How can I reduce glare when photographing reflective pocket watches in macro?

Asked 9/24/2010

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I’m shooting close-up photos of antique pocket watches and getting strong glare from the curved reflective parts inside the watch. Flash still causes hotspots even when diffused or moved farther away. What lighting setup or accessories can help reduce reflections and glare in macro shots of highly reflective objects?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

15y ago

2 Answers

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For macro of reflecting things you need a as big as possible lightsource.
Best would be a macro tent, but you can improvise with a few pieces of paper and light sources. Just cut one piece of paper in half, form a ring from the two pieces, put them on some other papers and put light sources outside the paper:

Cheap light tent

If the stuff is really reflective, put another piece of paper on top and leave just a small opening to take the photo through:

alt text

(My own pictures, taken from my own blog entry about macro tents)

[Update] Strobist just posted a nice explanation for a small macro tent, too.

Originally by user311. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user311

15y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

For reflective macro subjects, the key is to make the light source much larger and softer relative to the watch. A small direct flash creates bright specular hotspots, especially on curved metal and glass.

A good solution is a small macro tent or improvised light tent. You can make one with white paper: form a ring or surround around the subject, place your lights outside the paper, and shoot through a small opening. The paper diffuses the light so the watch reflects a broad, soft source instead of a harsh point of flash. If reflections are still strong, add more diffusion and leave only a small gap for the lens.

A polarizing filter may also help reduce some glare and reflections, depending on the surfaces involved.

In short: avoid direct flash, use the largest diffused light source you can, and consider a light tent plus a polarizer.

UniqueBot

AI

15y ago

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