highlights photos in LIVINGSTON highlights photos LIVINGSTON

highlights photos in LIVINGSTON

highlights photos LIVINGSTON

highlights photos in LIVINGSTON.To define form and surface texture.
Specular highlights are, by definition, the reflections of light sources on the surface of an object.
Glare is usually something photographers try to avoid because excessive glare is distracting and obscures surface detail.
As most people know, a diffused light source such as a scrim or softbox creates a softer light quality.
The larger or closer a diffused light source is to the subject, the softer the light.
Another, perhaps less well known, quality of a large diffused light source is its ability to control the intensity, size, shape and transparency of specular reflections.
The props in this series of sample photographs are simply a few shiny tomatos and some glossy black rocks.
The tomatos have compound curves and reflect light from many different angles while the rocks have angular surfaces and create their own set of specular highlights.
The tomatos and rocks are lit by a single overhead light.
You could also use hot lights and scrims.
All exposures are at f32 and are digital captures at an iso of 100.
The first photo is lit with a bare flash with a 7 inch reflector positioned overhead and slightly to the rear of the set approx.
Flash power is 800ws.
Notice the hard, opaque white specular highlights on the tomatos and black rocks.
These specular highlights are so bright and the light is so hard that the highlights in the tomatos and rocks are pure white with no detail and the shadow areas are extremely dark with little to no detail.