Shooting shop vitrine

[Alex Dimitrov]

Hi,

 

I'm really struggling with reflections that appear from the environment when shooting shop vitrines from outside. I have tried with polarising filter but the result is far below my (and clients) expectation.

Of course I have also tried at dusk and it is better although the polarising filter doesn't work at all (logically).

 

I'd really appreciate if you have a suggestion how to eliminate reflections and see trought the window clearly. Thanks a lot!

Cheers

[milandro]

I suppose you mean a “ window display” ( a vitrine is rather small glass container of objects).

 

 

There is no way to get rid of those unless you have a complex setting

 

Many years ago, the “ Rinascente” of Milan gave me the assignment to shoot the window displays as they changed them periodically. So I did a fair bit of these shots. I used to do it also for other shops too.

 

I went there late at night and shot both the whole window (or sections) and details of the display using only the lights of the shop as only light source.

 

But they weren’t paying enough to go to do this in a more complex way ( and there were no shops on the other side of the road or cars passing by) so I kept it simple, quick and dirty.

 

If you want to do it the quick way and there aren’t too many cars or other shops  on the other side of the road this is a rather easy task ( and you can certainly retouch some thing nowadays a luxury that I didn’t have back in 1984).

 

The proper way ( but doing this on the scale of a shop like the Rinascente is tricky!) is to have a huge black cloth in front of the window suspended between two (or more) floor light stands and you shoot from a slit in the cloth positioned where you aren’t likely to get too much reflection (you can still have things from the lights overhead, for example) from any other parasitic light.

 

Shooting at an angle is easier than shooting right in front, because the angle of refection is different front the angle of shooting) but it depends also from the situation since you may have multiple angle of incidence outside lights.

Edited July 17, 2017 by milandro

[Alex Dimitrov]

@milandro thanks so much!

 

Yes I mean window display. I'll definitely try late in the evening as you proposed although against the street there are other window displays which surely have their impact. I'll try with my background 1,5 x 1,8m Grey Lastolite and also will move it around with camera fixed on tripod (combining the pics later in ps).

 

Another question would be the polarizing filter. Currently using Hamma: https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B00005K4A5/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 with most effective shooting angle 30-40 °. Is it worth to try better one and which one you'd recommend?

 

Attached you can see the terrible output so far. At angle Hamma manages to deal with some of the reflections but such angle is not working for me.

 

Thank again

Cheers

 

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[milandro]

I most certainly would not attempt to shoot during the day, even when shooting with a polarizer you will notice that you will never be able to get all the reflections.

 

To me , the only chance is shooting at night and preventing most if not all reflections (if you must) by placing a black cloth (or alternatively a seamless paper background0 in front of the glass).

 

This can prove very difficult if the window display is very large (tall, wide or both)

 

On an other note

 

I love the pictures that you are showing above! But I understand that your customer is not looking for an “ Arty” impression of his window display.

 

This is an example shot by a very good friend of mine Alberto Jona Falco - Studio Olimpic Milano

 

Edited July 17, 2017 by milandro