Taking a picture of a mirror

[Joe Pelonio]

Anyone have tips on how to photograph a mirror without getting reflections of the camera, myself, lights in the room, window light etc? There has to be a way because I've seen much better pics posted here of other people's mirror work.

I made 24 of these, engraved off the back and sprayed red and black, and would like to have a decent picture of it.

[Kevin Huffman]

I think the way you were doing it was the best you can do, the only different thing I could change is having someone hold a piece of cardboard or something between the light and the mirror to block its reflection.

[Matt Meiser]

I usually position myself at an angle and make sure whatever is visible in the mirror is acceptable. You could get a piece of solid color translucent fabric and set up a tent so that only the fabric is visible.

[Joe Pelonio]

Thanks guys, I'll experiment some more with your ideas. I did try it with the overhead light off but then needed flash, and that reflected.

[Walt Nicholson]

Joe, if your camera will accept a polarizing filter they can be adjusted to eliminate almost all glare and reflection from glass surfaces. It will not totally eliminate an object directly in front of the mirror but will help tremendously with light reflections from overhead lights and windows. I've even seen a camera guy put one side of a good set of polarized sunglasses in front a camera lens in a pinch when reflection was a real problem. Google "how to use a polarizing filter" and you can find some good info with some examples of with and without.

[Chad Voller]

Matt has the right idea with a home made tent. Some professional photographers will use fabric or board with a hole in it so you can take a picture through the fabric so you don't end up in the photo, and at the right angle you won't see the hole. If you are trying to show your etchings, use a darker material to show up in the reflection, and set a light off to the side so the etching picks up light. Edit: just re-read your post. Since yours is painted, us an off-white to grey material to appear in the reflection. I use a virtual setup similar to this if I'm doing any chrome or highly reflective materials in 3D renderings. Of course you can't see a reflection of yourself or the camera in 3D, but you get the idea.....

If you take alot of photos of your finished projects, think about purchasing a pop-up photographers tent. You can purchase lights, or just use some shop lights to illuminate the tent. Or do a search on some simple home made projects that people have made. Here's one I found. Kinda ghetto, but it works.
http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent/

[Frank Corker]

I always lie them flat on a table outside and use then photograph the sky. We tend to get pretty whitish to grey skies but it works

[Joe Pelonio]

I always lie them flat on a table outside and use then photograph the sky. We tend to get pretty whitish to grey skies but it works
We tend to have a lot of grey skies too, but more often than not it's raining!

[Dan Hintz]

For smaller items, I picked up a bundle of news sheet wrapping paper from the local moving store (I also use it as packing material for my products). Every third sheet or so is nearly a pure white. Hang the sheet so it makes a giant elongated 'U' when viewed head on. Place the item standing upright inside of the 'U' facing one side of the sheet. Snap the shot from just above the topline.

The back of the sheet prevents anything ugly behind the product, the front of the sheet prevents any ugly reflection. For larger objects, I swap out a white bedsheet for the paper. With a gentle 'U' shape, rather than a 'V', you reduce the noticeability of the sheet by removing hard lines in the paper. Good forward and back lighting is also crucial to prevent shadows.

[Ricky Gore]

I've seen other posts about this subject. Some people find anything white or whatever color makes your engraving look good and take the picture at an angle that only shows the white of the object. Similar to Franks sky idea, you just get a solid color that contrasts well with your engraving.

[Sandra Force]

If you lay the mirror on the table covered with white material and in a light colored room and take the picture from at least a 45 degree angle from the mirror it will work better. Silver has the same problem,

[Ryan O'Hara]

Frank,

Your mirrors are amazing! Did you simply etch the back and color fill with black? If not, could you describe the process more? I have seen other threads on this subject, but hadn't seen any pictures like this yet.

[Mike Null]

This site might be helpful.

http://www.photoflexlightingschool.com/index.html

Also, here are plans for a light box.
http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/light_box_light_tent

[Jack Harper]

If you are comfortable in Photoshop, you can use Mask Pro from OnOne Software. The plug-in is amazing at masking and will take reflection out of a window/mirror. It will also remove the background from a photo including through hair and fog. The plug-in might work in other photo software as well.

[Frank Corker]

Frank,

Your mirrors are amazing! Did you simply etch the back and color fill with black? If not, could you describe the process more? I have seen other threads on this subject, but hadn't seen any pictures like this yet.


Ryan, find thin mirrors (they engrave more consistently) then paint (using a brush) with black acrylic paint. There is not smell using acrylic and the black is black black black.

[Bill Cunningham]

I usually just prop the mirror up on a table, set a white background object about 45 deg to it, stick the camera between them so the mirror is reflecting the white surface, and click (crick 'its a Fuji' ) take the picture.. In the one below, I used a piece of styrofoam board, not the best choice because you can see the stippled uneven pattern in the reflection.. It look like I was getting banding in the etch but nope, it's all in the background..
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=76029&d=1196211412

[James & Zelma Litzmann]

Hey Joe,

I always keep a piece of white plastic, like is used for covering tables and hang it up for the background. I've tried different colors and white works the best. Then prop your mirror up, stand at an angle and take the picture.

Good luck, taking pictures of mirrors is not easy, as you know by now.