pictures of stained glass?

[jthistlema0682]

Just wondering if anyone here makes stained glass and has any tips on taking better pictures of their suncatchers and smaller pieces of glass art! Sometimes it is difficult to get an accurate representation of the colors!

[Robert Hughes]

The big issue I've run into with stained glass is getting proper exposure, as the light streaming through the glass will be many stops brighter than the surrounding frame and indoor areas. You may need to find a way to lower lighting contrast in order to make it work.

Stained glass photography is perhaps the best application for HDR techniques (http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/high-dynamic-range.htm).

[Jay M. Packer]

If your interest is in photographing stained glass art to show both color and texture, Spectrum Glass has posted an interesting article regarding the importance of the background behind the stained glass; see

http://www.spectrumglass.com/stained-glass/archives/photographing-glass-for-texture.asp

[SSSargent]

I took a stained glass course last semester, was very interesting. Usually we'd just shoot the stained glass on light tables.

I think that you could probably get good results from stained glass using a scanner. Might have problems with depth of field though.

[Sirius Glass]

There is no reason for HDR, use slide film. With film, a good photographer does not need to cobble together pseudo-photographic techniques. :p

Steve

[bigdog]

I have shot a good bit of stained glass windows in churches. The best circumstances are on a totally overcast day or when it is raining (if not too dark). It always required metering carefully. Usually meter all over the window for light and darks and try to come up with an average. Even then, you have to bracket until you can get to the right exposure, especially with color film. (With Black and white, as long as you don't blow out the highlights, you can usually print.)

Since you are doing much smaller pieces, you can have more control over the light. If they are small enough to put on a light box with a diffuse light source, so much the better. And, at the risk of opening up a can of worms, this might be a good place to do some test shots with digital to get close to the exposures.

As to color balance, films differ - and this is a whole other discussion. This is also where neutral light would be an advantage. Make sure the color temp of the light source matches the film.

[Robbie Shymanski]

Shooting glass can be a total pain in the ass, but much of the suggestions here ring true. My personal experience is with church windows. Overcast days are the best. Perfect even light. No shift in light sources. The difficulty is in metering. I found the best way to meter is to use a DLSR until you get an exposure you feel best represents what you want. As for color, Velvia makes all glass look amazing! But pumped color may not be what you want. If you are shooting small pieces that you can move around and position yourself, you might want to set them up on a window sill on an overscast day. Good luck!