Collection Photography Help

[jokabofe]

What's the best way to take photographs of objects that are behind glass? I want to take some photos of my loose figure collection, but it is stored in some small CD cabinets with glass doors, and every picture I took has some major reflections from around the room  

Same thing happened when I tried to take some photos of the few posters and prints that I have framed around my home. Reflections are so bad on most that you can't even see the poster or print inside the frame 

So, has anybody susuccessfully taken any photos of your stuff - or of anything for that matter - that was behind glass? Any tips and tricks you might have, or suggest, would be much appreciated. Or even any links to some good photography websites and/or forums that I can visit to try and get some help would be appreciated as well.

[CorranHorn]

Dave,

If part of the problem you're having is flash from the camera, you could try using a macro setting on your camera to have it determine the amount of lighting it gives the photo. This is different from just setting the flash off, as the picture there will most likely just turn out dark. If you don't know how to use the macro settings on your camera, consult your manual.

good luck!

[Hemish]

This is probably the stupid reply, but can you take the glass off?
I did that for some of my early pics.

[jokabofe]

Jason - yeah, I've got the flash from the camera turned off, and I have it opened up to the max to let as much light as possible in. But at that setting (or any other setting for that matter, as I've tried several) I still get some nasty reflections.

Hemish - I could take the glass off the posters and some of the prints by unframing them for the photos, yeah, but that would be a major pain in the ass. And actually, not all of them could be unframed, if you will, because some of them are sericels that were purchased from the Disney Store and the Warner Bros Studio Store (R.I.P.) and came as one piece.

As for the loose figure display cases, no - the way the cases were built/put together, the doors go on before the final side of the case is attached. Thanks IKEA. So I would have to take them all apart to take the doors off, then re-assemble them for the photos, and then take them apart and re-assemble them again to put them back on the walls. And there are 13 of them. And then I'd have to do it all again everytime I updated my collection and needed/wanted some new shots. So, no, that's not an option 

But thanks for the suggestions guys. Anybody else?

[CorranHorn]

Ok this also may be stupid, but can't you just open the glass doors on the display cases to take the pics?

[jokabofe]

I guess I could, but they are sliding doors, so I would have to photograph one side at a time, and then try to splice the photos together so that the backgrounds match. 

[aka DaBigKahuna]

Take the pictures in your birthday suit !


DBK

[aka DaBigKahuna]

Dave,

Seriously though I have had the same problem.  Some people have had success by purchasing a flourecent light from a pet store.   


DBK

[starwarsnut]

I have been taking pictures of some action figures.  Problem is
that they are hard to edit due to shadows produced by
the figure.  Can you give me some tips on taking
pictures of the figures?

[Famine]

Try overhead lighting, or two side lights.

Kevin

[Ook]

If you want to look throough the glass, you have to get close to it and turn the camera at an angle; you can't have it looking straight at the glass. Of course if you get close, you can't get a pamaramic shot of a large collection.