How do I photograph mirrors and other highly reflective products without unwanted reflections?
Asked 7/25/2011
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I need to photograph vintage mirrors for a client and want clean product shots without the mirror looking washed out or reflecting the camera, lights, or room clutter. What is the best way to set up and light a mirror so the reflection looks controlled, and are there any lens choices or techniques that help?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
19
Mirrors reflect, there's nothing you can do about that (except spray the mirror with something but clients are unlikely to go for that).
All you can do is position the mirror and camera so that what's reflected is as unobjectionable as possible. A good idea would probably be to position the mirror to reflect a plain wall or ceiling. If you get further away and use a long focal length lens, the area reflected by the mirror will be much smaller which will make it easier to ensure there's no clutter (this also makes it easier to ensure your camera isn't reflected, whilst still viewing the mirror nearly straight on).
Remember that you will probably need two lights, one to light the frame, and one to light the area reflected by the mirror.
Originally by user1375. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1375
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A mirror will always reflect something, so the goal is to control what it reflects rather than eliminate reflections entirely. Position the mirror so it reflects something simple and clean, such as a plain wall or ceiling. Keep clutter out of that reflected area.
To avoid seeing the camera, move the camera slightly off to one side and farther back, then use a longer focal length so the mirror’s reflected field of view is narrower. This also helps keep the camera out of the reflection while still making the shot look close to straight-on.
Light the scene in two parts: one light for the mirror’s frame and another for whatever surface or area is being reflected, so both the frame and reflected area read well.
If budget allows, a shift or tilt-shift lens is especially useful. You can place the camera off-axis so it isn’t reflected, then use the shift function to correct perspective and make the mirror appear as if it was photographed head-on.
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