Glare

M

Mike Caffrey

Member
Any advice for shooting reflective surfaces with a camera mounted light?

I had an interview shot infront of a marble wall - I just utrned a little and it solved the problem.

I had to shoot a close up of an acousic guitar in a tiny, dark room. I pulled the light off and held it out to the side by hand and that helped a little.

Are there any general guidlines? I'm going to have to shoot some eletronic equipment soon from straight on and it's going to have to be lit. Am I better off using lights on stands?
 
Polarizer filter and maybe some 250 diffusion on your light will help soften the shot up a bit.
 
A polarizer can help but only if the light is polarized which, by default, it won't be. But you can buy sheets of polarizing gel and polarize your light, and then rotate your polarizing filter to minimize or perhaps even eliminate the glare.
 
I don't have a polarizing filter. I'm willing to buy one, but I don't think I'm going to have time to buy one before the shoot.

What about light positioning?
 
Light placement is your issue. A camera mounted light will not provide the best solution. It's almost more a matter of math..well, the angle of the lens in respect to the light.
 
Angle of incidence equals angle of reflection. Meaning, if you shoot flat aggaist the wall you're going to see your light reflects, but if you shoot a little obliquous, you won't see your reflection. You can move your light away from the camera, and more to the side, just for those shots... Anyway, your problem is the reflective surface, and you won't be able to get away with polarizers, different light sources or even, some dulling spray (although in a pinch it would be my first try). Best to angle the camera from the wall, or the light or both (but not in the same opposite angle, of course!)...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top