How I shot mirrors....

[nasoj21]

So, furniture is consuming my life...
Here is how I shot a dresser with a mounted mirror on it. It worked super well for this though was not quite as successful a technique for larger reflective hutches with more reflective sides.








Also if you are interested, here is a time lapse of one of my whole days of shooting. It is wide enough that you can see the whole light setup I used.

[Brooks]

The best way to get rid of that shine on the top surface of the furniture is to hang a black cloth or paper or foam-core against the background, just above the furniture.

The reflection of the camera in a mirror can often be eliminated with the shift on a tilt shift lens.

[nasoj21]

I never really even considered a tilt-shift. I will have to rent one next time I shoot.
I will also have to expirment with the black foam core.
Part of the problem ran into or at least I thought I was running into is the products proximity to the background. I could not get it far enough from the back wall to prevent spill from the lights on that wall.

[Brooks]

A tilt shift might not have enough shift but the longer the focal length ( they come in 85mm ) and the greater the distance between the camera and mirror the better chance you have of walking that camera reflection right off the mirror with a lateral shift. You do still need to use white paper in front of the mirror with a hole for your camera.

That shine on the top surface is a reflection of the white background. It's not spill light but I agree more distance from the background is always better. To eliminate that reflection of white you have to position a black cloth, paper or board at the background, just higher than the top surface of your furniture. Or use a medium to dark grey background instead of white and strip the furniture.

[Poco Red]

I have a 17mm tilt and shift and when I was in a motel room one night I was u tubing and learning more about this lens and when I saw the shifting the camera out of the reflection I had to try it! Man is it slick! No white paper or anything and since it will shilft the view about %30 I had set up in the first third of the mirror and shifted the view to center and I was completly out of the shot! Works a treat!

[nasoj21]

I have always wanted a tilt shift. I played with a really old one once, but it only had shift not tilt.
Brooks, thanks for the advice, next time I set this up I will try this sort of flagging or whatever it would be called.
We have a used 45mm pc-e at work right now, I will have to have it sent to my store so I can play with it. Maybe I will have to trade my 85mm 1.4 g for a 85 pc-e and then get the 135 dc for portraits instead, though that lens also confuses me.

[Rense]

Originally Posted by nasoj21

I never really even considered a tilt-shift. I will have to rent one next time I shoot.
I will also have to expirment with the black foam core.
Part of the problem ran into or at least I thought I was running into is the products proximity to the background. I could not get it far enough from the back wall to prevent spill from the lights on that wall.

Take a look at this thread.

[nasoj21]

So I am back to shooting furniture today and tried out the sheet on the back wall like you suggested. It works awesome. I will post a sample later. Thanks for the tip.

[nasoj21]

So I realize now that I tilt shift wouldn't work. Using a tilt shift would get me out of the mirror, but there is a lot of other stuff in the room and something else would be there instead of me.
But I did come across a sample of with and without the black sheet that Brooks had suggested.

[Brooks]

When using a tilt-shift to displace your reflection, you have to place a white or grey paper or board to one side of the camera to then reflect in the mirror.

Your new shot with the black cloth is better but looks inconsistent in tone. A roll of black paper or black foamcore hangind down like your cloth would be a cleaner surface for a smoother reflection.