Shooting glass???

hey to all.. i have encountered a problem and knew this would be the place to find help. I have a friend who finishes glass pieces ( gold leafing, glazes, ect) and he has asked me to help take the pictures for his website to come. My question is how do you all suggest I light it? I know flash will results in glare or halos and wasnt really sure where to go.. thanks in advance..
jeremy

Great question. I shoot alot of antique clocks with lots ofglass and haven't found a good method yet.

Try a light tent. There are a number of types and brands to choose from.
http://www.ezcube.com/

General approach to shooting glass or shiny metal is to use a darkened room and add light sources (lights and/or reflectors) to add highlights in strategic locations to accentuate certain features without losing form to too much light!

I've never been able to totally eliminate the glare in glass but shooting at an angle cuts down on it. this is my fish tank. notice no glare on the front glass because of the angle but you can see the flash in the back corner.

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photojag wrote in post #4397464
I know flash will results in glare or halos

Actually any light source can do that, not just flash. So if you go with continuous lighting it's easier to see the reflections and adjust angles to put them where you like.

Shooting through glass is one thing, but if your subject is made of glass the approach is entirely different. It's about using the reflective properties of the glass to your advantage, creating specular highlights that make it pop.

I like the light tent idea. By using different materials under and behind the glass you can really show it off, but some experimentation will be required.

if you use a flash directly on it you should get a refecltion from the glass. i found when shooting pictures under the glass that two lights from either side at 45 degrees elimiated the glass so if i am correct shooting the light directly to the glass should light it up for you. someone correct me if im wrong.

There is a chapter of light: science and magic that covers lighting glass and metal. Its well worth the $30 or so cover price.

http://www.amazon.com …oks&qid=1196229​953&sr=8-1

Not exactly glass pieces, but it is glass:

i dont know if this has been mentioned, but lightboxes aside, maybe a circular polarizer will help cut away any unwanted reflections?

nadtz wrote in post #4398736
There is a chapter of light: science and magic that covers lighting glass and metal. Its well worth the $30 or so cover price.

http://www.amazon.com …oks&qid=1196229​953&sr=8-1

Your answers are all right in this book. But be prepared to practice, there are only concepts and theory, no outright "recipes." Each piece you need to shoot will be different and hence must be lit differently.

Jonathan H wrote in post #4399482
Your answers are all right in this book. But be prepared to practice, there are only concepts and theory, no outright "recipes." Each piece you need to shoot will be different and hence must be lit differently.

This is a GREAT book that goes into quite a bit of detail. I'm reading it right now myself. Definitely not a "follow these steps" sort of book - but gives you all the info you need to understand the problem and the solution.

I actually found it at the local library.

This month's issue of Popular Photography actually has a whole article about how to shoot glass. I think you'll find it really useful. You can run down to your local magazine stand and pick it up or just look through the article. If you're interested, I might even be able to scan the pages for you from my magazine when I get home.

I learned to use reflected light... not to point the light source directly toward the object but reflect it off of a white card or white backdrop. I think that is how they do images of cars as well.

Here's an example...

Peace.
Eric

Two "On-assigment" blogs come to mind from strobist some options to try out.

http://strobist.blogsp​ot.com …ment-flavored-vodkas.html
http://strobist.blogsp​ot.com …/pretty-shiny-things.html