Wednesday 18 July 2018

shadows - Do I need clear or opaque plexiglass for my product photography?


I'm trying to set up a table for product photography (mostly shoes but clothes might be added in the future). We've already built a "table" (see attached images) and on top of it we're thinking of adding plexiglass and horizon-less photographic paper on top of that.. I've been searching a lot but I cannot find a definitive answer on whether I need clear plexiglass or opaque (milky) for better lighting. Also, I cannot establish just what kind of watt output my lamps will need.


Note that the distance between the lower level (lamp level) and the top level (plexiglass level) is 18cm.


Please let me know if you need any further info. I appreciate any and all help, I'm stomped.


Thank you all in advance.


P.S (the broken plexiglass was leftover and we were doing testing, and we noticed the current lighting will probably be insufficient.


First Second How I want it to look like



Answer




Alright, I'm answering this on my own as I figured it out and the answers available aren't exactly spot on.


Opaque glass is the way to go. The reason for that, is that clear plexiglass will simply allow the light to pass through completely, without "spreading it out" to create the light surface I was seeking. Opaque plexiglass on the other hand, a.k.a the "milky" one, does exactly that.


Adding bottom lighting at the distance mentioned (>=18cm) is also ideal in blowing out all shadow from the bottom of the product. Just make sure you use powerful lamps as the plexiglass will absorb a lot of it (and even more if you add paper on top, I didn't in the end).


For this table I used 2mm opaque plexiglass.


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