Getting close to eliminate reflections

    There are times when you want a reflection in you picture for artistic purposes, but there are more than a few times when it's a pain in the tuchus.

    This usually happens when what you're photographing is behind glass, such as in a display case, you're looking out a window or standing on top of the Space Needle in Seattle, where even on the outdoor deck you're behind glass.

    Some ways to get rid of the reflection, if it's ruining your composition, include changing your angle so the reflection isn't going straight into your camera lens (angle of incidence = angle of reflection) or using a polarizing filter.

    The only drawbacks with those methods is you might be limited in moving to the sides, and the light may be at the wrong angle for a polarizer, which works best when the light's coming from a right angle.

    While reflections can be eliminated in post (I had to do that with a picture I took of a stained glass window in a museum), that can be extra work you wouldn't need to do if you can eliminate the reflection before you trip the shutter.

    But Jefferson Graham, a writer/photographer/Youtuber, suggests getting right up against the glass.

    It's not a bad strategy, as you are blocking the light causing the reflection from your lens.

    (Do not try this tip with a museum display case. You may either knock over the display or set off an alarm.)

    The only thing I take issue with him on this matter is his suggestion that this option only works with phone cameras, as they typically have a flat lens. A DSLR, he argues, has a curved lens and can't be put in such contact.

    To which I call shenanigans.

    First, most of us use UV or skylight filters on the front of our lenses to protect them from damage, so we do have a "flat" surface to put against the glass.

    Second, a lens hood also provides the shading that can keep the stray light from messing up your photo. It works especially well if you have a collapsible rubber hood. Just make sure the hood is right for your focal length or you'll get vignetting.

    Another option to have a friend hold a jacket up behind you to block anything behind you from being reflected in the window. Just make sure they hold it in front of them, so you don't get their reflection in the window instead.

Get the U.S. Post Office to deliver softer light from your flash unit

    In our last post, we talked about using a modifier to bounce your flash and soften its light.

    If you're using your flash in an off-camera studio setup, you might want to use something a bit more heavy duty to soften that light from the flash.

    A flash is what's known as a "hard" light. It's a bright, small, directional light source that can produce a harsh light and crisp shadows, even if you use it off the camera.

    A softbox increases the size of the light source, which softens the light, especially when combined with a diffuser in the front. It creates a more pleasing effect, especially when you're doing portrait work.

    There are commercial options for speedlight-sized softboxes, but they start at about $17, and go up from there.

    But for the same price, you could make several soft boxes, varying the sizes based on the size of your flash and how much diffusion you want.

    This particular design is made from duct tape, aluminum foil, either wax paper or cooking parchment, and a post office shipping box.

    While this softbox is not collapsible, it is more for either in studio or if you're taking it to a staged location shot.

    While any cardboard will do to make the box, I chose to use a priority mail box for my build, inspired by my maker son who uses those boxes to make carrying cases for books. I found it's a good material for this type of project:

• It is a more sturdy cardboard than you find with some other boxes.
• The boxes are free at the post office. (You only pay when you actually ship something in it.)

    I figured out the size I wanted for the diffuser at the end, and then measured out on the cardboard from that width, angling the size lines down to the aperture where the flash unit goes, and cut the pieces.

 

 

    The next step is to put a reflective material on the inside part of the box, to increase the flash's power, especially since the light is going to be diffused. You can paint it white, but I chose to use aluminum foil, shiny side out. I used a glue stick to attack the foil, but I think in future builds I might go with a spray adhesive.

    I found that duct tape was the best way to join the sides together. I used black to give it a more finished look. For the diffuser panel, I used wax paper, but I also did a later one with cooking parchment, which has a greater diffusion but costs you one stop in light.

 

    It just slips over the front of the flash, and at this size works best when the flash is mounted on either a light stand or  a tripod, although you can scale it down to fit on a camera-mounted flash.

    So, what do the pictures look like? I thought you'd never ask.

    First, here's without the box.

    As you can see, the light appears harsh, and the shadow has a crisp appearance.

    Now, with the first box I built, which is about a 10x10.

    You can see the softening in the shadows, where there's now an actual penumbra rather than a hard edge.

    Here's a smaller version I made.

    This one didn't soften the light as much, as it was a smaller box, but it's also about 2 meters from the subject.

    Finally, I made a larger, shallower box, and used parchment instead of wax paper.

    This one produced a softer light, but I also had to increase the flash power by one stop to get the proper exposure with the parchment.