glare or highlights on black beetle - poor diffuser ?

jim mij wrote:

c h u n k wrote:

jim mij wrote:

hi,

If Darth Vader were a beetle he might have looked like the following pic...

I was trying to get a shot of a black beetle today but glare or reflections on the shiny top of its head ruined things somewhat

I moved the beetle somewhere darker, so the main light was only coming from the flash

I've searched the forum for hints on reducing glare, not that many, and of the 3 the best idea seemed to be suggesting a concave diffuser and two flashes. Mine is homemade and flat using a single top mounted flash, which has been ok so far for most things as I've not often noticed glare like this

I see that the high end diffusers are also concave, but i dont really know why (other than it looks cool)

Do you think thats an answer?, or could it be the diffuser material is insufficient ? or something else ? ...

Ideas (and pics of DIY concave diffusers) welcome

thanks

Jim

Please See links below. The issue is your diffuser. You do NOT need to buy any of these diffusers that are premade. Most macro photographers make their own. For years I used packing foam sheets and still do sometimes for several reasons. However, after reading some of Nicky Bays blog, I experimented with flexible cutting boards and they work great. The tricks are #1, Making the light source large relative to subject, #2, Getting even lighting across the diffuser which is solved by #3 Getting light spread from the flash in as short of a distance as poassible. All of this will solve issues in specular highlights, give softer light, and light which wraps around the subject giving soft transitions

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/57126945

https://www.nickybay.com/macro-equipment/

http://orionmystery.blogspot.com/2010/12/more-macro-rigs.html?m=1

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many thanks, those are very useful links, each with further reading, shame they are not pinned at the top of the forum as must reads for those interested in diffusion

I was revisiting my shots yesterday, glare only seems to be annoying in beetles/ladybirds. I assume if I can cure that then all shots would also benefit

Thanks

Jim

Those types of beetles are the ones we use to test the quality of the diffuser. Jumping spider eyes pose other issues, but in terms of achieving soft, wrapping light with good transition, beetles like ladybugs and those little shiny black beetles show everything. Its all about size of light source and distance between light and subject. I still have a little glare in this shot but not too distracting.