# Tough Time Shooting Glowing Pen



## JohnGreco (Oct 23, 2014)

Hi folks- It's been a while since I posted but I wanted to share a recent picture and see if anybody else has a better way to handle this.

As many of you know, I've been turning solid marble. What I didn't realize is just how much the stone likes to glow when light hits it! But worse than that, if the cap is upright and the body is horizontal, they glow differently. Ugh! I believe it's because the upper finial is blocking light from passing through the upright cap the same way as it passes through the body.

My typical photo set-up has the pen in a lightbox with a canister flash mounted on a tripod bouncing off the ceiling. Generally speaking, this has served me very well. But in this case, I could never get the cap and body to look similar in post production.

I wound up lighting the cap from the side with one of the small lights that came with the light tent + the flash. This filled everything nicely, except then I had some WB issues from 2 different types of light. I removed the yellows and blues from the picture (it is a gray cloth, silver hardware, and white marble, so removing those colors shouldn't be a problem).

In the end I wound up with the best picture of this that I've taken, but I'm left wondering...is there a better way to handle this? Thanks in advance.


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## lwalper (Oct 23, 2014)

Don't think I'd complain about that one.


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## mredburn (Oct 23, 2014)

the best way is to bathe it in light from the top and both sides with the same type of bulbs on all three.  Th


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## JohnGreco (Oct 23, 2014)

Hmm...OK. So the search is on for bulbs in that temp range for my little side lights. Thanks, Mike


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## JohnGreco (Oct 23, 2014)

The flash is 5600k temp. I was able to track down a couple of 5000k bulbs for the side lights. Definitely a lot better, just some light tweaking (haha!) to do. Thanks again


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## farmer (Dec 4, 2014)

*Light tents*



JohnGreco said:


> Hi folks- It's been a while since I posted but I wanted to share a recent picture and see if anybody else has a better way to handle this.
> 
> As many of you know, I've been turning solid marble. What I didn't realize is just how much the stone likes to glow when light hits it! But worse than that, if the cap is upright and the body is horizontal, they glow differently. Ugh! I believe it's because the upper finial is blocking light from passing through the upright cap the same way as it passes through the body.
> 
> ...


 
I ran a thread about Light tents in photo forum,
This is what member replied.

Quote,
Light tents have their use, but it is limited. I have shot professionally for 25 years so have acquired a few. First, they are limited by size which affects what you are shooting, but also the space you need around a subject to set up lighting, flags, etc. Second, you are very limited by the quality and style of light you can produce. Generally, I cannot produce the best work with any tent that I can produce in studio with a cyclorama, foamcore, seamless paper and scrims. Light tents are primarily beneficial for repeatability and ease of set up. They can offer a uniform look for similar subjects and be easily repeated again at another time. That's why tents are popular with retailers, but says nothing about the quality of work. Ironically, some retailers seek professionals to shoot with light tents after having failed to get successful results on their own with them. I have run into a few of these potential clients who think professional quality comes from a light tent, among the cheapest equipment available, and not the expertise and other tools professionals utilize.

 Read more at: Proffessional Product photographers using Light tents ? -- Flash and Studio Lighting in photography-on-the.net forums

Another Quote.
Depends on your definition of "professional" - and the needs of the subject matter and the client.Small, simple, nonreflective items can be photographed fine in a light tent.  Spools of thread, unpolished wooden items, things like that would be fine.However, as you've found, a light tent is like the "green box mode" of product photography:  It's easy but you have practically no control over the results.When photographing complex items, or any items with reflective surfaces, you need much more control over reflections, shadows, and light direction than a light tent will afford.Sometimes photo volume is more important than photo quality.  A light tent is better than a cell-phone shot of an item siting on the kitchen counter, and when you have to photograph a hundred items in an hour, the light tent might be the only practical solution.

 Read more at: Proffessional Product photographers using Light tents ? -- Flash and Studio Lighting in photography-on-the.net forums

Farmer


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## G1Pens (Dec 5, 2014)

Not sure what kind of camera you are using, but it you have the option, adding a polarizing filter can do a lot to help with some of the issues you describe


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## farmer (Dec 5, 2014)

*Ligfht tent*

**** can the light tent would be a good start...

If you want to get rid of Polarized light that as soon as the light strikes the smooth surface of your pen it turns into polarized reflection.
Then **** can the tent turn the lights up and use a CPL on your lens,
and Linear polarized film over the light.

This is a well know photography technic call Cross Polarization.


100% this technic works, its cheaper then a light tent, takes up less space,
you get better pictures,  and you get to learn about how Polarized light works.

There is no control over reflection when using a light tent.
The tent causes or produces polarized reflection...........when light passes through it.
Read the book Light science and Magic.....................................
There isn't professional photography who would use a light tent  to do product photography on a pen in less he was going to photograph a bunch of pens and picture quality is second to quantity.

Farmer.


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## plantman (Dec 6, 2014)

John; When you solve your glowing problem, tell me how to shoot my LED pen that changes colors and patterns, without going to a video.   Jim  S


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