Interior Kitchen photography. Reducing Room Reflections

[Jontz71]

Hey guys,

Am sure you pros have run into this many times and there are several ways to go about it. Wanted to hear your thoughts on how you all usually prevent Room Reflections on Glass. For example, check out the reference shot a client sent me. See the room and windows reflecting in the kitchen cabinets ?

My first couple thoughts .

Method 1: Put white sheets on the windows and take a shots with and without.

Method 2: Use a powerful flash to over power ambient light and blend back in ambient shot

Method 3: Spend like $500 on an adapter and polarizing filter for my Tokina aspherical 2.8 16-28mm. Yikes !
Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

 

[JBPhotog]

Hey guys,

Am sure you pros have run into this many times and there are several ways to go about it. Wanted to hear your thoughts on how you all usually prevent Room Reflections on Glass. For example, check out the reference shot a client sent me. See the room and windows reflecting in the kitchen cabinets ?

My first couple thoughts .

Method 1: Put white sheets on the windows and take a shots with and without.

Method 2: Use a powerful flash to over power ambient light and blend back in ambient shot

Method 3: Spend like $500 on an adapter and polarizing filter for my Tokina aspherical 2.8 16-28mm. Yikes !
Any thoughts greatly appreciated.View attachment 169281

Is the client complaining about the reflections, or is that your take on it?

Ditch Method #1, #2 and #3 as they only create other issues that will need to be overcome.

If the objective is to show the kitchen in all its glory the lights should be turned on, for reference look at some architectural photos. This client supplied photo is dull, uninviting and does not feature the design and ambience of a high end kitchen. Once all the lighting is turned on that reflection of the outer window in the glass doors will be inconsequential. The eye will be drawn to the tile backsplash, the pools of light from the overheads and most likely the under counter lighting giving the quartz counter tops some life.

 

[Jontz71]

Totally agree, but some clients don’t want strong reflections. Do polarizing filters do the trick in doors ??

Also would love to hear thoughts on if you all shoot such environments with wide lenses like 11-16mm or would a 24-105mm be ok for this.
Shot a bathroom and totally had to use the 11-16mm.

 

[JBPhotog]

Totally agree, but some clients don’t want strong reflections. Do polarizing filters do the trick in doors ??

Also would love to hear thoughts on if you all shoot such environments with wide lenses like 11-16mm or would a 24-105mm be ok for this.
Shot a bathroom and totally had to use the 11-16mm.

Polarizers are most effective when the light source is at 90 degrees to the reflective surface. In this particular case you may reduce it a bit but total elimination is unlikely. And as I previously stated, once the interior is lit up, that reflection will be diminished greatly since the only reason you are seeing it in your example, is because the shelf behind the glass is dark. Fill the room with light and that contrast will be reduced thus the reflection will also be reduced.

I only shoot FX so your lens question is a consideration of sensor size. FWIW, I don't shoot anything wider than 14mm and everything up from that. Often the entire room in one shot is not the best approach since the perspective makes some features seem too far away and is better handled with multiple shots and more shots means more $$. LOL

 

[tirediron]

There's no 'on size fits all' solution. This scene clearly needs a LOT more light; the scene outside the window is blown, the area camera left is in deep shadow.... I would start by blocking off the windows camera right with some material that eliminated those reflections altogether. i would then add two (to start, my have add more) speedlights. One camera right to illuminate the area to the left and one camera left to illuminate the area to the right. Polirizers aren't ideal for kitchens as they don't have an effect (in most cases) on the light that is reflected off of bare metal such as the range, range hood and island lights.

Again, consider using longer focal lengths and creating "panoramas" to prevent UWA-induced distortion.

 

[Jontz71]

Thank you all for being so helpful. Just started using this site and what a great community.

 

[TreeofLifeStairs]

Another thing to think about is that polarizing filters do block some light. I’m not sure if you’re using a tripod but it might be another consideration.

 

[Jontz71]

So i did a quick test with my polarizing filter for my canon 24-105 and got a big difference in level of glare on glass. i'd probably blend the two in photoshop. Sucks that it costs about $600 for anadapter and filter for my tokina 11-16 (bulbous element)
with reflections:
Dropbox - 2P8A2632_with reflections.jpg

no reflections:
Dropbox - no reflections in glass.jpg

 

[TCampbell]

A polarizer wont kill this *particular* reflection because the source of the light (The window) is "straight ahead". That counter will have the reflection with or without a polarizer.

You can get a spray the dulls the counter basically imaging if the counter is a piece of highly polished glass... vs. a piece of dull frosted glass. You wouldn't expect frosted glass to give off a strong reflective shine. The spray basically puts a dulling surface on the shiny surface (and you wipe it off when you're done) to kill reflections.

Krylon makes "Dulling Spray" to eliminate glossy reflections but easily wipes off. I'm told that some brands of "cheap" spray-on deodorant also work (but apparently not all spray-on deodorants work.)

I'd also use Lightroom to apply a gradient ND filter from right-to-left to even out the lighting. In this image the left side of the room is too dark. That's easily fixed in software.

When using extremely short focal length lenses, things will distort if the lens is not "normal" to the room. Imagine if the lens had a laser beam shooting out of the front. That laser line needs to be "square" to everything... perfectly level, not shooting upward or downward nor left nor right. Any angle on it that isn't "orthogonal" will cause things to go trapezoid shaped on you.

Your camera was slightly un-level ... but it was also pointed just a touch too far left which is creating some wide-angle distortions.

 

[NancyMoranG]

Can't help on lighting but had another thought on this photo.
Would it be helpful to remove phone/cords/paper towels on counter? Seems distracting.