Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Calling John Lucas
Mark Kauder, Phenix City, AL
>John,
I think I know the answer, based on your article in the AAW Journal, but would I get better pictures of my lacquered bowls if, instead of shooting them indoor with my spot lights, I were to shoot them outdoor (in the same booth) but with the defuse light of early morning or at dusk?
Thanks
Mark
Re: Calling John Lucas
John Lucas
>Mark
You might. The problem with Your pieces and Mike Gleasnors is the gloss is so reflective that it sees everything. What you may have to do is not use the panels or put the panels really close. Sometimes if the panels completely surround the piece they don't show but will often mute the colors. Sometimes they look like big ugly panels reflected in the piece.
When I shoot really glossy things in the studio I use one small light on the subject. This produces a small harsh highlight on the piece and a strong shadow off to the side. I then Use another small light up above and behind. This light is bright enought to soften or if I'm lucky eliminate this hard shadow from the first light. This light often causes problems by reflecting off the top of the piece. It's a balancing act.
Shooting outdoors you would normally see clouds, the house, etc however if you use a fairly long lens and use a shallow depth of field the reflections you see may be so out of focus that they won't look bad.
It is a challenge shooting things that glossy. If I have time I'll try my bowling ball shot outside. It's glossy black and with a little imagination could be similar to a mark Kauder piece. I used it to test my lights for shooting a totally glossy round ceramics piece.
Re: Calling John Lucas
John Lucas
>Mark
Another tip is to try and get the light to reflect in a not so dark area such as part of the lighter segemented area. These areas can handle a hot spot better than the dark black areas.
If the piece looks OK but the hot spot is too bright try putting small pieces of black paper on the panel where the reflection of the light is coming from. This often breaks up the reflection so it's not so bright.