Tony Ferguson on tue 2 dec 08
Hey Dolita,
A softbox will drastically reduce the glare and positioning them further away will make the spots smaller. What you have to do also is block out the hot spots with foam core and wire (think lolli pops). Also, in your digital editing software you can reduce it while still being true (or untrue if you wish) to the pot.
I am not a fan of the spray. I think you have to balance the hot spots against being honest about what the surface of your work presents.
By the way, my online digital photo class starts in January.
Tony Ferguson
Dolita Dohrman wrote: I have had two pieces photographed that needed a light spraying of
whatever it is photographers use to get rid of shiny spots. I had
photos taken of before and after. The spray, while eliminating the
reflective bright spot, does change the look of the piece. On one
piece it was OK, on the other (a bowl) the change was not true to the
piece. My question is: Does using a soft box eliminate the shiny
spots, or at least diffuse them?
Dolita in Kentucky
Take Care,
Tony Ferguson
Artist...Clay, Web, Photo, Video
...where the sky meets the lake...
http://www.tonyferguson.net
Vince Pitelka on tue 2 dec 08
Dolita in Kentucky wrote:
"I have had two pieces photographed that needed a light spraying of
whatever it is photographers use to get rid of shiny spots. I had
photos taken of before and after. The spray, while eliminating the
reflective bright spot, does change the look of the piece. On one
piece it was OK, on the other (a bowl) the change was not true to the
piece. My question is: Does using a soft box eliminate the shiny
spots, or at least diffuse them?"
Hi Dolita -
I think that the non-reflective sprays are among the worst things you can do
to a ceramic piece for the purposes of photography. If a ceramic piece is
shiny, then the reflective surface must show in the photograph. There are
ways to do that tastefully without actually altering the surface of the
piece. For the past 14 years I have been working with the photographers at
TTU Photo Services on exactly this issue, and this is what we have come up
with. I know that many photographers use the same system, so it's not like
we invented anything new. We use a very large softbox mounted above and
just in front of the piece, slightly off to the one side (asymmetrical
lighting is almost always more interesting). We also place a fairly weak
spotlight way off in front of the piece just off to the other side, usually
at least ten or fifteen feet away from the piece, and that creates enough
highlights to see that the surface is reflective. If necessary, we use
reflective cards just out of the field of view to provide any additional
illumination needed on the opposite side of the piece from the soft box. In
some cases we use an additional directed spotlight to illuminate an area on
the seamless backdrop directly behind the piece, especially with work that
is dark in color. This provides interesting contrast.
I have done a lot of jurying for craft shows, and one of the mistakes I see
most often is when people use light that is so diffused that you cannot tell
if the piece is reflective. It flattens out the work and makes it seem
two-dimensional. The challenge is to represent the work truthfully with
lighting that shows the work to maximum advantage without distracting from
the work in any way.
I hope this is helpful.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
Dolita Dohrman on tue 2 dec 08
I have had two pieces photographed that needed a light spraying of
whatever it is photographers use to get rid of shiny spots. I had
photos taken of before and after. The spray, while eliminating the
reflective bright spot, does change the look of the piece. On one
piece it was OK, on the other (a bowl) the change was not true to the
piece. My question is: Does using a soft box eliminate the shiny
spots, or at least diffuse them?
Dolita in Kentucky
Arnold Howard on tue 2 dec 08
From: "Dolita Dohrman"
Does using a soft box eliminate the shiny
> spots, or at least diffuse them?
It depends on the shape of the object you are shooting.
Shiny spheres pick up light sources. Cylinders do too, but
the reflections can be removed by changing the angle of the
lighting.
A soft box allows you to control the shape and size of the
reflection. It also diffuses the light, which softens
shadows that would otherwise contain no detail. A pinpoint
light source creates hard-edged shadows.
For ultimate control of lighting, make your own soft boxes
or diffusion panels. They are easy to make and will take you
a step beyond the lighting kits that have become popular for
pottery and jewelry.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
steve graber on tue 2 dec 08
i use a pop up tent=A0outside in a bright shade area rather then in direct =
sun or with spot lights.=A0 that seems to work nicely with no light flares.=
=A0 =0A=0Abut a dusting with a talc powder might work too?=0A=A0Steve Grabe=
r, Graber's Pottery, Inc=0AClaremont, California USA=0AThe Steve Tool - for=
awesum texture on pots! =0Awww.graberspottery.com steve@graberspottery.com=
=0A=0A=0A=0A=0A________________________________=0AFrom: Dolita Dohrman hrman@INSIGHTBB.COM>=0ATo: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG=0ASent: Tuesday, Decemb=
er 2, 2008 8:17:49 AM=0ASubject: Photographing Shiny Pots=0A=0AI have had t=
wo pieces photographed that needed a light spraying of=0Awhatever it is pho=
tographers use to get rid of shiny spots.=A0 I had=0Aphotos taken of before=
and after.=A0 The spray, while eliminating the=0Areflective bright spot, d=
oes change the look of the piece.=A0 On one=0Apiece it was OK, on the other=
(a bowl) the change was not true to the=0Apiece.=A0 My question is:=A0 Doe=
s using a soft box eliminate the shiny=0Aspots, or at least diffuse them?=
=0ADolita in Kentucky=0A=0A=0A=0A
Randall Moody on tue 2 dec 08
On Tue, Dec 2, 2008 at 11:49 AM, Arnold Howard wrote:
> From: "Dolita Dohrman"
> Does using a soft box eliminate the shiny
>
>> spots, or at least diffuse them?
>>
>
> It depends on the shape of the object you are shooting.
> Shiny spheres pick up light sources. Cylinders do too, but
> the reflections can be removed by changing the angle of the
> lighting.
>
You can also try using a polarizing filter to reduce much of the glare.
Randall in Atlanta
Hank Murrow on tue 2 dec 08
On Dec 2, 2008, at 8:17 AM, Dolita Dohrman wrote:
> I have had two pieces photographed that needed a light spraying of
> whatever it is photographers use to get rid of shiny spots. I had
> photos taken of before and after. The spray, while eliminating the
> reflective bright spot, does change the look of the piece. On one
> piece it was OK, on the other (a bowl) the change was not true to the
> piece. My question is: Does using a soft box eliminate the shiny
> spots, or at least diffuse them?
Hank in Eugene replies:
Yes it does, Dolita. Another way to light pots is to use a 500Watt
outdoor halogen fixture(like for garages only without the motion
detector($9 at Home depot), replacing the bulb that comes with it
with a color corrected halogen bulb(Hollywood Lights in Portland OR)
from your local theater lighting supply house. I added a frame to
hold two 21" x 23" diffusion screens(also from Hollywood Lights)
about ten inches from the light source and the light blocked from
escaping the sides by cardboard or metal panels.
I can send a pic or two if you want to pursue this. Meanwhile, check
out this flickr site for the Mingei show in Seattle:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/claycraft/
Cheers, Hank
May Luk on wed 3 dec 08
Hello Vince and friends;
Lighting is everything in photography - especially still-life. This is the =
reason I try not to take pictures for any serious outputs. There are profes=
sionals who do that. And no way I can commite the time and equipment to mak=
e it look right. I do take pictures for recording and for my blog, but that=
is to help me see.
I have to take photography in my late teens for my advertising foundation. =
I knew I didn't and don't have it to be a photographer. The dark room is ju=
st like glaze testing - one needs to be systematic, otherwise it's groping =
in the dark.=20
Regards
May
=20
>=20
> Hi Dolita -
> I think that the non-reflective sprays are among the worst
> things you can do
> to a ceramic piece for the purposes of photography. If a
> ceramic piece is
> shiny, then the reflective surface must show in the
> photograph. There are
> ways to do that tastefully without actually altering the
> surface of the
> piece. For the past 14 years I have been working with the
> photographers at
> TTU Photo Services on exactly this issue, and this is what
> we have come up
> with. I know that many photographers use the same system,
> so it's not like
> we invented anything new. We use a very large softbox
> mounted above and
> just in front of the piece, slightly off to the one side
> (asymmetrical
> lighting is almost always more interesting). We also place
> a fairly weak
> spotlight way off in front of the piece just off to the
> other side, usually
> at least ten or fifteen feet away from the piece, and that
> creates enough
> highlights to see that the surface is reflective. If
> necessary, we use
> reflective cards just out of the field of view to provide
> any additional
> illumination needed on the opposite side of the piece from
> the soft box. In
> some cases we use an additional directed spotlight to
> illuminate an area on
> the seamless backdrop directly behind the piece, especially
> with work that
> is dark in color. This provides interesting contrast.
>=20
> I have done a lot of jurying for craft shows, and one of
> the mistakes I see
> most often is when people use light that is so diffused
> that you cannot tell
> if the piece is reflective. It flattens out the work and
> makes it seem
> two-dimensional. The challenge is to represent the work
> truthfully with
> lighting that shows the work to maximum advantage without
> distracting from
> the work in any way.
>=20
> I hope this is helpful.
> - Vince
>=20
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Craft
> Tennessee Tech University
> vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka=0A=0A=0A
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