Help on reducing reflections in glass

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Baz
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Hello all, a friend of mine has made a few stained glass and leaded windows in white frames and I’d like to get some nice shots of them. I will be shooting them in a large garage with fluorescent lighting. I have a flashgun with diffuser, polariser filter and a couple of reflectors. I am looking for any tips on how to reduce the reflections and flash glare on the glass and get nice even lighting. Is on camera flash acceptable for this or would I be better with off camera? Thanks for any help.
 
I've only ever shot stained glass from inside churches using natural light, obviously from the back, with excellent results.

Can you not simulate this some how :shrug:

D in W
 
A polarizing filter may help but I'd try lighting them from behind, failing that can you photograph them at an angle (so no reflections) then correct it in photoshop?
 
Ok, there's two types of reflection: direct and diffuse. Direct reflection is mirror-like. Light takes straight paths and bounces off at an angle opposite to the one it hit at. It produces clear, distinct reflections. Diffuse involves scattering of light: it goes every which way and produces a matt effect. Your glass will mostly produce direct reflection- it will act like a mirror, therefore:
-anything that is in direct line of sight/reflection and is illuminated will show up on your photos.
-any light source that does not illuminate this area will only effect the areas that produce diffuse reflection, or areas that are angled differently to the flat surface, for example raised leading or any frosted areas.

What I'd suggest is: arrange everything how you want, but don't photograph it head-on. At an angle would be best. Get a large piece of white paper, bedsheet or something and hang this so it occupies the entire area that you can see reflected in the glass. This should leave you clear of ugly reflections. Then light the white surface with your flashgun or the flourescent lighting to produce a nice, even light over the surface of the glass, and/or light another white surface to the rear of the glass to get light streaming through it. Then maybe use some side-lighting to pick out details on the frame or of any leading/texture you want to show.

If you'd rather use only backlighting then replace the white sheet with a black one. Also use a wideish aperture: the shallow depth of field will help with any unevenness on the surface you're got reflected in the glass.

Hope this makes sense to you. Ask if I've not been clear.
 
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You're definitely going to want the stained glass backlit, or it will appear dull and uninteresting. My wife did stained glass pieces for years. We photographed them in situ with natural light coming through the glass.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions and thanks to Matt for going to the trouble of explaining everything. I'll let you know how I get on.
 
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