Taking photos of silverware

[Maine Man]

I make jewelry and figurines from silverware but photos with an iPhone 17 shows reflections of me and the surface the silverware is on. I bought a PULUZ Photo Studio Light Box with dimmable LED lights on top and both sides. The hype said it would eliminate reflections and shadows, but that is not the case. I seem to have better luck taking photos on a white background and using Photoshop Elements 2023 to get what I want. One problem is the silverware looses its shine. One photo show a snail made from a fork and a 1" marble showing reflections of the light box while the other two show knife handles taken on a black background with the iPhone 17 with the reflections removed with PSE 2023 and another, similar photo showing the reflections. A You Tube instructional video showed the light box reflections can be removed with one click in Photoshop but didn't show how. I am using Photoshop Elements 2023 and haven't figured out how to do that. Any thoughts?

 

[DavidWatts]

I came into the predecessor forum (POTN) almost 20 years ago because I was building a light box to photograph roughly the same type of objects that I had inherited, prior to selling them off. My concerns were much the same as yours. That thread had hard answers for situations such as this, and was about a hundred pages long and covered literally every light box subject. Sadly, all that info was lost. I haven't done this type of photography in years so I hope someone with way more experience than I will come in and provide a much better perspective for you.

In the mean time, my 2 cents (or is it a nickel now that pennies are gone?). Your lights might be at a too high of an angle to avoid the shine on the subject. Perhaps try very shallow lighting angles? Is there a diffusing option you can apply with the lighting so that they're not so hot? (meaning bright). I used sheets of baking paper on the sides and top of my light box in front of the lighting to help avoid these types of reflections.

 

[GammyKnee]

I've never got on with lightboxes; they always seem to create as many problems as they're meant to solve. I think the walls in most of them are just too close to the subject. On the rare occasions I've done product photography that demanded a white background I've used a cheap product shooting table - basically a rigid semilucent white plastic surface (matt finish) that is suspended off the ground. This gives the option to put lighting underneath to soften any surface shadow you don't like and make it easier to achieve pure white.

I think David's advice is spot on; direct overhead lighting is not going to be your friend! Diffuse it if you can, angle it, and consider feathering, so you're not pointing the light right at the subject, but rather beyond it while allowing the edges of the light cone to touch it. If there's no other lighting in the room and the shooting location is sufficiently away from any other objects, then reflections should be far less of an issue; just choose your shooting angle carefully. Also take a good look at commercial silverware adverts to get an idea of how to use the light and shadow to make your items look good; you do need plenty of shadow to make them look real and of good quality.

 

[Maine Man]

Thank you for the advice. I discovered I can get decent photos with an iPhone 17 and editing with PSE 2023 if the silverware is placed on a white background illuminated with LED flashlights covered with white tissue paper. I found my answers here, thank you, and will be leaving the group.

Thanks again