Portraits with metal backgrounds, how to get the background to look right?

8 years 11 months ago #440959 by Greg Friedman
I found this building that is brushed metal, and I'm trying to take someone's portrait in front if it, yet have the brushed metal stand out as it looks in person.  I keep getting the person exposed properly, but the metal just looks silver, all the detail is lost.  Any ideas how I can pull this off?


Please let me know.  Thank you

Greg


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8 years 11 months ago #440969 by JeremyS
I would say try and use a flash and bring down the ambient until you get the background right and then fill in with flash to get your subject's light right. 


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8 years 11 months ago #440979 by icepics
What time of day? What direction is the sun coming from?

Go take some photos of the place before you get out there with someone. If need be maybe take along an object to put in front of the metal if you need to see how something will photograph there. It's necessary to be able to get proper exposures in a variety of circumstances.

Sharon
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8 years 11 months ago #441024 by garyrhook
You do not provide nearly enough information to enable assistance.

The metal texture appears that way because of shadows. If you are lighting someone from directly in front (which you should not be doing, especially with on-camera flash) you will lose all of the shadows, and therefore all of the details. The light as to come from the side. Either use existing light at a good time of day (morning or evening) or off-camera flash at 45 degrees or farther over.


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8 years 11 months ago #441109 by neal1977

Takennnn wrote: I would say try and use a flash and bring down the ambient until you get the background right and then fill in with flash to get your subject's light right. 


True and try using a flash with a snoot to control the light on the model


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8 years 11 months ago #441326 by Greg Friedman
The two times I have been to this location has been between 5 and 6:30pm.  


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