Going Crazy with Flash, Please Help

[jbylake]

I'm going nuts trying to figure out how to eliminate flash from photo's.
Here is an example. Don't worry about c&c, it's a terrible shot all the way around, but I'm trying to kill the flash and maybe "clone" from another part of it. I'm using PSE7...can I do this? If you can figure out how to do it, would you please walk me through the steps? I really appreciate any and all help and thank you ahead.....

J.:mrgreen:

 

[Big Mike]

When shooting round shiny things like this, you will almost always have reflections from the flash showing up as specular highlights. If they are small enough, you can usually clone them out pretty easily but it's a PITA.

If you are talking about that big bright spot...it look to me like the reflection of a window, reflecting off of the floor....If that's what it is, it has nothing to do with the flash.

 

[KmH]

The best $30 you can spend on your photography.

 

[Flash Harry]

you need to shoot in studio conditions where you control light to suit, then you can angle and diffuse light to minimize reflections/SH, shooting shiny stuff in a shop with light bouncing everywhere won't cut it I'm afraid, this is why we have professional photographers who know what to do and who spend fortunes on equipment to get results and divs with point n shoot who get a mess. H

 

[jbylake]

you need to shoot in studio conditions where you control light to suit, then you can angle and diffuse light to minimize reflections/SH, shooting shiny stuff in a shop with light bouncing everywhere won't cut it I'm afraid, this is why we have professional photographers who know what to do and who spend fortunes on equipment to get results and divs with point n shoot who get a mess. H

Yeah, I need a yatch too...

Actually it's a bike shop. Our budget doesn't allow us to purchase/build a studio, or hire a professional, to shoot used bikes for sale on consignment, and post on our website. This pic was taken with a point n shoot, but most of my shooting is done with a 35mm, and scanned to disk.

I'm not sure if you're being arrogant, or just trying to be helpful, but most small business, such as this, don't have the budget for a professional, to come in, and we sure can't take bikes to a studio, to post them on a local website....

Thanks,

J.:mrgreen:

Need to get the book "Nikon Cowboy recommended, I guess.

 

[Flash Harry]

try curtains to cut window light and bounce or diffuse the flash, tissue paper will work, by the way, I'm a small business too and probably have a lot less disposable income than a bike shop, but why not trade services, bike loan for pics, as a mad biker myself if I were in your locale I'd trade for a sunday blast down some nice lanes. H

 

[jbylake]

try curtains to cut window light and bounce or diffuse the flash, tissue paper will work, by the way, I'm a small business too and probably have a lot less disposable income than a bike shop, but why not trade services, bike loan for pics, as a mad biker myself if I were in your locale I'd trade for a sunday blast down some nice lanes. H

Fly on over, I'll let you ride mine....

J.:mrgreen:

 

[kundalini]

I'm going nuts trying to figure out how to eliminate flash from photo's.:mrgreen:

What about focus and composition? Nothing in that image would pull me to your shop to spend my $$$.

Surely there is a spot somewhere that is barren of "stuff" that is so distracting to the viewer..... even an outside wall.... in the shade.

Oh yeah, keep yourself out of the mirrors.

Just my 2¢.

 

[jbylake]

I'm going nuts trying to figure out how to eliminate flash from photo's.:mrgreen:

What about focus and composition? Nothing in that image would pull me to your shop to spend my $$$.

Surely there is a spot somewhere that is barren of "stuff" that is so distracting to the viewer..... even an outside wall.... in the shade.

Oh yeah, keep yourself out of the mirrors.

Just my 2¢.

Kundalini,
Please read posts, that's how these things go south quickly. I know you are only trying to help, but I mentioned at the outset that this was a crappy photo, not meant for C&C. In fact it was taken with a Point 'n Shoot. It wasn't meant to be composed correctly or used commercially to draw customers. It was just a representative picture of a common problem I have with flash, that is all.

Since we don't have a studio, we have to shoot in the showroom, and don't have a lot of latitude, as far as lighting, etc. go.

Lastly, and most importantly, if you read my OP, the question was how to fix this type of thing in PSE 7. I as asking for a little help with PSE, not C&C on the shot. I do compose, crop, PP, and etc my shots for our website. I shoot mostly film, and scan them to digital. This was a plea for help in PSE, not compostion, etc...

Thanks,

J.:mrgreen:

 

[kundalini]

Kundalini,
Please read posts, that's how these things go south quickly.:mrgreen:

I was actually trying to make two points.
Firstly, people tend to actually read what they want to with the post. If a photo is put in a thread, "Aha, let's see what can be improved with this image", especially in a forum with Gallery in the title.

Secondly, and towards your question at hand about fixin' it in photochop cause it's driving you mad.....

Surely there is a spot somewhere that is barren of "stuff" that is so distracting to the viewer..... even an outside wall.... in the shade.

Think creatively to offset, or at least minimize, what your obstacles are. The time of day you shoot, a different location, masking the distracting background, creating/controlling your own lighting, etc, etc, etc.

Photochop is not a silver bullet. If problems are realized and corrected prior to triggering the shutter, then the Photochop work is much less needed and your photos will be the proof.

 

[IgsEMT]

Subtractive lighting. Some softboxes/shoot-through umbrellas, black cloth/paper, gaffer tape (lots of it) and start playing with it...

 

[Pugs]

Kundalini,
Please read posts, that's how these things go south quickly.:mrgreen:

I was actually trying to make two points.
Firstly, people tend to actually read what they want to with the post. If a photo is put in a thread, "Aha, let's see what can be improved with this image", especially in a forum with Gallery in the title.

Secondly, and towards your question at hand about fixin' it in photochop cause it's driving you mad.....

Surely there is a spot somewhere that is barren of "stuff" that is so distracting to the viewer..... even an outside wall.... in the shade.

Think creatively to offset, or at least minimize, what your obstacles are. The time of day you shoot, a different location, masking the distracting background, creating/controlling your own lighting, etc, etc, etc.

Photochop is not a silver bullet. If problems are realized and corrected prior to triggering the shutter, then the Photochop work is much less needed and your photos will be the proof.

This is good advice.

Composition will fix many of the problems you have so that you don't need to post-process flaws out of the image.

Also, getting the flash off of the camera can help reduce some of these issues; angle of incidence equals angle of reflection and all that physics type of stuff...

To eliminate the flash reflection issue altogether, you can park the bike in the shade, stick the camera on a tripod and use whatever shutter speed properly exposes the bike.

Basically, I'm saying the way to fix the issues you're having is in proper set-up and execution of the shot rather than in post-processing. So... re-shoot rather than waste time frustrating yourself in Photoshop.

 

[IgsEMT]

If you can get your hands on this video by | | Kelby Training everything I said will make more sense
good luck

 

[jbylake]

Thanks, to all.

J.:mrgreen: