How to light a baby on a mirror

[extrememc]

I want to take a 1 month old baby place on a mirror and get a shot of the reflection w/o the ceiling being visible. Any ideas on how to achieve this. My first thought was to build a light tent and place the baby intent and place my AB800 over the top bare bulb.

[bieber]

Get the light source close enough to the baby that the ceiling gets so little light, relative to the child, that it appears completely black. Or just use light-limiters; grid-spot, barn-doors, whatever.

[extrememc]

After looking about my softbox and the mirror I thought about just putting the AB800 on a boom and then taking a draping a sheet around three sides to create the light tent.

[Wilt]

Shooting area with a very high ceiling, lit only by your lighting so that little to no light is illuminating the ceiling, with a moderate aperture.

For example, if lights are 4' from subject at 45 degree angles to subject side, they do not appear in the mirror and they illuminate brightly enough for f/5.6 exposure. Lights go 4' down to subject on mirror, then have to travel upward to 22' ceiling...and by the time they illuminate the ceiling it is -6EV in brightness, or Black!

[jbdial1515]

Here are two pics I took not too long after getting my camera. I was using a Sigma Super bouncing off the wall to the right, thus the shadows behing her arm.

The mirror was not quite big enough but I really like how they turned out.

JB

[Gamut]

I have a question — I think these are great by the way — but is there a way to lessen the distortion in the mirror itself? Like, would a greater DOF help in order to keep the reflection in focus? Or would a longer lens help to reduce the size of her reflection in pic 1? Although in 2, her head looks perfectly proportional.

Really cute baby! I can't believe she's only a month old!!! Was the mirror cold?

[jbdial1515]

I could not answer your question to be honest but I would like to know the answer as well. The OP wanted to take pic of month old baby but my pic of daughter was when she was about 3 months old.

Thanks for the comment

[Vitruvius]

what about blowing out the ceiling with a flash so it wont register except pure white

[Gamut]

I could not answer your question to be honest but I would like to know the answer as well. The OP wanted to take pic of month old baby but my pic of daughter was when she was about 3 months old.

Thanks for the comment

3 months. Ah, that makes more sense.

Congratulations on the lil squirt. ;)