# taking photos of silk/satin-like fabric?



## jsahn (Jul 11, 2007)

Hi everyone,
i need to take a studio portrait with the subject wearing a silk/satin dress. i'm using two strobes with an umbrella and a softbox. I did some test and the dress got too much highlights. the detail of the fabric is lost significantly and the face doesn't really stand out.

do you guys have any tips? any help is appreciated.

jsahn


----------



## Mike_E (Jul 11, 2007)

Which light is causing the problem?

Just a guess but try hanging a dark towel (i.e. French flag) so that it blocks out the light from the umbrella on the dress only leaving the face unblocked.

If the ratio is right on the face and you lack contrast on the dress after this you might want to get a third light for the dress- a small hot light might work.

mike


----------



## jsahn (Jul 11, 2007)

Great! Thanks a lot for your tips.
i think both lights are contributing to the problem, since they both are just diffuse lights without any light controls (umbrella and softbox).

and i'm just worried that if i put a flag if it might create some sort of division between the face and the dress. would it?

again, thanks a lot for your help.

jsahn


----------



## Flash Harry (Jul 19, 2007)

Are you using a meter? or just guessing exposure, more info on the setup is needed, if your'e metering and its white satin then shoot it as with snow and overexpose. H


----------



## Mightec (Sep 14, 2011)

Hi
I am interested in the same subject, photographing a silk fabric, did you manage to solve your problem.


----------



## KmH (Sep 14, 2011)

Mightec said:


> Hi
> I am interested in the same subject, photographing a silk fabric, did you manage to solve your problem.


The thread is over 4 years old.

The OP only posted twice, both times in this thread. 

_*Don't expect a reply from the OP.*_


----------



## GeorgieGirl (Sep 14, 2011)

Sometimes when I am researching on Google, I find all sorts of links to communications that are relevant to my search. I'll bet that's what happened here and why this thread might have been resurrected although I have noticed that some message boards are labeling outdated threads as archived items to denote their age. Not sure about what TPF does. 

Perhaps despite the age of this thread, another poster will respond. Its a good question and I'd like to know the answer too. :thumbup:


----------

