Photographing floor tile.

[Sileny Jizda]

Does anyone have any advice on photographing floor tile? We are trying to shoot various color including black, white, and glossy combinations.We have tried using regular compact digital and DSLR style cameras with no luck. The usual result is a glare back from the tile in certain areas and we are not allowed to retouch the images. Are there some filters we can use to inhibit or get rid of the glare? Any lighting suggestions perhaps?

[Wolfman]

What kind of lighting are you using? Is it only the available light?

Try a polarizing filter on your lens. That should help reduce glare.

[Sileny Jizda]

We've tried using flood type lighting with and without diffusers. The problem seems to lie in the tile itself being really glossy. We tried using a polarizer filter but it didn't seem to do very much.

[MirediaKunardi]

Don't put light on tile. It is a glossy thing(like a car). First rule in lightning glossy material is make the environment look good in reflections.

Example of shooting and lighting a car(or any glossy surface):
When you watch cars shapes, you see reflections of environment around you. If you put light straight to the car it is really putting a light straight to to cameras lens and that burns immediatly(like a mirror). If you put white fabric or some big thing and put light pointing there you can play how white that looks like in cars reflection and how the gradation goes...

Hope that helps you

[MrAlexajlex]

Originally Posted by MirediaKunardi

Don't put light on tile. It is a glossy thing(like a car). First rule in lightning glossy material is make the environment look good in reflections.

Example of shooting and lighting a car(or any glossy surface):
When you watch cars shapes, you see reflections of environment around you. If you put light straight to the car it is really putting a light straight to to cameras lens and that burns immediatly(like a mirror). If you put white fabric or some big thing and put light pointing there you can play how white that looks like in cars reflection and how the gradation goes...

Hope that helps you

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the don't use direct light title on cars (and shiny things) is misleading.

In most studio car shots I see the huge white screen in the reflections.

That is how they actually get these reflections (it's the white reflecting screen that is creating the off-white accents that help define the car's shape).

Take a look at a pic of a black iPhone 3G it has the reflection that helps convey the fact that it is glossy and smooth on the back. The black IPhone is a really good standin for glossy black tile.

I did some test shots of my cell and I was able to duplicate the white highlight area using the softbox. As I moved around the softbox I was able to control and shape the reflection.

[DiamondsDr47]

Hi, best bet is Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting (Paperback)
Best regards,

[Mike]

Try double polarized light.

[Sandra Younger]

What you want to do to avoid glare is use very diffuse light. You can purchase these tentss that you can set your tile in and light it all around. The light will be very soft and there should be no glare.

[MrAlexajlex]

Before going to tents and dropping $$$ on them you can just build your own lightbox from a regular cardboard box and some cheap items.

Here is a DYI with a ton of sample pics of what it can do (including shots of glass and tile objects):

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=281524

Bottle of Guinness beer which to me is close to the consistency of black tile:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...81524&page=154

[flice]

I would set up the tiles so they are as vertical as can get. white background of course. Position your camera so the picture plane is parallel with the surface of the tile.
Set two identical lights in 45 degree angles on both sides. Soft boxes probably give the most even surface.

Height of the lamps should be so that the middle of the lamp is the same height as the middle of the tile or ever so slightly above.

If any glare or reflection occurs here then it should be attributed to texture or surface and I take it that that is also important to show.

This is a standart setup we use for photographing artwork sold in shops.