Awkward subject to light (watch), any bright idea's how to overcome

Davince

Davince

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I decided to test out Helicon Focus after hearing some good things about it. Thought I'd shoot a watch my son gave me for my 40th. Which turned the shoot from a quick test to a marathon effort and hair pulling!

Below is the final shot I got before I threw the watch, camera and lights through the window, but it really, really bugs me. I could not get rid of the large reflection in the glass, bottom left of face, no matter what I did - small light source, large light source, 360 deg rotation, high, low, angled, flagged, polarised... I just couldn't get the face lit without getting the glare. The face is quite heavily domed around the edge, unlike any watch I've photographed before. Please tell me I missed something obvious?

 
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Doesn't look like you missed much (y)

Sometimes you just can't do everything, no matter what, when they're in direct conflict. 'Shop it is the answer, but seriously - DON'T! Highlights and shadows are vital, that's what gives the subject its shape and form and texture. That's how I can see the watch has a domed glass, smooth and polished, which is a rather attractive 'classic' feature integral to the design. Handsome watch, too - leave it alone ;)
 
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HoppyUK said:
Doesn't look like you missed much (y)

Sometimes you just can't do everything, no matter what, when they're in direct conflict. 'Shop it is the answer, but seriously - DON'T! Highlights and shadows are vital, that's what gives the subject its shape and form and texture. That's how I can see the watch has a domed glass, smooth and polished, which is a rather attractive 'classic' feature integral to the design. Handsome watch, too - leave it alone ;)
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LOL Cheers Hoppy, so you don't think I should take a grinder to the watch face then? :p
I dunno it's just too bright for me in that area. I don't mind some reflection - as you say to show the dome it needs *something* there, it's just too harsh for me. To get it that subtle I had to get the softbox positioned to light the face, then put a clamp in the middle of the long edge and pull it back with a bit of string to curve the edge of the softbox so that the dome was less highlighted (it was pure specular highlight without that clamp, no detail through it at all!)
 
Davince said:
LOL Cheers Hoppy, so you don't think I should take a grinder to the watch face then? :p
I dunno it's just too bright for me in that area. I don't mind some reflection - as you say to show the dome it needs *something* there, it's just too harsh for me. To get it that subtle I had to get the softbox positioned to light the face, then put a clamp in the middle of the long edge and pull it back with a bit of string to curve the edge of the softbox so that the dome was less highlighted (it was pure specular highlight without that clamp, no detail through it at all!)
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Well that's fine, to tone it down a bit. Serious product photography is full of little tweaks like that. The point is, the reflection is there and it needs to be, just like the glass has also picked up some dark tones around the rim. If it really bugs you, then a smidge of local adjustment in PP will fix it (and nothing wrong with that in my book).
 
Davince said:
Yeah that's what I'll resort to, Just wanted to check that I've not missed a top tip for getting around something like this, cheers again Hoppy :)
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It's a specula reflection (as opposed to the refracted darker bits) off the convex surface, so you'd need to identify exactly where it's coming from and put something black there. That's when you discover you've had to black out the entire light...

Edit: this ones not hard to identify, but there's a trick for doing it. Get a torch and shine it at the subject from where you think the reflection is coming from, and it'll show on the LCD.
 
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We can use knowledge, trial and error and the right tools to get the best possible results but, at the end of the day, the laws of physics impose restrictions on what is possible in camera.
If you don't want any specular reflections at all on the glass, then the only way of avoiding them is to remove the glass, but if you do that then it won't look real...

I think you've done a pretty good job.
 
HoppyUK said:
It's a specula reflection (as opposed to the refracted darker bits) off the convex surface, so you'd need to identify exactly where it's coming from and put something black there. That's when you discover you've had to black out the entire light...

Edit: this ones not hard to identify, but there's a trick for doing it. Get a torch and shine it at the subject from where you think the reflection is coming from, and it'll show on the LCD.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I did for several hours, both the torch and the decision I'd have to black out the entire room to get rid of it LOL :D


Garry Edwards said:
We can use knowledge, trial and error and the right tools to get the best possible results but, at the end of the day, the laws of physics impose restrictions on what is possible in camera.
If you don't want any specular reflections at all on the glass, then the only way of avoiding them is to remove the glass, but if you do that then it won't look real...

I think you've done a pretty good job.
Click to expand...

thanks Garry, I've just been chatting to a watch photographer who said... 'yeah I get them like that occasionally, we get the glass taken out and photoshop in a shape to show its surface'. Feeling a bit better now...
 
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