Shiny surfaces

27th January 2013

To look at reduction of reflection on shiny surfaces, I made a snoot out of tracing paper and attached it to the camera lens. I took one control photo before placing the snoot around the object and several after to observe the effect of positioning the light in different places.

		Shiny surfaces VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Key
F22 3secs ISO100 45mm (no snoot)
F22 8secs ISO100 45mm (light next to lens)
F22 15secs ISO100 45mm (light on floor next to cone)
F22 20secs ISO100 45mm Light on floor 2.5 feet from object front)
F22 15secs ISO100 45mm (light directed across top of cone from above)
F22 15secs ISO100 45mm (in front of camera – moving light around)
F22 15secs ISO100 45mm (behind camera – moving light around)
F22 830secs ISO100 45mm (light at front 1/2 way down cone)
F22 15secs ISO100 45mm (light at the bottom of cone on floor 3 feet from kettle)

The best effects I achieved were when I moved the light whilst the camera was exposing and when the object was lit from the top because some texture is visible and the lighting is more even. Some reflection of the light and tracing paper in the surface of the objectis noticeable. The lens is visible as a black spot.

I experimented with a smaller object which has a shinysurface to see what the effect would be. The detail of the object was more visible because there was less shine.

  
Without snoot                                     With Snoot
F22 15secs ISO100 60mm –1 exp comp  F22 3secs ISO100 60mm

Concentrating light

30th January 2013

I set up an exercise to use flash to concentrate light into a spot. I had planned this shot and technique to include in my assignment, and took several shots to achieve what I wanted. The subject was placed on black velvet which will absorb the light. I wrapped a piece of black card around the flash to direct the light. I discovered that using the flash to light the subject from the side created the most 3D effect. The shutter speed and and amount of background light were fairly critical.


F22 30secs ISO100 105mm Flash white balance

In the first few pictures I took, the snoot was too wide so the subject sat in a pool of light. By narrowing the diameter of the snoot, the light can be directed. I discovered it was easier to mount the flash on a tripod. By increasing the shutter speed, the camera sees the light for a shorter length of time enabling partial illumination to be achieved.


F22 1/200 ISO100 105mm Flash white balance

Contrast and shadow fill

24th January 2013

To achieve this exercise, I set up a still life with a black velvet background and left room so I could manoeuvre around the side of the set. I worked in an almost dark room so the sunlight would not confuse the results.The camera was positioned on a tripod at the same level as the object.  The light was positioned to the right side of the set at the same level. White balance was set to tungsten and all have exposure compensation of –1. All (apart from the 1st picture) use a diffuser.

I have ordered these from the first (no diffuser) as having the most contrast to the last having the lease contrast (white card 1.5 feet)

No diffuser                                                  Diffuser
  
F22 10secs ISO100 40mm                  F22 20secs ISO100 40mm

The non diffused light shows the most contrast. Shadows on the non diffused picture appear more yellow. More detail is visible in the shadows on the diffused picture.

Shiny foil 1.5 feet away                  Shiny foil 3 feet way
 
F22 10sesc ISO100 40mm               F22 30secs ISO100 40mm

Crumpled foil 3 feet away             Crumpled foil 1.5 feet away

F22 30secs ISO100 40mm               F22 30secs ISO100 40mm

Dull foil 3 feet away                      Dull foil 1.5 feet away
  
F22 10secs ISO100 40mm                 F22 30secs ISO100 40mm

White Card 3 feet                           White Card 1.5 feet
  
F22 30secs ISO100 40mm                 F22 30sesc ISO100 40mm

This exercise has strengthened my existing understanding of contrast and shadow fill. Shiny surfaces used as a reflector act like a mirror and so reflect the light back. The exposure time at 1.5 feet was less showing there was more light visible. However, a hard shadow was formed. The pattern I have shown is that a shiny reflector gives more contrast. The distance of the reflector from the subject also makes a difference: if the light is moved further away, more contrast is produced.

The lighting angle

21st January 2013

Light level with the subject

The following photos are of a sculpture taken with the camera facing the object. By moving the light around for the first 4 but keeping it level with the subject, I was able to study the position and type of shadows. My light source was diffused for all 11 photos.

a. Light next to camera                  b. Light from one side
  
F22 8secs ISO100 47mm                           F22 6secs ISO100 47mm

c. Light from behind                       d.  Light from behind and to one side
  
F22 1/4sec ISO100 47mm                          F22 8secs ISO100 45mm

All Exposure compensation –1 Tungsten white balance

a. Gives a flat, overexposed image. Detail in the dress is not shown but colours stand out.
b. More interest as face is in shadow. Some dress detail shown. Shadows are hard.
c. Shape is well defined. Looks very 2D.
d. Even soft shadow. Dress detail is shown. I prefer this one out of the group of 4 because the shadows are soft, there are a few highlights and the photo is balanced.

Light at 45 degrees to the subject

 
In this exercise, the light is pointing at 45 degrees to the subject and the lighting sequence is repeated.

a. Light next to camera                  b. Light from one side
  
F22 8secs ISO100 47mm                   F22 6secs ISO100 47mm

c. Light from behind                       d. Light from behind and to one side
  
F22 10secs ISO100 47mm                 F22 8secs ISO100 45mm

All –1 exposure compensation tungsten white balance

a. Gives a flat, bright image. Not much detail is shown.Evenly lit. Hard shadows under chin and on side of dress.
b. Shadows makes the sculpture have more shape. Shadows are hard. Details such as hair and ribbon are highlighted. I like this effect and that of d because the sculpture looks more interesting with the use of shadows and highlights.
c. Highlights hair and shoulders. The difference between this and the last exercise is that the light source is hidden behind the background. There is colour rather than the subject being a silhouette. Shadows are soft.
d. Detail is shown by edge lighting the subject. Soft shadows are produced and some highlights such as hair.

Overhead lighting

 
In this exercise, the camera is level with the subject and the light source is suspended above the subject.

a. Overhead

F22 3secs ISO100 47mm

b. Overhead from the front             c. Overhead from behind
  
F22 2secs ISO100 47mm                  F22 8secs ISO100 47mm

All –1 exposure compensation tungsten white balance

a. Shadows are hard. Top half of the subject has no shadows.
b. Minimal hard shadows around nest. Detail on dress is clear. Looks 3D. I prefer this one out of the three because there is shadow definition and the subject is in the light.
c. Highlights shown on hair. Shadows soft. Detail visible even in shadow.

Comparing all 3 sets of photos, I have observed that by front or back lighting there is no depth to the photo. Side lighting and top lighting give the same proportion of highlights and shadow which allow the object to be seen in 3D.

My preference overall is the overhead and slightly in front because of the relevance of the lighting to the subject – the angel looking up towards the light.

Softening the light

20th January 2013

Using the camera at a 45 degree angle pointing down at the subject and an overhead light, I took 2 photos- the first with a naked tungsten light and the second using a diffuser (material from a flash soft box) in front of the light.

      
Naked                                                          Diffused
1.5secs F22 ISO100 47mm                             3secs F22 ISO100 47mm
                -1 exposure compensation tungsten white balance

I observed that when placing a diffuser in front of the lamp, the exposure time is doubled. The ratio was the same for f16 and f19. At f22, most of the subject was in focus. Shadows on the naked picture are dark and harsh.There is very little detail noticeable. Using a diffuser enables the relief to be seen. The colour on the hands and bird are more natural in the diffused light.