Need to eliminate a reflection

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photographerian

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Ian
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Need to photograph some bike parts. Exhaust silencers. All very shiny chrome. What can I do to stop all off the area and me being in the reflection. I've seen the spray stuff but would that make the product look a bit dull.
 
Shoot through some white card! Put some white card that will reflect off the chrome but out of shot if possible, Use a large piece of Card or Polystyrene Insulation with a hole in for the lens to poke through!

Have a look at this, okay it's a smaller scale but do-able with larger stuff too!
 
There isn't really any way to stop chromed tubes from reflecting and being tubes, they will pick up pretty much the whole environment they're being shot in.

All you can do is to control what's there to be reflected, which can be a real headache at times, depending on what the space is like and how easy it is to have complete control.

One of the toughest and most time consuming products you can work with. :thumbs::lol:
 
A long lens is good if the resulting perspective and shallow depth-of-field is not a problem.
Obviously you can lose your own reflection by using a remote release or the self timer.

Alternatively try the following:

1. Conceal camera/tog/tripod behind a black drape with a hole for the lens.
2. Sort it in photoshop.

Good luck.
Sam-D
 
Polarizers do not work on metal because the nature of the reflection is very different to that of other surfaces.

If it were me I would use the longest lens at my disposal and try to arrange it so that I could clone myself out.

Alex
 
Use a tilt-shift lens. With the lens shifted, you won't be able to see your reflection.
 
Sam-D said:
A long lens is good if the resulting perspective and shallow depth-of-field is not a problem.
Click to expand...

Assuming the subject is the same size in the frame it doesn't matter what lens you use, the DoF will be the same for a given aperture but I don't think a long lens will really help.

Your best bet is to control the environment using sheets/painted boards/polystyrene/etc. To have full control over the reflections it's really a studio job :(
 
pxl8 said:
Assuming the subject is the same size in the frame it doesn't matter what lens you use, the DoF will be the same for a given aperture but I don't think a long lens will really help.

Your best bet is to control the environment using sheets/painted boards/polystyrene/etc. To have full control over the reflections it's really a studio job :(
Click to expand...

Wayhey! Someone else speaking sense! :thumbs:

Although the tilt-shift lens would work for keeping your own image out of the reflections but would not help with the other ambient reflections, not a cheap option though.

A few sheets of card and or polystyrene, judicious camera position and good lighting should sort things out, oh, and a fair bit of practise! :clap:
 
I agree with Ed it is just a case of postioning the camera very carfully maybe a light tent to give nice even lighting or soft boxes. oe bits of white card things like that. you still likely to get some refections but it will just be a case of making them as minimal as you can.
 
As above, the enviroment needs blanking out somehow. Its a bit Blue Peter but if they are parts rather than a whole bike, you could try to make a big lightbox from a large cardboard box, paint the inside white [maybe black on bottom] carefully cut holes for lens and a light or two..... any reflections from these will be much easier to clone out than entire rooms or yourself.

My light tent cost about £60 with two table top lights and that would actually fit most bike parts, even shorter chrome pipes as its approx a metre long on each side, but you can get bigger ones if the job is worth the expence. :shrug:
 
depending on the amount involved....how about the clone stamp!?
 
rich900 said:
hi fit a polrized filter and try that
Click to expand...

Did you read the rest of this thread?

Poloriser filters only work on reflections from non-metallic surfaces, paint, glass, plastic, water etc.

A poloriser filter will not work for this!
 
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