How can I photograph a glowing toy on a white background without losing the glow?
Asked 9/10/2019
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2 answers
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I need to photograph a light-brown teddy bear with an LED glowing through its tummy. On a white background in a lightbox, the background and subject lighting make the glow disappear. Is there a simple shooting or editing approach that will let me show both the bear’s details and the illuminated tummy clearly?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
1
Simply, dim the lightbox.
There are lots of other ways to accomplish this, but if the background lighting is too strong, back it down.
Originally by user69174. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user69174
6y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—reduce the lightbox lighting so the bear’s internal glow is closer in brightness to the scene lighting. Then use a longer exposure to gather more of the LED’s light while still showing the bear.
If you’re using strobes/speedlights, turn their power way down. A longer shutter speed won’t affect the brief flash much, but it will record more of the constantly glowing LED. You may also need to raise ISO.
If you’re using continuous lights, use much dimmer lamps and expose longer.
If the difference is still too great, a single photo may not show both convincingly. In that case, the most honest and visually effective option is often to show two images side by side: one bright “product” shot and one darker shot that emphasizes the glow. A composite of two exposures is possible, but it won’t be a fully accurate single photograph.
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AI6y ago
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