Reflective Metals Made Easy – Using Polarisers and Flags for Shiny Objects

Shiny metal objects are some of the hardest things to photograph or film. Stainless steel, brass components, lab instruments, boat fittings, even organ pipes — all of them behave like tiny mirrors. They reflect everything: lights, windows, you, the camera, and even colours in the room.

At Philip M Russell Ltd, we deal with reflective metal constantly: lab equipment for science videos, fittings on the RS Toura and Whaly, tools in the workshop, and polished organ pipes. The key to clean, professional images is learning to control reflections rather than fight them.

Two essential tools make this much easier:
polarising filters and flags.

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Why Metals Are Difficult

Unlike matte surfaces, smooth metal doesn’t scatter light — it reflects it directionally.
This means:

• hotspots

• blown-out highlights

• distorted reflections

• unwanted colour casts

• the photographer visible in the object

Without control, shiny objects look messy, distracting, or impossible to expose correctly.

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Step 1: Polarising Filters – Reducing Glare the Smart Way

A circular polariser (CPL) can dramatically reduce reflections on many surfaces, especially brushed metal, painted metal, and objects with coatings.

What a CPL does:

• cuts glare

• deepens contrast

• reveals underlying texture

• reduces hotspots

• gives more even illumination

When it works well:

• brushed aluminium

• anodised metal

• painted or lacquered surfaces

• chrome with partial diffuse reflection

• metal with fingerprints or smudges

How to use it:

Rotate the filter while looking through the viewfinder or screen.
You’ll see reflections “fade” in and out.
Stop where the glare is minimised but the subject still looks natural.

A CPL won't remove pure mirror-like reflections entirely — but it often improves the shot dramatically.

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Step 2: Flags – Controlling What the Metal Sees

Because metal is reflective, it “sees” the world like a mirror.
If you want clean reflections, you must control the environment.

Flags (or “gobos”) help by:

• blocking stray light

• shaping reflections

• preventing unwanted bright patches

• controlling the silhouette the object reflects

• keeping your camera out of the shot

Flags can be:

• black foam board

• pieces of card

• professional cutters

• matte black cloth

• small barn doors

• even your own hand

Practical uses:

• masking bright reflections from windows

• creating controlled gradients on cylindrical objects

• shaping highlights along metal rods or pipes

• removing ceiling reflections

• hiding the photographer

Flags are shockingly effective for very little cost.

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Combine Both for Perfect Metal Shots

Using a polariser and flags together gives far more control than either tool alone.

For example:

• CPL reduces the glare

• Flag blocks the room reflection

• Second flag shapes a pleasing highlight

• Side-light adds texture

• Controlled environment gives consistent results

This works beautifully for:

• metal lab equipment

• chemical apparatus

• organ pipes

• sailing fittings

• engineering parts

• high-contrast product photography

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The Takeaway

Shiny objects don’t have to be difficult.
With a polarising filter to cut glare and flags to control reflections, you can create clean, clear, professional images of even the most reflective metals.

It’s a simple setup that works everywhere — in the studio, in the lab, and out on the river.