# Photographing Interior Glass



## BrandyBalls (Feb 12, 2013)

Hi guys. My other half has a Nikon D40. He works in the interior industry and often installs splashbacks (or back splases) in houses. These are basically sheets of glass that have been painted on one side and stuck up against a wall, most often kitchens. 
Do you have any tips on how to photograph reflective surfaces like this? Like, angles, exposures, and other settings to play around with?


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## KmH (Feb 12, 2013)

An understanding of photographic lighting fundamentals will help: 
Light Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting 

A key concept as far as lighting angles is the 'family of angles' that cause unwanted reflections. It's a lot like the angles used when shooting pool.


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## Big Mike (Feb 12, 2013)

Welcome to the forum.

It's not usually best to learn how to photography one thing specifically.  Rather, you (he) should learn the the principles of lighting and then evaluate each situation as it comes up.  I would suggest this book.  Light Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting: Fil Hunter, Paul Fuqua, Steven Biver: 9780240812250: Amazon.com: Books

But as a quick tip.  They key thing to keep in mind for this type of thing will be the 'Family of angles'.  
I'm guessing that he will want the photo to show the painting, and not have glare or reflections on the glass.  So the key to avoiding that glare (direct reflections) is to set up the camera (and/or lights) so that the lights are outside the family of angles.

Glass has the property of 'direct reflection'.  Think of it as a mirror.  So if, from the camera's position, you could look into a mirror (where the glass is) and see a light source (window or any light), then you would know that the light source will show up as a glare/reflection on the glass back splash.  
But if you change the position of the camera (or lights), so that you could not see it if the glass was a mirror, then it won't show up as a direct reflection.  

Of course, you have to get a good exposure when you take the photo, and that's a whole different issue.


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## Big Mike (Feb 12, 2013)

Ah...Keith beat me to it.


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