Adding a highlight easily

[mmayo]

This was added to another thread and perhaps it might see more eyes as a stand alone post. I play with lighting to get reflections and to adjust overly intense highlights. This is a quick, free and easy way to add a highlight.

The first photo is my normal setup showing a smooth front lower side of the pen.

Here is the same setup with a long thin horizontal highlight near the center.

It is subtle, but shows off more shine to me. Some may argue that it looks better or worse and they may be right. The point is that more surface shine was added.

To do this fold a clean piece of printer paper into 1/5ths so that it becomes a slightly irregular (non-origami) rectangle. Place is if front of the pen aligned parallel to the pen JUST FORWARD TOWARD THE CAMERA - OUT OF SIGHT. If correctly folded, one surface will touch the glass below the subject and the other will face the pen. Move it in and out until the highlight appears. Evaluate if it helps or not and shoot it.

No money and quick!

 

[Janster]

Thanks,

......for the photo tips! Be well...............Jan

 

[CharlesJohnson]

Nice looking pen. I like the improvement. Improves the shine and the color, too. And I beleave I understood better then usual. No magic words. I have got to make a list of those words, look them up, and study them. Thanks

 

[mmayo]

More examples of highlight addition

Here are two more photos using the same technique on a new pen.

Before adding folded paper

With white paper - highlight fairly pronounced

I figure many of you already know this. but if you make a pen with lots of black be prepared to mm polish and buff a lot to get it perfect. Every tiny scratch or line is evident. Nice when they all go away though after the work!