The exercise suggests that we find something flat and shinny and photograph it from above. This is really not exactly the kind of challenge I have in mind with regard to photographing shinny surface. Nevertheless, let’s check the boxes first before venturing into something else.
For a flat and shinny surface, let’s use a mirror. Before we do anything, let’s also put a grey card in to white balance the screen in post processing.
It is possible to shoot directly along the line of the angle of reflection (note: it is not possible to align the light source directly in front of the mirror and shoot in front of the mirror. I will just block the light with my head). If I do that, the surface of the mirror is very bright.
I can also shot side way that avoids the angle of reflection. Then the mirror part will be less shiny. Personally I prefer the previous image, given that the surface of the mirror is less than perfect.
It will be absolutely stupid to fries pop-up flash directly to the mirror. I am not sure if this is the “challenge” the OCA text is referring to.
Basically, I don’t see what the main issue is.
Let’s start something I am more interested in. Here is a teapot my mother gave me for my birthday some years ago. It can hold tea for three people. However, I rarely have that many visitors so I hardly use it. Let’s light it at 45 degree angle, shoot from the side.
Because of the curve of the teapot (precisely why it is pointless to use a flat surface), it reflects me, my furniture and the flash head. Notice that the size of the softbox matters little here. The convexity of the surface will make it looks like a little spot. As best, we can have the tea port so close to the softbox that it shows up as a light strip.
My first problem is to get rid of the reflection of myself and my furniture. Since the teapot reflects anything that is around it, I will put a plain piece of lining paper (for wallpaper) around it.
Then shoot from and angle so that my reflection is around the edges.
It works, except that the top half of the teapot is always white and the bottom half is always black (reflection from the coffee table). My question is, if there is a way to control the amount of black/white so that I can potentially manipulate it to show the shape of the teapot better
I think it is possible to put is some white card around the teapot to make edge white, but then this white card needed to be removed in photoshop later.
We can move it to the edge as well, but then when it get too close, some photoshop work is needed.
We can put something under the teapot to angle it, but it is hard to totally conceal this something while getting the teapot at a good angle.
It is possible to narrow the base of the lining paper surrounding the teapot. However, it will weaken the light. The lining paper I use has some colour cast. It is a way to manipulate the black and white area. However, the smaller the base, the tighter the working area will be.
Well, why don’t we put the teapot into a pillow case and have the base completely covered in one colour? Well, that pillow case more or less has to be white to avoid colour cast when the main illumination. It is not possible to use a black pillow case and still get light in. Unfortunately the black goes very well with silver.
With such a small living room, it is very hard to avoid light spill. I think it will be a major problem to get nice dark background going forward. It is possible to get some deflectors, but I don’t have anything on hand to try this.
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