lighting, angles, reflections (?)

Stormchase · Oct 9, 2009

Ok well here is the deal. I dont really take portriat shots, at this point. I thought I would try to set up a shot for lighting. mess around with it a little. Im looking for cheap or free tips on lighting.
I did this with a 55w soft white desk lamp and a mirror. Other then a lens whats a cheap way to improve? Do you need pro lighting to get the right look?

Is there a way to get rid of light reflection on subjects?

or lines like this..

Any input is great!

Plato · Oct 9, 2009

For the non-metallic surfaces, use a polarizer for the reflections.

Big Mike · Oct 9, 2009

The size & shape of reflections like that, will be determined by the surface and by the size, shape and position of your lights.

If you move your light a lot farther back, the reflections will get smaller. If you use a strip light, you will get more of a line shaped reflection, rather than circular blobs...and so on.

Stormchase · Oct 9, 2009

Ok a couple things I can try. Looks like the subject is the main issue. other then ghetto lights lol.
Thanks for your knowledge guys!

Dwig · Oct 9, 2009

Stormchase said:
...
Is there a way to get rid of light reflection on subjects?...

No, but...

While a polarizer my reduce the reflections to a degree, it won't eliminate them completely. The trick is to make the reflections so large that they loose the "oh! there's a shiny spot" look. What you need to look into is "tent lighting" (read: Google "tent lighting").

Tent lighting can be anything from very expensive frames and fabric to nearly free stuff found around the house. I've used a variety of things. For small objects, paper cones or cylinders have worked well (small hole cut to shoot through). Fabric, like bed sheets, over a simply wire frame also work. You generally put your lights, anything from expensive pro lights to simple desk lamps, outside the tent aiming through. It produces a soft lighting with a slight directional characteristic. You sometimes need several lights.

When dealing with highly polished items you have a second problem. You can't see or photograph anything with a mirror finish. Any attempt to do so only results in an image of the room reflected off of the surface of the object. To create a good photograph you need to build an appropriate "room" to be reflected. Most often you start with some form of tent or semi-tent setup and add dark obscuring objects to create the right highlight and shadow patterns in the reflections so that the shape of the object is made apparent.