I need help with a light setup for skis

[stezzz]

Hi, I need to take pictures of many skis for our internet catalog. The skis should be photographed (standing vertically) straight-on from the tail to the tip. The skis are on average 2 meters long (almost 7 ft). All of them have glossy surfaces (I would say it's a specular reflective surface). Some skis in the line have flat surfaces but mostly they have glossy 3d shapes. The biggest problem I am facing is to evenly illuminate the skis along the whole length and to avoid "burning" on the 3d shapes. With regards to the "burning" problem I really cannot figure out a perfect solution as the 3d shapes are mainly curves so no matter how I position the light or camera there always is a little spot that gets "burned". I know our old photographer was using the setup I'm posting here to get the result as in the attached picture. Would that be the best setup in your opinion? In case it is what kind of lights (continuous/flash/strobes?) would I need to replicate those pictures? In case it's not, I would love to hear alternatives.

Any advice/critique is welcome.

Thanks!

 

[Murray Bloom]

You might consider using some bedsheets to construct a large tent. Then you can light the sheets from outside for uniform lighting. This should eliminate any really hot spots, although the lighting will be pretty flat. If you want, you can use some dark cards (anti-reflectors) to modulate the light if you want to add a bit of drama.

Good luck!

 

[tirediron]

Start by buying and reading the Lighting Bible (The BEST $30 you will ever spend on photographic lighting). The set-up you illustrate seems like a good starting point. Have you tried adding diffuser socks to your lights? As far as the type of lighting; continuous will work just fine for this, as long as they have enough power, and will allow you to see how the light-shaping is going.

 

[stezzz]

You might consider using some bedsheets to construct a large tent. Then you can light the sheets from outside for uniform lighting. This should eliminate any really hot spots, although the lighting will be pretty flat. If you want, you can use some dark cards (anti-reflectors) to modulate the light if you want to add a bit of drama.

Good luck!

Hi, I tried this approach but I failed..... i built the tent but I found it very hard to illuminate evenly all the sheets from the outside. Mainly because I was lacking space to do it and did not have enough lights or not powerful enough, that's my guess.... Hence I am trying this new approach. Although I never used dark cards..... I'll have to do a bit of research on those. Thanks!

 

[stezzz]

Start by buying and reading the Lighting Bible (The BEST $30 you will ever spend on photographic lighting). The set-up you illustrate seems like a good starting point. Have you tried adding diffuser socks to your lights? As far as the type of lighting; continuous will work just fine for this, as long as they have enough power, and will allow you to see how the light-shaping is going.

I already bought Light, science and magic and I'm loving it. Even though it's helping me a great deal, it made me wonder about a million things more.... If this is another good book that can complement the one I already possess I'm definitely going to buy it.

NO, I haven't tried diffuser socks yet. I am going to build this setup very soon using continuous light. Can you think of a light type and bulb power you would recommend?
Right now I have a canon 600 EX-RT speedlite (not suitable for such a long subject of course, at least that's my guess) and 2 Lastolite Ray D8 5600 k with a diffuser cone at the end of each lamp.... I really do not think they are suitable for the kind of setup I need. I apparently need to invest in some new lightning equipment and I am in the process of deciding what is best to buy for this type of setup/product photography requirements.

Please keep them coming

[h=1][/h]

 

[Ihatemymoney]

Ihatemymoney

 

[robbins.photo]

Well if it were me I'd think about laying the ski's out horizontally rather than vertically - if your "perspective" still needs to be vertical you can turn the camera sideways and rotate the image when your done. The other thing you might consider is a good CPL filter to cut down on reflections. No expert on the subject mind you but that might just do the trick.