Shooting Glass Blowers

T

TimB

Well-known member
Im working on a project at the moment, where I follow the process of Stained Glass Window making, from the process of shaping, colouring and cutting the glass, to the insertion of the iron spacers.

I plan to shoot in Jan/Feb, however, Im wondering how to go about shooting the scenes with the furnace. Obviously, the light from the furnace will overpower everything, and create a silhouette pretty much.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/don-iannone/4305795121/

Although I want this "effect" on some shots, I also want an evenly lit take, to show detailing on the iron pole etc.

Can anyone advise on how to do so without extra lighting?

Tech Specs;

Canon EOS 60D
Canon 50mm 1.4
Canon 18-135mm
Sigma 35mm
 
A couple of small battery powered LED lights through Opal diffusion on baby stands take up very little space, put out no heat, and can be handled by a single person.

That's just one of many possible solutions.
 
David W. Jones said:
A couple of small battery powered LED lights through Opal diffusion on baby stands take up very little space, put out no heat, and can be handled by a single person.

That's just one of many possible solutions.
Click to expand...

I mean, heat from the furnace. Not sure if you've been to a glass blowers, but its ridiculously hot near the furnace. Could you suggest a couple of LED lights?
 
Did some shooting like that around Venice.
There was also adequate ambient light in the studio, IE... It wasn't dark like the shot you posted.
 
Why not bounce the light from another room nearby? That's what I'd do. Have a big light and bounce it in front.

I've been to these large furnaces as my girlfriends dad makes glass, and without lights it'll be hard to see anything from within the furnace.

If you can't use lights, you'd have to shoot without looking directly towards the furnace. A silhuette would look kinda cool front the back view if done right and at the right times. But having everything evenly lit will be tough, even with large lights
 
I shot some glass blowers a year back for a practice project. Studio has sufficient light for the camera/lens I was using and shooting furnace didn't produce sillouettes.

Action was pretty repetitive which was great, as there was a lot going on, and it happened quickly. I would have been much better off to have watched them produce something first, so I had an idea what to expect. Also, keeping focus was challenging (I was shooting with Pana GH1 with 20mm 1.7 lens for the most part).

Feel free to check out the video, leaves a lot to be desired but might be worth a look:

 
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