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The Wonderful World of Glass Photography - photographing glass
PSA Journal, Jan, 1999 by Robert E. Pruehsner
Come with me on a journey into the Wonderful World of Glass Photography. It is a world of endless images, as your own creative imagination will soon discover. But, just as a journey of a thousand miles begins with one, the discovery of endless images must also begin with one.
For our first image we will need only a few basic things. First, a space to work in, plus supports for our props; next, a backdrop, background glass, color sources, and of course, the glass we wish to photograph; then, a camera with accessories; and finally, some source of light.
How do we combine these elements into our first glass photography image? Rather than presume to tell you what to do, I'll just explain what I have done--you can possibly adapt my methods to your own particular circumstances.
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To create an instant studio, I first backed my car out of the garage. Then with map tacks, I nailed an 8-foot length of soft wooden 1 x 2 inch lath against a side wall about five feet from the floor from which to suspend a backdrop cloth and varied color sources. A card table served as a working surface to hold the glass and props.
A few things needed to be purchased (Start out slowly here, you can always build on your supply): one piece each of red and blue non-shiny background cloth, three yards long and about 60 inches wide, plus two pieces of background glass, 24 inches square, one clear and one with a hobnail design.
Two supports for the background glass were made from my pile of scrap-wood, no two pieces of wood being the same length. Each support consisted of a length of 2 by 4 which was nailed to a length of 1 x 6 inch board to form a solid horizontal base. This scrap wood varied from 7 to 10 inches in length. I then nailed two 1 by 2 inch slats, about 15 to 18 inches long, vertically to the center of each base, spacing them 1/4 inch apart, to act as a support when the glass is slipped between the slats. The laths should not be flush with the bottom, but raised a bit to allow for extension over the clear base glass. (See Figures 1 and 2.)
[Figures 1 & 2 ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Yes, the whole setup looks jerry-built, but you can get plans for nice cabinets with shelves and notches if you are interested in carpentry. It may not be a good idea to nail a lath along the wall if your studio is also your dining room.
Also needed are several pieces of day-glo poster board for color. The best glass to photograph is simple, without fancy designs. A tripod and remote release are essential--exposures will be long. Almost any lens can be used, although a 100mm macro is my personal favorite. Blue bulbs with reflectors make a good light source; the type of film is optional. The entire setup for our first image is shown from a birds-eye view in figure 1, and in an angle photograph in figure 2, while figure 3 (top page 19) shows the actual result.
[Figure 3 ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
The Simple Setup and Glassware Basics
The card table is placed a few inches away from the wall, to allow the background cloth to drape behind, while also draping over the entire table. Along with the background cloth, any color sources are suspended from the wall lath, or attached to the background cloth with double-sided tape. The clear glass is placed onto the table and the hobnail glass held upright by the two supports.
The placement of the background glass depends mostly on what effect you desire to achieve. It is usually 15 to 25 inches from the wall. The further away it is from the wall, the more diffused any background shapes and colors will be.
What is most crucial is the arrangement of the glass you wish to photograph. All the rules of good composition apply--even more so, since you have complete control over the arrangement. I find that a composition with the taller or the bulkier glass on the right has better success. Light has a way of bouncing around when working with glass. As you look through the viewfinder, make sure there are no hot spots which will detract from your composition.
Water is needed in the glass and carafe to bring out the background design. The table on which the glass is placed must be absolutely level. Judges frown on any image in which the water is not level.
The wine glass and the carafe also act as a lens, so that any color placed on the right will be reflected on the left and vice-versa. The same holds true for top to bottom colors. In Figure 3, color has been placed to both right and left, out of the composition, while small spots of color have been placed onto the background cloth for added interest.
The camera is placed so that it is level with the center of the composition. You will need to be careful that your composition is square in the viewfinder, especially if you use a macro lens. The slides will usually be shot in a vertical format, since most of the glass you will use is vertical. Some judicious cropping on the top and bottom often helps the composition.
Preferable camera settings are: 1) manual focusing to get the glassware setup into sharp focus, while ignoring the background, 2) aperture priority of f-22 to get better depth of field, and 3) whatever the camera decides should be the speed at these settings, depending on the available light.
