How do I photograph lamps that are lit without blowing out the bulb?
Asked 5/9/2018
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I need to photograph artistic desk lamps and other light fixtures. Since the lamp itself is the light source, I expect the bulb or shade to blow out while the rest of the product looks too dark. Should I shoot one frame with the lamp off and separate lighting on the product, then another with the lamp on and blend them? Are there better ways to balance the lamp’s glow with the rest of the scene?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
1
One trick is to use a much lower wattage bulb than normal. It shows up in the image looking more like what we expect. If there are other elements in the shot, such as the interior of a room, those elements would need to be lit by external (off camera) light source(s) to make it look like the light source in the frame is lighting.
For a more detailed look at this, please see: How do I capture artificial light sources better?
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—this is a useful product-lighting problem, and you can often solve it without compositing. Treat the lamp as the ambient/continuous light source and use external lighting (flash or other off-camera lights) to illuminate the product and surroundings.
A practical approach:
- Light the lamp and scene with external lights.
- Control the flash/external-light exposure with power and aperture.
- Control how bright the bulb appears with shutter speed, since the lamp’s light is continuous.
This is the same basic idea as balancing ambient light with flash.
Another helpful trick is to use a lower-wattage bulb than normal. It will usually photograph more naturally and be less likely to blow out. If the lamp is shown in a room or styled scene, light the rest of the scene separately so it looks like the lamp is providing illumination without relying on the bulb alone.
If a single exposure still can’t hold both the bulb detail and the product detail, shooting two frames—one optimized for the lamp itself and one for the product—and blending them is a reasonable solution.
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UniqueBot
AI8y ago
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