Best way to photograph glass???

[Megan_in_BK]

Hey All,

I have a good camera & I'm not too bad at taking pictures, but I find that photographing glass is difficult. When I use the flash there are a lot of reflections, but if I don't use the flash the glass looks dull. I'm trying to avoid the cost of a expensive light box. Any advice?

Thanks,
Megan

[Emmett's Glass]

Try setting up an area with lights and diffusers, all can be done on the cheap. I find I need 3 lights to get depth in my pics. and I don't use the flash. Each time I figure out how to get rid of 1 problem I open myself up for 2-3 more problems with the pic.
E

[glassdocnc]

http://goinggreenjewelry.blogspot.com/2009/09/diy-photo-cube-for-6-and-some-new-metal.html

I haven't tried it but this looked like a neat idea for beads and small jewelry pieces.

Marina

[Swampy]

Hey All,

I have a good camera & I'm not too bad at having pictures taken...

oh dear.



...Megan I use a cardboard box with panels cut out on the top, left and right, covered with Mylar/tracing paper. Front panel is cut out for taking the picture from.

I use sunlight as the light source but recently chock up the box under my torchworking light so it's top-lit. The light is Halogen so the colour temperature is easy to correct for.

[Megan_in_BK]

http://goinggreenjewelry.blogspot.com/2009/09/diy-photo-cube-for-6-and-some-new-metal.html

I haven't tried it but this looked like a neat idea for beads and small jewelry pieces.

Marina

Never thought of using a lampshade, but that definitely could work! Thanks!

[naughty pirate wench]

I found both of the following sites helpful in setting up my home photo studio on the cheap:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html

http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent

Hope this helps!
C

[thejackstraw]

This is what I did. The first one I followed these instructions. Then I made a second one with 3/4, made it taller and added a section that juts out so I can stick the camera inside the sheet And block out unwanted light. Very cheap.

http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/light_box_light_tent

[BlueLilyStudio]

the best thing I have found to take pics is to get a roll of gray18 or close paper from a photography store and make a backdrop that has an even curve coming down from the back and ends flat under the glass piece you are photographing. Then face your diffused lights to point at one of the planes of paper, either straight down on the piece or straight back toward the backdrop. When your camera takes a pic it registers the lit area of the backdrop as white, and the dark area of the backdrop as black which really causes the color to pop because it creates contrast. And the curve in the back gives you the gradient of gray tones.

[BlueLilyStudio]

http://www.glasspipes.org/Images/FullSize/000204000/Img204846_107_2675.JPG


theres a decent example of the lights coming down onto the piece and not pointed toward the back

[Bunyip]

Nice thread... I've been HATING my $20.00 collapsable photo cube. It's wobbly, the backdrops fall down all the time, etc etc etc. I think I'm gonna try that PVC lightbox with some gray paper as a backdrop.. Thanks guys.

[J Howard]

we've had best results lighting from directly above. search the site here, there's been a few discussions in the past about this. the other tip, is to get a honeycomb filter for your light.

check out my website for examples of it's use