I have an assignment to shoot a 5-blade boat propeller, but the reflections are killing me! It's not so much the room reflections, but the lights are reflecting like crazy. What should I do??
Light tent? White umbrella with a little hole near the center for your lens? Overcast day outside? Is it on the boat, or in the water?
Shiny things are tough to get without highlights and reflections. The more even the light, the better. Polarizer may help a little too, since it is metal.
It's that darn fifth blade that causes all the trouble.
Light tent? White umbrella with a little hole near the center for your lens? Overcast day outside? Is it on the boat, or in the water?
Shiny things are tough to get without highlights and reflections. The more even the light, the better. Polarizer may help a little too, since it is metal.
It's that darn fifth blade that causes all the trouble.
Ok, so I've tried a light tent, polarizer, etc, and it's still insane. The way this prop is made and how it's so smooth is killing me. Here's what it looks like -
I like the lightning bolt down the side of the hub in the photo.
Maybe you can find some way to take advantage of the shiny effect.
I like BM's suggestion about the flat paint best so far.
Ok, so I've tried a light tent, polarizer, etc, and it's still insane. The way this prop is made and how it's so smooth is killing me. Here's what it looks like -
Tom as per your pic propeller is catching reflection of base & background.Steel or any other reflective metal will catch reflections of surroundings.I have one suggestion shoot it on white background .I think tent will solve this problem if u shoot on white background.For giving dimension u can use black paper to create outlines of product. If U dont have Tent then use Gateway sheet for that.
How's this work for everyone? It's lit using 2 off-camera flashes. One is in the back left (behind the prop) and the other is in the front right. It's covered with a white foam board, has white foam on either side, and a black sheet in the back.
It's going in a magazine so it needs to be perfect :)
That's much better than the first pic. It's very dark though.
That's a hard to photograph item because of all the curves and burnished surfaces from the polishing operation. It becomes sort of a group of mirrors.
Have you thought about using a shadow box and adding just enough front light to get a good effect? My brother and I used to photograph electronic parts that way for a local manufacturer. A light table and tent type shot might work too.
I would be tempted to shoot it on a black base and background outside on a cloudy day and in black and white, that way you still have the inital feel of the posted pics and you will have some nice reflections to show off the curves of the blades...
I think you need to go about this the same way as you would photographing a car in the studio. You need to get the lights as far away as possible. I have a friend who does some car ad's that does a lot of the shooting in the studio, and he's always got his lighting 20-30 feet away from the vehicle (except for the overhead 20x30 foot softbox). Might try it that way? Of course, you would want to proportion it relative to the size of the propeller.
Shoot it without any light. That way you won't have all those pesky reflections.
Alternatively, take it to Iceland and shoot it in a bleak landscape with a cloudy sky. Then burn the hell out of the clouds in Photoshop to make it look more dramatic. Then you don't have to worry about the blown highlights.
I wish I could shoot it in Iceland! I would just plop it infront of one of their waterfalls, and have the most perfect picture ever.
But I think I've got it, and I've handed it off to the magazine so in June or something you guys need to check out Powerboat Magazine. I'll let you know when and give you the heads up
I wish I could shoot it in Iceland! I would just plop it infront of one of their waterfalls, and have the most perfect picture ever.
But I think I've got it, and I've handed it off to the magazine so in June or something you guys need to check out Powerboat Magazine. I'll let you know when and give you the heads up
