Help with setting lights for shiny material: The cobwebs are supposed to be a shiny gold. I used two strobe lights and one flash and tried many different positions for the lighting.

Golden Rule Loc: Washington State

The cobwebs are supposed to be a shiny gold. I used two strobe lights and one flash and tried many different positions for the lighting. This is the best I could get but it did not light up the bottom and the background has uneven lighting with no light hitting the bottom material where the cat sits. Two years ago I tried a couple of softboxes that gave me good lighting of the material but too dark for the cat. Any suggestions on where to set the two strobes and if two softboxes are added, where to set them. And this would be to get a good gold color as well as the cat.
I tried setting the strobes high and tilted down on the sides and front. Then I tried both slightly tilted in front. This shot one strobe was almost pointed at me on the camera right and the other was 45 degree angle slightly tilted down on camera left.

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PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Golden Rule wrote:

The cobwebs are supposed to be a shiny gold. I use... (show quote)

On the right the cobwebs are white because they are overexposed. Two lights in a soft box at 45 degrees.One on each side.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

PixelStan77 wrote:

On the right the cobwebs are white because they are overexposed. Two lights in a soft box at 45 degrees.One on each side.

I would also consider a polarizing filter with natural light.

Golden Rule Loc: Washington State

PixelStan77 wrote:

I would also consider a polarizing filter with natural light.

Yep, those cobwebs are over exposed on the right. The softboxes alone don't give me enough light for setting my aperture at least to 7.1 so I can get the cobwebs in some kind of decent focus. Natural light will not work at all because my cat's gold eyes will not "pop".

Designdweeb Loc: Metro NYC & East Stroudsburg, PA

This might be a little late? Once you set the two background lights, I would try to set a third or fourth as spotlights, on the cat. Any fur will suck up light. The pumpkin might need a spotlight as well. Be aware of avoiding spill from the spot(s). You can get heavy black foil or paper, as a make-do, to make snoots for your strobes to control the spill. Have fun

Golden Rule Loc: Washington State

Designdweeb wrote:

This might be a little late? Once you set the two background lights, I would try to set a third or fourth as spotlights, on the cat. Any fur will suck up light. The pumpkin might need a spotlight as well. Be aware of avoiding spill from the spot(s). You can get heavy black foil or paper, as a make-do, to make snoots for your strobes to control the spill. Have fun

Interesting...So I should probably set the softboxes as my background lights and make DIY snoots for my two strobes? You are right on the cat's fur sucking up light! This will make for an interesting experiment.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

Golden Rule wrote:

The cobwebs are supposed to be a shiny gold. I use... (show quote)

This may seem like a silly question: But what is the difference between a strobe and a flash? Unless you are using flash bulbs.

Golden Rule Loc: Washington State

Manglesphoto wrote:

This may seem like a silly question: But what is the difference between a strobe and a flash? Unless you are using flash bulbs.

Strobes have much more power than a single flash. BTW, I tried gold reflectors and was given the perfect shiny gold from the cobwebs but the reflectors did not spread the light evenly in the background. The bottom of the material was still almost black because no light was reaching that part of the pattern.

berchman Loc: South Central PA

Manglesphoto wrote:

This may seem like a silly question: But what is the difference between a strobe and a flash? Unless you are using flash bulbs.

What you're calling a "flash" is more accurately termed a "speedlight" and is the kind of unit that fits on the hot shoe of the camera. A strobe is larger and is typically used in a studio setting, although not necessarily. A strobe is more powerful than a speedlight.

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

berchman wrote:

What you're calling a "flash" is more accurately termed a "speedlight" and is the kind of unit that fits on the hot shoe of the camera. A strobe is larger and is typically used in a studio setting, although not necessarily. A strobe is more powerful than a speedlight.

Flash or speedlight... big deal. Flash was used by most for years then Canon marketing started saying their flashes were fast and coined the term speedlight.

Being Canon now has most of the digital business, guess what name stuck to flashes?

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

Golden Rule wrote:

The cobwebs are supposed to be a shiny gold. I use... (show quote)

As a suggestion, try this.

Have one flash reflection on a gold light modifier and fill in the animal with the other. If not that try both flashes with the light modifier and blending some white light on the animal.

Also try using a goldish gel on a flash

Just a thought.

rfmaude41 Loc: Lancaster, Texas (DFW area)

berchman wrote:

A strobe is more powerful than a speedlight.

There are "strobes" that are less powerful than many speedlights. For instance, I have two "speedlights" that are 400ws each (older Ultrablitz handle mounts). The less expensive "strobes" can be rated as low as 40ws.

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

Golden Rule wrote:

The cobwebs are supposed to be a shiny gold. I use... (show quote)

Your problem is NOT your lighting!!! Shiny metal looks shiny because it reflects. If what it is reflecting is dark . . . it will not look like gold, or in some cases won't even look shiny.

If you either place a large white board/sheet/surface/wall, directly behind the camera parallel with the cobwebs, they will reflect the white surface and voila . . . your cobwebs will look shiny! It might not hurt to have a 2nd flash or other light, lighting the white surface.

Think about how you would light a subject's reflection in a mirror . . . would you light up the mirror or the subject?
Hope that helps.

Golden Rule Loc: Washington State

Weddingguy wrote:

Your problem is NOT your lighting!!! Shiny metal ... (show quote)

How about aiming a light to the white ceiling directly over the material?

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

Golden Rule wrote:

How about aiming a light to the white ceiling directly over the material?

Wonderful idea . . . if the cobwebs are facing the ceiling!