Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/09/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Keeping it simple, you could turn those flash heads around and bounce them from some large white cards - mat board will do. Even better is to use a light tent. This can result in complete freedom from glare. Note - moving the light farther away will make the problem worse, not better. The idea is to make the light source as large, relative to the object, as possible. Ken Wilcox At 2:08 -0400 9/21/0, a fine scholar, Martin Howard wrote: >I need to take pictures of a few things to put up on eBay. I'm using two >flash units for this: relatively small, hot-shoe mounted thingies. Both are >on stands, one is connected to the camera via a PC-sync cord, the other is >on a slave-trigger shoe on another stand. > >I use a separate lightmeter to measure the aperture I need to expose >properly. So far, so good. I get correctly exposed pictures, with >correctly balanced light (I have one provide one f-stop less light than the >other: key light and fill-in). > >But, the problem I have is that there is too much 'glare' on chrome surfaces >and in highlights. One way around this is, I guess, to move the lights >further away, but I have a whole bunch of different objects, some shot from >15cm, some from 70cm (all with a macro lens), so how do I calculate how far >away the lights should be? > >I have a Photo Techniques article about macro flash, but it doesn't offer >any useful advice on light-to-subject distance. However, they have pictures >in the article of highly reflective metal objects with beautiful detailing, >correct exposure, and no 'glare' in the highlights. > >Any advice? > >M. > >-- >Martin Howard | "I am Pentium of Borg. Division is >Visiting Scholar, CSEL, OSU | futile. You will be approximated." >email: howard.390@osu.edu | -- Unknown >www: http://mvhoward.i.am/ +--------------------------------------- - ---- Ken Wilcox Carolyn's Personal Touch Portraits preferred---> <wilcox@tir.com> <kwilcox@gfn.org>