How to Take Photos of Chrome Objects

Place the chrome part on a modeling table and position it the way you want to photograph it. How you position the part will depend on what you are trying to illustrate.

Attach your camera to a tripod and attach a telephoto lens to the camera. Using a lens with a focal length of 200mm will allow you to position the camera at a distance where you will not be visible in the chrome, or at worst will be a very small reflection that can easily be removed in post-production.

Position the studio lights to illuminate the chrome part. Use a three-light setup with your main light directed towards the focal point of the chrome part, the fill light on the opposite side and a third light positioned above the part. Set your main light to full power and set the fill and third light to half power. Turn the "modeling lights" on, look through your viewfinder and observe how the light appears in the chrome part. You can reposition the lights to reduce the amount the lights are reflected in the chrome. Like the camera, the farther away they are, the less visible they will be in the photograph.

Press the shutter release halfway down to pre-focus on the chrome part. Take a test photo. Review the photo and look for any "hot spots" where the studio strobes are too bright in the chrome. If they are visible, you may need to reposition the light or use a large "soft box" attachment that will diffuse the light. Proceed with your shoot.

Download the images from your shoot into your photo editing program. Inspect the images at full size or at 100 percent, and use the software's clone or eraser tool to remove any unwanted reflections from the images.