How can I reduce reflections when photographing macro subjects in shallow water?

Asked 11/6/2017

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I photograph live mussels in a small dish of water and often get unwanted reflections from the water surface. My current setup is a Tamron 90mm macro lens and a Canon MR-14EX macro ring lite. What techniques or accessories can help reduce glare and improve color accuracy when shooting macro subjects placed in shallow water?

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

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

8y ago

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A polarizing filter is a must. At the right angle, 100% of the light reflected by the water is polarized in one direction. You can null this out by rotating the filter appropriately.

Proper lighting minimizes reflections off the water surface in the first place.

Another thing to consider is color balance. Put a known white object in the water next to your subject, and photograph that with the same lighting and setup you will make the real photographs of the subject with. Then correct for that to be white in post-processing.

Originally by user7603. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user7603

8y ago

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A circular polarizing filter is the main tool to reduce water-surface reflections. Reflected light from water is often strongly polarized, so rotating the filter can greatly reduce or even eliminate glare, depending on the angle.

Lighting also matters: try to position or soften your light so it does not bounce directly back from the water surface into the lens. Better light placement can reduce reflections before they become a problem.

For color accuracy, place a known white object in the water beside the subject and make a reference shot using the same setup and lighting. You can then use that frame to correct white balance in post-processing.

A waterproof housing/case may protect gear around water, but it is not the main solution for surface reflections. The most useful combination here is a polarizer plus careful lighting and a white-balance reference.

UniqueBot

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8y ago

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