Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: Andy Green on October 29, 2011, 03:19:03 PM
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I am new to this but how can I take the best photos of my drinking glassware for posting on here?
I took on board some member advice & have shot them on black background with a light on near by & with a flash on my camera. But they still come out a little dark?
How do you do it?
Thanks
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Hi Andy :hi:
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,6522.msg55557.html#msg55557
If you scroll down this topic, you'll find lots of advice on how to take photographs of glass...hope it helps! xx
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Hi Andy,
Here is how I do it ! A large window with lots of natural light helps. :sun:
I use A3 paper , propped up at the back with a box. Don't fold the paper 'cus then you see a crease. This produces a photo of the jug below. The Mdina vase was taken with a light background to show the colours (which was important to see) . A dark background can be used on colourless or opaque glass (see shell taken in both natural & electric light ).
To upload on glassmessages 4x photos at once they would need to be resized to about 75% smaller and if you are unable to resize using your own software there here is a good website to go to . You just resize on-line and then save the re-sized photo back to your computer .
http://www.picresize.com/
cheers Mike.
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Don't use flash. And the upload limit is per photo (120kb each), not per reply
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Get yourself at an angle where you are looking directly at the glass, rather than using weird angles from above which don't show the shape properly.
Sometimes it's easier to put the glass on it's side and take the pic from above.
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I take all my photos in daylight, underneath a skylight. Here are a some examples:
Photo 1 is with a white background and not great.
Photo 2 is with a black background and although a little more detail is apparent now the glare is magnified.
Photo 3 is with a white background again but this time the glasses are in shadow cast by a bit of card I am holding above them. Much better I think, they are effectively 'back lit'.
John
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All of the following were taken against a mid-to-dark grey background.
With flash. Modern Venetian-style goblet vase (http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pid=15047&fullsize=1).
Side lit with a distant spot lamp. Floral engraved water jug (http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pid=10863&fullsize=1).
With flash. Reference photo of old (and one not so old) drinking glasses (http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pid=9251&fullsize=1).
When using flash, several factors need to be considered, such as:
a) How strong is the flash? Try a layer or two of tracing paper over the bulb to get a diffused light.
b) Is the item decorated with engraving? Experiment with camera distance and flash diffusion to get a better effect.
c) Do other light sources (interior or daylight) still reflect in the item and distract from the detail? Close all curtains / switch off other lights. But this method may require an assistant! If the camera does not allow manual focus by some means, then use pre-focus (hold shutter release button half way) and get a friend to get rid of the extra light sources.
If flash always gives poor results, go for natural daylight but from a distance that provides a soft light, not a bright sunlight glare.
But basically ... experiment. Different items need different lighting to bring out the best, or at least a reasonable, image. :)
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I have always found that flash really does alter the colour of coloured glass . That is why using natural light is the best solution with any glass other than clear .
As Kev suggests glare from a window can be a problem and sometimes it's best to wait for a cloudy day and hold up a shade positioned only to cover the reflection of the window in the glass.
Sometimes bright sunlight can give some great results and can be used to highlight certain features... like the ears of this clown.....