Difficult "white-on-white" lighting situations?

starkphoto · Apr 7, 2014

So I have run up against a difficult lighting situation that I can't seem to overcome. I shoot product for a small company that has fairly stringent consistency standards. They gave me this to reshoot because it's on a black background on the website. Their standards dictate that everything mus be on a pure white 255/255/255 background. I'm fairly proficient at lighting but can't seem to shoot this with any detail because it's so white and the strings puffing off the ball are transparent. I've lit it every which way. I even dusted off Light - Science and Magic for help. Someone help me put together a lighting scenario for this!

http://i.imgur.com/PYug9eh.jpg

I also have to shoot this but haven't even tried because it looks impossible:

http://i.imgur.com/2ku0QoS.jpg

Light Guru · Apr 7, 2014

Tell them that if they want their customers to be able to actually make out that the product is then it needs to NOT be on a pure wire background.

480sparky · Apr 7, 2014

Put the ball in front of the hand/fingers so it's not on the white background.

Derrel · Apr 7, 2014

Use less light on the foreground objects than on the background. If the lens is opened up for the foreground lighting because it has, say only 50 Watt-seconds being used, then the background will go to white because it has "more light on it". The foreground, with say the clear plate, or the puff-ball toy...that has its "own exposure"...the light that hits the background is an entirely separate deal...the exposure for the foreground object needs to be made with LESS light than the background, like say light the foreground object(s) with 50 Watt-seconds from one light source, and then light the backdrop with two lights, each at say 200 Watt-seconds and shining in with 50 to 65 degree reflectors, aimed at the paper, and flagged off with big cards.

This is a pretty popular Speedotron Brown Line power pack standard 3-light, Asymmetrical power distribution because it works.... outlets 1 and 2 at 200 W-s each on backdrop, light in outlet 3 at 50 Watt-sec on subject. Exposure determined FOR SUBJECT.