Sports helmets and framed jerseys

cpophoto · Feb 17, 2014

I would appreciate some ones help. My son has a sports memorabilia business and is struggling to take decent pictures for his website. Football helmets and framed jerseys are especially difficult because they act as mirrors and reflect everything. We have tried taking pictures during the day, at night with lights on, lights off, on manual setting, with flash and cannot get it right.

During the day, everything reflects, walls, ceiling, windows, etc. During the evenings, the flash turns the picture almost black. If we back up to far, the pictures get grainy. The lights we use are standing lamp and the bulbs reflect in the item. I have heard of diffuser lamps? My experience has been outside and not inside other than taking pictures of people with a flash.

Thanks

$Mariano Rivera Enter Sandman 16 x 20.webp

hirejn · Feb 17, 2014

Glass is a problem. One way to do it is use overhead light and block everything else with black curtains. That way the light reflects down off the glass instead of directly into the camera, which is a problem with on-camera flash. Light reflects at the opposite angle it strikes the surface, like a bank shot in pool. Since on-camera flash blasts light directly onto the subject at the same angle as the lens, the light bounces directly back into the lens, creating glare (noticeable on the helmet).

The reason you see the photographer's reflection is the same. It's like standing in front of a mirror. But if you cover yourself and surroundings with black curtains, that minimizes the reflections on the glass and enriches the colors and contrast, and then you could light from top or side.

Think like a pool player. Angle the light so it banks off the surface away from the lens instead of into it. Often it helps to tilt the subject slightly away from the light and slightly down so the light skips off at an angle and away from the lens. Also, if the light source is larger than the subject, the glare will be less apparent and less specular or focused into bright points. It would be softer and more even. I would use softboxes in a controlled setting. Your easiest solution might be overhead or window light with black "scrims" to block extraneous light. You can see why lighting is an advanced topic. You can always hire a professional, at least to teach you some basics.