, and this should be fun, they are going to want some groupings of multiple pieces! And the requirements are for this kind of BG so it’s going to be interesting!

I could remove the highlight in post Rob, and have done so with other pieces, but when the patterns on the pieces get too complex it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to do so realistically and is very time consuming.

About the best and fastest (and I use the term "fastest" loosely here!) solution I have come up with to lose that highlight is to light the piece from both sides the same way. Fire one side at a time for two shots and composite. Of course you get two different BG's that way also so sometimes you have to composite that as well. One of the other BG requirements is that they all match as closely as possible. That may be the way I have to go but I really didn’t want to have to do that.

So I am open to suggestion here!

[ccphoto]

Have you thought of putting a small LED flashlight in the base and internally lighting it as well to emphasize the translucency...which, judging by the base thickness is not nearly as translucent? You might have to scrim the light with a piece of plastic and maybe a piece close to the primary color of the vase...just a thought.

[Loose Canon]

Well, not exactly Cris, but something similar to what you are suggesting.

And it’s a great suggestion as long as the piece is translucent. Part of the requirements seem to be that the pieces need to be shot as if they were “all shot at the same time” whatever that means! So I think I’m going to try to light them all as close to the same way as possible and try for similar BG’s if possible. So internally lighting some and not the other’s may not be possible for that reason. And I’m not discounting the possibility that I may have to do some backlighting as well.

This sandblasted snowman was lit similarly to what you are suggesting. It is sitting on a glass surface with some paper on top of that. There is a hole cut in the paper of a size just less than the base of the piece. A light was fired from the bottom through the hole into the piece. Visual refraction speculars were minimized because of the “frosted” surface of the glass but the piece did require some additional lighting as well.

[ccphoto]

That was going to be another suggestion, one I've used in the past for product shots to build a base with a hole in it so you can project light up through the bottom with no apparent light source visible.

[Loose Canon]

I appreciate the suggestions Cris and taking the time to make them.

Sure wish I was hanging out with you! It’s not cold, cool, or warm here!

It’s just downright hot!

[IzzieK]

Terry -- No 211 here. Sorry to be a bit late to this conversation and in a hurry to fly someplace in two hours out of Lambert, but I kinda agree with Rob about the specular highlights he pointed out there. A scrim of a foam board and a piece of parchment paper and scotch tape will take care of them. See 4:57 part of Don Gianetti's video on product photography on YouTube for example on how he tackles hot spots right on camera. I know you know better but I just want to point this out as it is simpler. Just a thought.

[Loose Canon]

Thanks Viewer 211!

I’ll have a look at that video.

Have a safe journey Izzie!