Lighting for long, thin objects

[Flintlock]

I'm using my Canon 500D (Rebel T1i) and Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens for museum photography of old firearms. Muskets with bayonets are long and thin, from 60 to 80" long which require me to set up the camera 5–6 yards from the object. My method is to hang the objects by means of a fishing line. I've previously used natural light for these shots, but now I have acquired two Elinchrom D-Lite 4 flash heads with softboxes, but I have no previous experience with flash. My question is: How do I place the strobes in order to avoid glare on the metal and get consistent lighting on the object? Any input is appreciated.

Here's a picture of what I' trying to achieve, shot using the daylight method.

 

[Derrel]

How about two lights, placed at 45 degree angles to the subject plane, and EACH light equipped with a thin, gelatin-filter polarizer. Plus, a polarizing filter over the lens. HERE is a link to the polarizing gel material you will need. This type of light placement and polarization of the light AND the lens, is a pretty standard way to illuminate and shoot artworks.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/45130-REG/Rosco_101073001720_Polarizing_7300_Filter.html

 

[Big Mike]

I'd suggest the book 'Light: Science & Magic'. It can teach you the principles of how light reflects off of objects, and thus how to light things.

The problem with using smaller light sources, is that they will cause small specular highlight reflections if your subject has properties of 'direct reflection' and if the light is within the 'family of angles'. With a rounded subject like this, it's hard or impossible to avoid those reflections because you can't find a location that is outside the family of angles. So the trick then becomes trying to manage the reflections so that they look good.
Part of that is often to use a large light source. That way, the reflection/highlight isn't s small ugly spot, but a bigger/longer highlight that looks better in a photo. For example, when shooting wine bottles, a great technique is to use a tall skinny light source (strip box or just a regular softbox covered but for a strip).

So when you go from natural light (probably a very large/soft light source) to studio lights (likely small/hard lights)...your images won't look the same. To get that same look, you may need to use your studio lights to create very a much more large/soft light source.

 

[Derrel]

Big Mike's post mentioned a KEY phrase: family of angles. Just like playing billiards with straight, center-ball cue strokes (meaning, no English, top-spinmor draw applied to the cure ball), the angle of incidence is what creates the angle of reflection. The key when shooting products is to place the subject matter into position, and position the camera on a tripod or camera stand, and then to adjust the lights so that there is good reflection control. Not necessarily reflection "elimination", but control over, control of, the placement,size,shape, and nature of the reflections.

As you probably know, polarizing the light can help eliminate or suppress reflections. Many,many times, a very subtle reflection is what shows our eyes and brain the actual shape or tactile qualities of an object. Like, for example, on that beautifully crafted flintlock...the long, subtle, soft highlight on the forearm stock conveys information about the shape of the stock, at an almost subliminal level. A long, fairly simple strip box, or a long, custom-made PVC enclosed panel light, could easily be made, and outfitted with two flash heads. You could light those old firearms any number of ways; but the overriding fundamentals are found in the "family of reflections".

When a guy is getting started in small product or tabletop shooting, it's REALLY handy to lock the camera down, and to have an assistant move the light through what I call, "A range of movement", to preview various "possibilities". Sure, with experience under your belt, you can pretty much determine where the light source needs to come from based on the object being shot and the camera's angle to it, and the angle of the light in relation to the camera position, but it is also pretty useful to just have a go at it, and scope out a number of "possible" approaches before just locking-in, hard, on one specific approach. This is where having been an assistant in a commercial product studio comes in reallllly handy...when the products come in by the truck load each week, and they are "anything"...6-packs of beer, half racks of pop, 2-litre sodas, cosmetics, calculators, small electronics, toys, costumes, underwear, shoes, bottles of wine, tubes of medicines, lottery tickets (yes,lottery tickets!),etc.etc..