The Useful Thread

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  • Wordsworth1

    How can I photograph hard shadows on metal objects using a bare strobe, without clipping any spots on the said object?

    If I move the light away to avoid hot spots, then the shadows appear too far apart and look weak or inconsistent, because of distance and angle.

    And if I bounce the light or diffuse the strobe with a white plastic cover on naked bulb, an umbrella or soft box, then no more hard shadows.

    I'm curious to learn this to photograph silver flatware, cutlery and glass objects.

    Or the easy answer is to keep experimenting.

    Samples,

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    • Oh, snoot and grid?Wordsworth
    • You need a small light sourcegrafician
    • Maybe this tutorial helps: https://www.youtube.…grafician
    • I've seen this and forgot about it, I think its what I want, thanks graf!Wordsworth
    • One of my clients have been demanding this a lot lately as influencers (non photographers) shoot with just 1 light setups with no modifiers. Followerstoemaas
    • To do it on the cheap, just use direct sunlight and an iPhone...grafician
    • hair light or fill light. matelic objects can pick up light super easy without filling the shadow at all.pango
    • both pens in photo picked up the light bounced from the white surface. and you can still see the shadow.pango
    • thanks pango, i'll give that a try.Wordsworth
    • if the pen is too reflective. your hardest problem will be blocking out your reflection. or the room.pango
    • Exactly, flatware and utensils is a bitsch to photograph, esp deep ladles and spoons etc. Oh well.Wordsworth
    • Exposure bracketing?aliastime
    • Damn. Yes ailas!Wordsworth
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