He shoots

...He Scores! I wish I could tell you I remember scoring my first goal in hockey. I can't - but I do remember my father/coach getting this puck from the referee. I chose to photograph this old trophy as a subject to practice what is a difficult-for-me-to-wrap-my-head-around concept - shooting pictures of shiny things. I never really considered it until reading about it here, but we've all seen what happens when you take a picture of someone standing in front of a window - a big, ugly, bright flash reflected in the glass. The reflection of the light from the flash is what is called a specular highlight and controlling the way that looks in a picture makes a big difference in the outcome, but is a bit of a geometry problem which I failed to comprehend until I started shooting (photos, not pucks).

This one is lit with two flashes. One is lighting the background (a vertical white piece of posterboard) from below the table. It has a grid spot on it which creates the oval shape on the background and has amber/gold colored gels to give it that color. The lit up background posterboard is reflected back towards the camera in the smooth surface of the piece of glass on the table underneath the trophy, itself a specular highlight. The other flash (tinted slightly blue) is coming from behind the trophy to camera right. As the light passes by the trophy, it creates a rim light you can see mostly on the edge/side of the puck. The light then hits another piece of white posterboard which is in front of and to the camera left of the trophy. This accomplishes two things: the light bouncing off of the posterboard back towards the front of the trophy lights it up so you can see it but it also creates a big, flat, smooth white surface which is reflected in the shiny parts of the trophy (especially visible in the engraved plaque at the bottom).

It is funny how "shooting" can be an important and fun part of my life, yet decades apart refer to two very different things.

Strobist info: SB-600 with full + 1/2 CTO gel in a homemade black straw grid spot aimed at background from below the table fired at 1/16th power. SB-800 with 1/2 CTB in a snoot from back right into a white posterboard in front of and to camera left of the trophy for front lighting, specular highlights, and rim light all in one.