~CathleenParagon

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Need advice! It's important!

Wed Mar 18, 2009, 3:24 AM

Mood: Love
Listening to: Alice Cooper ~ Hey Stupid
Reading: text
Watching: screen and flashes
Playing: what's that?
Eating: kiwi
Drinking: orange-carrot spritzer

_{Ladies, Gentlemen,

it's maddening!!!

Currently it's project weeks at school. Eight weeks of working for a company.
Me and ~Grabraeuberin88 have to do some product photos of office supplies. Nothing too bad about it.
If there weren't those goddamn transparent desk pads!
Ever tried to get a clear and sharp image of that stuff? We find it impossible!

So if anyone of you knows how to manage to get a sharp image of something transparent, that only seems to consist of two outlines and an imprinting, please be so kind and tell us. We've run out of ideas - and none worked, obviously

Thanks in advance!

And thank you for your undivided attention,
Cate}

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=skiesofchaos Mar 18, 2009, 7:26:51 AM

manual focus and put a sticky dot or a little piece of tape on it for the focus point, then of course remove it before taking the shot.

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~CathleenParagon Mar 18, 2009, 7:33:38 AM

hm...we've already tried the manual focus and some sheets of paper under the pad. but the tape-thingy sounds a good idea. we'll try!
thanks

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Truth Has A Bat On Their Head!

*SeventhCrow Mar 18, 2009, 8:29:36 AM

Light it from below or at an obtuse angle to the camera or show the reflection of something in the surface of the transparent pad along with the object itself. The distorted (by reflection) image of the crisp image should give the eye enough to register on.
(Like a vase on the desk where the "real" one is crisp and the reflection in the pad is distorted.)
7

~CathleenParagon Mar 19, 2009, 1:51:03 AM

Got some problems with the light from below, too. One of the more committed tutors around here organised a table for taking pictures of things, just like we're doing now. Unfortunately it's a bit low and the lights are a bit too high, so that we had to level the light to the floor and try to reflect it with a mirror film placed under the table.
The thing with the reflection will be worth a try though.
Thanks alot

--
Truth Has A Bat On Their Head!

~jesushero Mar 21, 2009, 5:48:28 PM

Use EXTREME angles..

For example:

If the table is flat, as in _

Lay the transparent thing as in / and shoot the picture as in \

So you'd have

\ /_

Or something like that, with a wide-angle lens..

In combination with that, use spotlights, again in angles.. In the above, replace the camera angle with a spot-light angle, and experiment with different camera angles.

If all else fails, try using multiple flashes, especially on the sides of the object to take advantage of the diffusion and diffraction.

If you succeed, post it somewhere so I can have a look!

~CathleenParagon Mar 23, 2009, 1:15:15 AM

Our contact person from the company just told us a few days ago that they actually don't need pictures of the transparent desk pads - so why the hell did we get them then???