Ice Cream Machine

I did a lot of trial and error when it came to photographing highly reflective objects.  I thought, I’ll be glad when I do enough of these where I can do a quick set up, know where to place the lights, what the camera settings should be and just shoot. Then it slowly sank in – it’s not going to happen. All the objects reflect light differently due to their unique size and construction. So it’s a combination of a slight move of the light, adjusting it’s height and position on the stand, or turning on/off individuals lights. Next the vertical location of the camera on the tripod, or a slight tilt of the camera to get any glare out of the shot, followed again by a slight tweak of the light, or both.
Like most of us, I seemed to always be short on funds to get the best equipment.  So I started out with my existing Canon Rebel XT and a Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 lens and hoped the lens would help where the camera fell short in low light conditions.  Photographing stainless steel objects meant using any type of flash was totally out of the question.  It was a constant struggle to get a crisp shot in low light without a lot of noise or spending a lot of time in photoshop to remove all the shadows. I even tried shooting outside in natural light, but then objects outside of my control, like cars, trees, surroundings would reflect in the side panels like a mirror.  Even the smallest lighting glare or a finger print left on the side of a panel dominates the shot. In the end, like most solutions, it comes down to equipment and light/camera position.   Today, I use - Lighting: Interfit Super Cool-lite 5 Fluorescent Flood Light Kit.  It consists of two fixtures, reflectors, 2- 24×24″ softboxes, light stands,  5 bulbs – 240 Watts – 120VAC per fixture, with on/off switches to control each of the 5 individual lights in each fixture.  These are mainly used to help illuminate the room since any direct light on the subject would produce a relection.  Camera: Canon 7D which is awesome in low light, Lens: Canon Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Autofocus.

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It was the combination of the camera and the lens that finally enabled me to get great shots in low light.  Did all the equipment finally free me from the lighting struggle “and” reduce the photo session time, you ask?  I’m sorry to say there’s no magic solution.  It still comes down to position of the light and vertical placement of the camera.  But, I remember looking at my first shots with the new camera and lens.  I believe my exact words (well word) was, “Wow!” when looking at the detail and sharpness of the shot. I had the combination of equipment I needed, but light, camera settings and position will always take what ever time is necessary.

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