The term refers mainly to the pinpoints of light reflecting into the camera that make the subject look shiny or show the properties of the subject’s surface. For example it’s used to great effect in food photography to achieve that glistening appeal or to show perspiration on human skin and so on.
More usually though, photographers try to remove or at least control reflections, particularly when photographing shiny metal, glass and jewelry. This is achieved by careful use of lighting, bits of card, black paper and reflectors. Concave objects are the hardest to work with – look at catalogue photos of spoons for example.
I was once photographing an object made of metal and glass and the client wanted as detailed a surface as possible but without any distracting reflections. I used all my tricks but whenever I looked through the waist level camera viewfinder I noticed this very strong highlight. It was peculiar because when I stood up to examine the set I couldn’t see the highlight or the cause of it anywhere. It took me while to figure out that when I bent over the camera the object picked up the light reflected off my prominent bald spot!
So there were three simple remedies; get a toupee, paint my head black or stand up to take the photo – I stood up.
Actually I did have my head painted black once when I played Dracula on stage – balding Draculas just don’t convey quite the same menace.
