It is amazing how fast this past month has vanished. It certainly gives me more respect and regard for those who maintain weekly and daily newsletters or blog posts. I honestly don`t see how some are able to accomplish the feat. Maybe it would be easier if I were fully self employed but then I know how my brain works and it usually goes something like...why do today what you can put off until tomorrow. It seems I usually function better with a little bit of healthy pressure. If any of you deal with attentional issues you can probably relate to the need for a little help to get focused and stay focused.
Now, on to the topic at hand. In my e-book, Exposing Yourself, I address many facets pertaining to digital imaging and photographing artwork. However, since the release I have received several inquiries pertaining to how to attach the filter to the light heads. I briefly describe it in the section on lighting; however, it would have been beneficial to include a photo to illustrate the point in the book. As I mention in the book, I employ the use of barn doors that are attached to my light head. The barn door is essentially a hinged flap that can be adjusted to control the amount of light falling on your subject. They are very versatile for that function; however, they also serve very well to attach the polarizing filter material to as well. In order to give you a visual I have uploaded an image of how I set my light heads up available at the following address. http://www.exposingyourself.net/cgi-bin/images.pl?action=view&ID=23 While the left barn door flap is difficult to see, the right side gives you a better view. You will also be able to see the filter that is stretched in front of the bulb and connected to the barn door by means of several Jason Smith Filter Attachment devices. Okay so you won`t find it in the store using this technical scientific nomenclature but it will probably be listed under the more common name, binder clip. My filter in the image could be stretched a little more tightly to remove some of the slack; however, this is normal after regular use because the heat from the bulbs can cause a little curl to develop in the filters. Since the filters come rolled they don`t need any help but a little filter curl doesn`t really affect your photographic process. Although, it is a good practice to make sure your filter doesn`t have too much slack in it.
Once you have your light heads set up the rest is pretty much straight forward. Position your light heads at a 45 degree angle to your painting with your lights set 5-6 feet back or as much as your space dictates and make sure the light heads are positioned level and perpendicular to the painting. If you are hanging your painting squarely on the wall your light heads should be parallel to the ground. If you are using the polarizing filter on your camera as well as the lights and you still have a little glare or hot spot on the image you can try slightly adjusting the light on whichever side is glaring. If everything is setup correctly you should be able to eliminate practically all the glare. The exceptions are if you have a deep black back ground like an Old Master`s style portrait or chiaroscuro still life or if you have varnished your painting with a high gloss varnish. If either of these apply, you can always remove minor glare spots using the clone tool in Photoshop.
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