Corey55

Hi mike Awesome photos. I'm sure as you keep playing you'll improve. There is a book called Light science and magic, that covers photographic lighting, it's really good. Where the metal is too shiny, put a piece of tracing paper on a stick or clamp and use it to block out the light falling on the metal, tones it down a bit. 5dmk 2, nice camera.

Show us some shots.

If only I had the time. Happy to answer individual needs and offer advice, it's a big subject and can be very tricky. Photographers guard their secrets well . . . Buy a good spotlight. Shine it through a sheet of white cloth. Move the light closer or further away from the cloth, and move the cloth closer and further away from the subject. The bigger the cloth (or the closer to the subject) the less shadow. The further away, (or the smaller the cloth) the harder the shadow, Put a piece of white cardboard or paper on the opposite side of the subject to reflect light into the shadows. Move the light, the sheet, and the cardboardboard around. Observe reults. I am actually in the process of making an app with workshops that teach you how to do all sorts of photography, should be finished in a few months.

Instead of a box, have a look at using 'softboxes'. The photobox is limited to where the lights are positioned, but with one or two softboxes, you can place them almost anywhere, changing the lighting for different subjects, moving them further away for darker shadows, closer for no shadow etc. I know the photobox is easy, but once you get into the art of photography, you can get more creative with one softbox and a large white reflector, and it is very easy to set up and change around. Corey

Also put the gun on some blocks of wood or plastic, hide them from view, and this will separate it from the background a bit, making it look better. Once again, experimentation is the key.

Hi there, I like your work. I'm a photographer specialising in reflective subjects. What you need to do, as others suggested, is move the light away from the fabric to create a more even coverage of light on the fabric. With the light too close, it creates a hot spot, almost as if the fabric wasnt in front of the light at all, and this creates the highlights. You dont need the light opposite, just have a white piece of cardboard to reflect the light back. This will give the gun more of a 3D feel, and not be so flat. You dont need a light on overhead, that will also make it flat looking. One light, used with reflectors, is all you need. You can also put a black card on the opposite side, to give a dark line on the subject - try it, you'll soon see how it looks, and you can experiement with where you place the card to fine tune the look of the holster. If you still get the highlights, put more translucent material between the light and the gun, like tracing paper, or just a white sheet between the light and the lightbox, to make the light-source, the square of light, more evenly lit. When it is even, the highlights will be reduced or eliminated. Good luck. Its a learning curve, but when you understand it, the next time it is easy and the results can start to look spectacular. Corey www.coreyrankin.com