Tag Archives: shiny surfaces

Excerise: Shiny Surfaces

Posted in OCA Learning Log Part Four. Light by

Objects with surfaces that reflect brightly, such as anything of chrome or silver, are a special lighting problem. There are ways of dealing with them that make such a remarkable difference to a photograph that this is a very rewarding exercise to do.

First find an object that is so shiny that you can see your face in it. Choose an object you can lay flat and have the camera above the object. Set up the object, and your camera on a tripod, place a light close to the object. Take the first photograph, you should notice how unsatisfactory the image is.

Roll out a long tube made from tracing paper. Stick it together with tape and cover the shiny object. Attach the other end of the paper tube to your lens and stick it down. Or hold it in place. Then take a photograph. For the next set of photographs, play around with lighting in different positions and distances.

For this set of images, I kept the lighting at approximately 1 foot away from the shiny object. I then moved it right next to the shiny object for the other set of images.

I used settings ISO 200, 1/8 , F/5.6

Natural Light:

1 Natural Light

Artificial Light Above Object:

2 Above Light

Artificial Light To the Side of the Object:

3 Side Light

Artificial Light Behind Object:

4 Behind Light

Diffused Light to the side of the Object:

5 Diffused Side Light

Natural Light with Tracing Paper:

6 Natural Light Paper

Artificial Light Above Object with Tracing Paper:

7 Above Light Paper

Artificial Light Side of Object with Tracing Paper:

8 Side Light Paper

Artificial Light Behind Object with Tracing Paper:

9 Behind Light Paper

Diffused Light Side of Object with Tracing Paper:

10 Diffused Light Side Paper

Diffused Light Above Object with Tracing Paper:

11 Diffused Light Above Paper

For the next set of images, I moved the artificial light extremely close to the shiny object.

Artificial Light Above Object:

17 Above light close

Artificial Light Side of Object:

18 Side light close

Artificial Light Behind Object:

19 Behind light close

Diffused Light Side of Object:

20 Diffused light close

Diffused Light Above Object:

21 Diffused light above close

Artificial Light Above Object With Paper:

12 Above Light close paper

Artificial Light Side of Object With Paper:

13 Side light close paper

Artificial Light Behind Object With Paper:

14 Behind light close paper

Diffused Light Side of Object With Paper:

15 Diffused side light paper

Diffused Light Behind Object With Paper:

16 Diffused light behind paper

Overall Opinion:

The set of images taken with no tracing paper, give the ‘shiny’ surface a more dull tone. Whereas you can instantly see the difference with the images taken with the tracing paper. The shiny object becomes even more shiny and a lot brighter overall.

My overall favourite for this exercise would have to be the images taken with the diffused light with tracing paper. The lighting isn’t harsh like with the artificial light. You are able to see the detail with the stones clearer, and the metal is shiny overall.