Lighting Gloss Black Grand Piano???

Dervish99

Dervish99

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Russ
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Hi I have been asked to shoot some images of black grand pianos for a web site. The shop is packed with kit so space is an issue, they want the backgrounds oof which shouldn't be a problem, my main worry is reflections and lighting something that is basically solid black so it still looks 3D, the lighting in the shop is fluorescent. I have 3 speedlights, withremote triggers, umbrellas, soft boxes and a massive Lastolite Hilite, which I thought about using as a big softbox, plus various reflectors. Any advice would be appreciated.
Cheers

Russ
 
It isn't technically difficult but you will find it difficult without adequate space or equipment, and your speedlights won't have enough power, nor will they be able to light a 'massive softbox' evenly. You need:
1. A large overhead softbox, above, very close to the top surface and angled forward to the point where the top is lit but without creating a visible reflection. This requires a large boom arm such as this one. Your Hi-Lite will probably do it if you can find a means of lighting it.
2. A studio flash head for the overhead softbox
3. The same again for any other polished horizontal surfaces
4. Another softbox, a big one again, for any vertical surfaces
5. Small flashes, probably with honeycombs, to light small detail areas. Your speedlights will work for this.

See this tutorial, which explains the principles.
 
eek! Not for the faint hearted ;) As Garry says - basically you need something like a professional car studio where the whole ceiling is one huge softbox, and even then the reflections will need to be be smoothed out in Photoshop.

On the other hand, check out this link to Ameliorate.co.uk - Nic Duckworth, she does tricky Photoshop stuff for me http://www.ameliorate.co.uk/ Click through the before/after slide show on the opening page and image #10 is of a Subaru shot in a showroom with just one softbox and multiple images merged as one. That's how I'd do it and relatively speaking, quite easy.

Edit: put car studio into google images and that brings up lots of examples of pro car studios at work.
 
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This is a lighting forum, it's a lighting question so I gave a lighting answer - but Richard is right, the only way you are going to do this is to merge multiple images.

Done well, this will give you a good result. It is though, very time consuming.
 
Hi guys, thanks for the replies, yes car studio type shoot is what is needed, but i don't have the kit, and they don't have the space to create that type of environment. The multi shoot and merge looks interesting Richard, I will have a play around with that on the recon day, I doubt their budget will spring to hiring some studio lights, but we will see.
 
A leftfield idea which might just work

Can you turn all the shop lights off, put a couple of layers of voile on the shop windows to turn them into a huge (daylight) softbox and use a tripod and long exposure?
Then use black flags to control unwanted reflections.
 
juggler said:
A leftfield idea which might just work

Can you turn all the shop lights off, put a couple of layers of voile on the shop windows to turn them into a huge (daylight) softbox and use a tripod and long exposure?
Then use black flags to control unwanted reflections.
Click to expand...
That's a method that COULD work. However, the starting point for the large light source is directly overhead, not at the front or side.
It isn't about quantity of light, or even size of light, so much as a combination of size, relative size and direction.
 
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