Reflective sunglasses on a white background

[robvasi]

Although I am being paid for this project, I am not a full time professional photographer. I was asked to photograph sunglasses for a man who sells them on Amazon. Thus a 255,255,255 white background is required, along with smooth edges.

So far, I have not been successful and I need some help. If this is the wrong place to post this, please let me know.

Attempts:

1. Suspended glasses from above and shot into translum paper, which was illuminated from behind. Tedious to suspend the glasses in a steady position. Could not achieve a consistent composition from pair to pair. The thread was tedious to tie. Required each image to be edited. The white was excellent, although the frames were black because they reflected everything that was not illuminated, as expected. The frames are gold. Even with the problems to solve, this set provided the best background without blowing out the frames.

2. Used heavy translum paper as a base. The glasses sat on the base. Shot at a lateral angle so as to not show the camera and the room behind the camera in the lens or as a black spot on the frames. The background was not white and the whites had to be boosted in post. This had an adverse impact on the gold frams. Offered consistent compositions. Rapid replacement of each pair. The problem was that the area where the frames touched the translum was rounded and so this portion was not distinct.

3. Same set at 2, with the camera straight on to the glasses and at a slight down angle. The bottoms of the frames were better, but the post has a negative impact on the frames. Also, the frams still have too much black as reflected space.

Result using method 3.

4. Photosphop to change the background. The rounded edges made this a time-consuming process. Even so, I wonder if there is a way to shoot this and then a more efficient method using PS.

Attempt 3 rendered the most acceptable image, however, in some cases the color is not accurate. The lenses reflect different colors with different angles, so it seems that I need to shoot straight on. This will cause some issues.

I seek your suggestions and advice on this project.

Thank you.

 

[tirediron]

Buy the lighting bible! Like most product shots, this isn't really that difficult, but it relies on some basic concepts: (1) Light the background and product separately; (2) suspect the image above the table, ideally with a clamp or something covered in white paper. This will allow you to position the product nearly identically every time and also allow minor adjustments due to reflection; (3) there will always be SOME post-processing required; and (5) you're going to need a lot of booms, arms, clamps and flags!

 

[astroNikon]

^^ as above.

Also you may want to provide an image of your setup rather than words ... a picture gives a thousand words.

When lighting from behind if you are blowing it out you can also soften the edges of the object you are photographing. Thus the reason to learn about angles and reading the "Lighting Bible" mentioned above.

did the person paying you know your experience limitations?
what quality is the customer looking for ?

 

[table1349]

OP DO NOT buy The Lighting Bible unless you are doing some home redecoration. Follow the link that tirediron posted and buy that book. We call it the lighting bible for photography.

tirediron Didn't know there was a real lighting bible did you?

 

[tirediron]

OP DO NOT buy The Lighting Bible unless you are doing some home redecoration. Follow the link that tirediron posted and buy that book. We call it the lighting bible for photography.

tirediron Didn't know there was a real lighting bible did you?

Bite. Me.

 

[table1349]

OP DO NOT buy The Lighting Bible unless you are doing some home redecoration. Follow the link that tirediron posted and buy that book. We call it the lighting bible for photography.

tirediron Didn't know there was a real lighting bible did you?

Bite. Me.

I wouldn't have known about it if my niece wasn't an Architect. We were looking at changing some of the lighting in the house and she pulls out The Lighting Bible to show us some of the things we could do and how they would look.

 

[robvasi]

I am working on a revised set as suggested by tirediron using thread to support the glasses. I will post a photo when it's finished. I tried a suspended set as my first attempt, this time I designed a method that has more stability and adjustment so each pair of glasses can be in the same position. I need some hardware items to complete this.

I am using Savage Translum paper with a strobe behind it to make a white background. This also will backlight as you mentioned. Thus I also have the option of using white paper.

Yes, he is aware of my level of experience. After a few days of working on this, I suggested he find someone with more experience. He said he wanted me to do the best I can.
Other than the need for a white background, he didn't specify a level of quality.

^^ as above.

Also you may want to provide an image of your setup rather than words ... a picture gives a thousand words.

When lighting from behind if you are blowing it out you can also soften the edges of the object you are photographing. Thus the reason to learn about angles and reading the "Lighting Bible" mentioned above.

did the person paying you know your experience limitations?
what quality is the customer looking for ?

 

[robvasi]

Here is the set I made for this.

The background is white paper with a strobe.

These sunglasses are mirrored. The color is blue with red sides. The frames are gold.

My photos are terrible.

^^ as above.

Also you may want to provide an image of your setup rather than words ... a picture gives a thousand words.

When lighting from behind if you are blowing it out you can also soften the edges of the object you are photographing. Thus the reason to learn about angles and reading the "Lighting Bible" mentioned above.

Yes he is. I also suggested he hire a photographer who specializes in product photography.

did the person paying you know your experience limitations?
what quality is the customer looking for ?

 

[tirediron]

First: Have you set a custom white balance to account for the fact that you're shooting through translucent paper? Next, WHY are you shooting through translucent paper? Illuminating mirrored glasses from behind is going "de-mirror" them just as you've seen here? Is there an absolute requirement to shoot everything on white? Some products don't work well on white. If you have to, you have to, but it's not always ideal.

 

[robvasi]

I did not think of doing a white balance. I will do so. I use translucent paper because I thought it would be a good way to have a large, and thereby a soft light on the subject. What should I use?

Yes, white is a requirement. Absurd, but a requirement. I would prefer to use a model and have him or her wear the sunglasses.

I have since abandoned the shoot from behind setup. In my latest revised set, I use continuous light to light a white ripstop nylon from below. Thus the product is not backlit, other than reflected light. The reflected light metered at 1/8 sec at f/10 (with the light meter dome facing the background). To get a white background required a longer exposure.

I used a softbox to front light the sunglasses. I also had an overhead light and a large reflector set below and tilted up in front of the product.

I changed from mirrored to colored sunglasses. The mirrored sunglasses posed more problems. I need to shoot them, but I thought it might be easier to work on these for now.

Here is the result:

There are some black areas on the frames. I tried to find the source and I could not figure out what caused these black areas.

First: Have you set a custom white balance to account for the fact that you're shooting through translucent paper? Next, WHY are you shooting through translucent paper? Illuminating mirrored glasses from behind is going "de-mirror" them just as you've seen here? Is there an absolute requirement to shoot everything on white? Some products don't work well on white. If you have to, you have to, but it's not always ideal.

 

[sunwear255]

I found this article is helpful to deal with reflective sunglasses like mirrored or flash styles.
How To Photograph Reflective Sunglasses