Need Some Advice on Lighting This Glass Object

[kundalini]

Right, so..... I'm having a heck of a time trying to light this skull. This is an empty (go figure) bottle of the Canadian brand of Crystal Head.

Side Bar: It was in the shop getting my usual and noticed this bottle. My first thought was Cool.... how can I light it. I asked the clerk what is was and he said vodka :irked:. I was hoping for a Respado, but then he said that Dan Akroyd was a partner... loved him in the early days.


I have up to 4 speedlights to play with and a few different light modifiers available to me. With my limited play thus far, these are my best efforts, but I am completely unimpressed so far. I am using a 28x28" light tent with a black sweep and the head is resting on a 12x12" black tile. I have tried lights on either side approximately level with the head but flagged to hit the background and one above aimed at the background. So far, my flags have been 4x8" and I'm thinking something much larger might be needed. None of the lights facing the head...... well, I did try and they sucked.

I am trying to get more detail and less reflection/refraction in the lower half of the skull. I like the reflection on the tile, but all the specular highlights are killing me.

Any help is much appreciated.

Both shot with a 105mm lens.

f/9 - 1/20s
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/764235780_qsAeS-XL.jpg



f/9 - 1/4s
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/764235718_C8wnB-XL.jpg



I kinda like the second because it reminds me of brain matter, but in the end, I think I'll be pulling the cork out of the top and cropping closer. Which reminds me..... don't concern youselves with crop and PP stuff at this point. The only thing I really did was to increase the blacks in LR to get what I envisioned.


Thanks again for any help.


EDIT:

One other thought. Does anyone have an opinion if the results might better if the vessel was full? Obviously it would be water or something. :lol:

[Chris of Arabia]

I'm just wondering whether you might get better results if you tried to light it as if the source was coming from inside the skull. A couple of options spring to mind; one is to light it from underneath via a hole in the tile, the second is to snoot the light in from the top, where the cork will now be missing - you're intending to crop the neck out anyway. I'd also think about an alternative version with an Orton effect applied in PP.

Does any of this work for you?

[kundalini]

I don't have the clear piece yet, but lighting from underneath was to be my next effort. I can't cut the tile since it's really not mine to begin with. It was "borrowed".

I'm not sure if snooting down the blowhole will give the results I'm after, thinking it may still throw off too much reflection, but it's a cheap and easy shot. I'll have a go with it.

Thanks Chris.

[icassell]

I'm a moron when it comes to this stuff, so I won't begin to tell you how to accomplish it. There is a chapter in this book on lighting things like this, but (he hastily admits...) I haven't read it yet :)

http://www.amazon.com/Light-Science-Introduction-Photographic-Lighting/dp/0240808193/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263508650&sr=8-2

[kundalini]

^^ I've got the book too Ian (probably 2 years), but for the life of me, I'm finding it very hard to finish. I know it is chocked full of great info, but I tend to use it as a sedative. :lol:

[icassell]

^^ I've got the book too Ian (probably 2 years), but for the life of me, I'm finding it very hard to finish. I know it is chocked full of great info, but I tend to use it as a sedative. :lol:


I know what you mean, but I remember that one chapter seems to directly address your problem. You might go back and take a peek.

BTW I really like that skull and look forward to seeing the final product!

[Alan Rossiter]

If you illuminate a background (obviously behind the skull) you'll get the glass illuminated without glare. You could also try filling it with water to help eliminate internal reflections. Maybe it won't work but it's a thought.

Alan.

[Aggie]

Try setting up white poster boards or a sheet in front of it as iff it were a screen. Then bounce the light off the white surface so that it is going back towards the skull. That way it will be uniform instead of seeing the light source that shows in the forehead portion. It will also give softer lights than the direct approach even with drapes top soften. You can then set up your camera just above the screening or just below. Actually a shot from below might be fun. You could use a piece of glass to set it on. Trick with shooting through glass is to do it at an angle. Never do it straight on or it will show horrible glare. But that was way back when I used camera mounted flashes. Have fun and show us more of your playing around. I'm weird enough I would fill it with some sort of liquid that fizzes and get closer to see the fizzing going up the inside of the skull. I can just imagine what Chiler would do with this.

[Mike]

I see that this is a rather old thread...but I've got an idea that might work (if anyone still cares). Try shooting it the way you would shoot wine glasses (or any type of clear glass cup etc).

In other words, only light the rim of the objects...as in, only light the very edges of the 'family of angles'. It may be hard to explain without a visual, but I'll try.

To shoot a dark field wine glass shot. I would evenly light a background (wall). Then in front of the wall, I'd hang a black card/flag that is close to 2:3 to match the camera's ratio. I'd set the card and glass in front if it, in such a way that the angle from the lens, to the edge of the glass...then reflecting off of the glass, went just outside the edge of the card. That way, only the very edges of the glass are lit.

Glass has properties of direct reflection...so any light source that is inside the family of angles, will show up as a reflection. And with a rounded object, the family of angles is essentially everywhere. So only put light (or block light) where you want that direct reflection to show up....and with glass, it often looks best if that direct reflection is right at the edges.

I'm sure it would be more complicated with a skull shape, but it's worth a shot.

[Antarctican]

(It's definitely a difficult thing to properly light, so I'm sure many of us are interested in your suggestions. Thanks Mike!)