How to photograph a glossy uke?

mikelz777

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
3,224
Reaction score
2,900
Location
MN metro suburbs
How do you get good pictures of the wood grain on a glossy uke? I tried taking some pictures but you can see the reflection of me taking a picture better than you can see the wood grain. These would be pictures taken by a digital camera at home so I don't have any access to any kind of special or professional equipment.
 
Here are my amateurish recommendations, but they work for me:
1. If indoors, avoid direct sunlight, use indirect sunlight.
2. If it is sunny outdoors, shoot under a shady area.
3. If cannot avoid the direct sunlight, slightly face your uke towards the ground, so that the
reflection does not hit your lens but hits the ground instead.
4. Shoot on a day when it is overcast, or the times of day when the sun is either beginning to
rise or in the evening when the sun is setting.

If I could figure out how to attach pictures, I could show examples.
 
Try to take pictures at an angle, not straight on, to avoid self reflections. I like to use natural light, early morning or late afternoon to avoid too much sun. Also take a bunch of pics with small variations of position. that should increase the odds of getting a good photo.
 
I'll have to experiment with it thankful that these are digital times and I can take as many shots as I want and not worry about it. It gets tricky though. I want a lot of light so you can see the grain but that just wants to make the gloss look like a mirror. I'll have to play with the angles.
 
Professionals use 'light tents' to diffuse strong lighting - by holding/taping a sheet over your window, you should be able to diffuse your light source.
 
The short answer is that even professional photographers have a difficult time photographing shinny objects. It takes equipment and skill to do it perfectly. Professionals place the object in a light tent with the lights outside the tent but even with the right gear its still difficult.

There isn't an easy answer. No one is hiding a trade secret from you. It will require effort.

Anthony
 
As others have written.......using a light tent or diffusion source is the answer. You are blessed if you have a camera where you can see the image exactly: Before you take the shot. A single lens reflex viewing system perhaps.
 
You can put some waxed paper over the flash to help diffuse it.
 
As others pointed out, it's a pain to take pics of highly reflective objects esp ones with a mirrored finish. A light tent, as others pointed out, is best with just a hole large enough for the lens. It can be made with a simple white bedsheet hung up and lit up with a few desk lamps or natural light if you have a lot of sunlight. A polarizer filter also helps cut down the reflection and would help show more wood grain.
 
I use this on my DSLR which i made for macro work. Basically a cardboard box,white on the inside and a diffuser sheet over the window. It's better if the diffusing sheet is some distance from the flash gun.

786821345_photobucket_40251_.jpg

786821345_photobucket_40250_.jpg

786821345_photobucket_40258_.jpg
 
As others pointed out, it's a pain to take pics of highly reflective objects esp ones with a mirrored finish. A light tent, as others pointed out, is best with just a hole large enough for the lens. It can be made with a simple white bedsheet hung up and lit up with a few desk lamps or natural light if you have a lot of sunlight. A polarizer filter also helps cut down the reflection and would help show more wood grain.

Hello old friend. I have missed your wisdom for a while. Regards.
 
Ditto what Ifoo6952 said.

Source: Owner/operator of a Canon 7D MarkII camera - that's me.
 
As was mentioned, a polarizing filter will help. Also, and I know this is counterintuitive, try using less light. Put the camera on a tripod (or it will just be blurry) and try a longer exposure if your camera has manual controls. If it doesn't, try landscape mode, or try a bunch of different modes and see what works best, but tripod for sure.
 
A polarizer will only help on certain off axis reflections. Hard light reflections won't be affected.
 
Although convenient, the worst place to place a strobe light is on your camera. Having read all the suggestions in this thread I think that the best suggestion is the simpilist. Tracing paper on a South facing window (if you're in the Northern Hemisphere). You're going to have to fiddle with the angle of the camera to the Uke and the angle of the Uke off the vertical plane. A polarising filter will help with certain angles of reflection but not all.
Here's some photos I took that might help in your positioning:

IMG_0371.jpg
IMG_1030.JPG
 
Last edited:
Of course you don't need to use flash. You can use a household lamp that's diffused. Better still point it into an umbrella that's white or silver on the inside. Even better use LED s
 
Outdoors on a completely overcast day works well (as long as it isn't raining!)

bratsche
 
I usually just bounce a light or two off the white ceiling. Easy. Just make sure the ceiling isn't reflecting in the uke or the finish will be washed out. I made my living as a commercial photographer for 30 years and have a lot of lighting equipment but I always like the simple solutions. Outside on an overcast day also works well.
 
I usually just bounce a light or two off the white ceiling. Easy. Just make sure the ceiling isn't reflecting in the uke or the finish will be washed out. I made my living as a commercial photographer for 30 years and have a lot of lighting equipment but I always like the simple solutions. Outside on an overcast day also works well.

Yes that works if you have a flash gun with a tilt head. Quite handy and effective
 
Top Bottom