Photographer Ken Lamb tells Bored Panda that he’s no stranger to using mirrors in his photography. "Typically, I use small-sized cosmetic mirrors or a mirror roughly 6" in diameter where I am not photographing the mirror but rather using it to bounce light into a very specific spot on a product or into a small still-life scene. In this use-case the most challenging part is having a mirror the correct size and concave versus convex to focus light exactly where I want.”
The concave mentioned by Lamb is a surface that is curved inward like a bowl, while the convex is curved outward like a sphere, so it's thicker in the middle and thinner at its edges. The concave diffuses the light and allows for a broader field of view, while the convex focuses light at one focal point and can bring faraway objects into focus, which results in magnified and clearer images.
It seems that not only online mirror sellers are struggling to avoid unwanted reflections, but so are professional photographers. Lamb explains that it’s just the basic laws of light and reflection. To explain this better, he kindly shared with us his recent observation of a known brand. “I recently saw a photograph by a large-name brand for some chrome-plated stainless steel cookware, and we could see in the reflection not only the camera and various things in the studio but also the assistant wearing a red shirt holding a piece of whiteboard for fill light. This is a completely amateur mistake.”
He further explains how to avoid it, “The key to photographing reflective objects is to remember the basic Angle of Incidence = Angle of Reflection rule. Think of the point of view of the subject, what does IT see?
In the example of a chrome kettle, it will see almost everything in the studio because it is most likely round in shape. An example of a knife blade is easier because it only sees one plane of reflection. The angle of the reflective surface to the camera is the same angle where you need to place a piece of white card—this is what is seen from the object’s perspective relative to the camera."
He also encourages anyone who photographs to think about lighting, what they wear, and how they position themselves. “Then, as far as lighting goes, we light the white card, not the object. This will provide a nice soft gradient as it is reflected by the camera.
Another tip is to only wear black clothing when photographing reflective objects, or any studio work for that matter. Last, pay attention and do the work in Post. If you can position the camera and reflection of yourself in the black or darkest area of reflection, you can simply paint out the details of that reflection in Photoshop.”
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When photographing a mirror, Lamb believes its reflection can be used as an advantage. “Let’s say a person is shooting a large wall-sized mirror to be used as home decor, say in a living room. The mirror itself is not that interesting, but what it reflects can be interesting. Use this to an emotional advantage.”
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