Backgrounds Affect Crystal Figurine Photo Results

Crystal figurine shots with wood backgrounds are perhaps the most difficult photos to get right.  The color of the wood will dominate the color of the figurine.  This photo is a shot of a handblown glass figurine made by an Austrian craftsman.  The figurine is called "Blessed Mother."  To the upper left are two ornaments hanging from a shelf.  The customer invited me to take these photos.

As you can see, the glass appears to blend in with the wood background.  That's because the camera, figurine and background are in a straight line.  The following shows what happens by moving slightly to the left. 

While this is still not a great photo, it is much better than the first.  The outline of the figurine is clearer and you can see the hands folded in prayer.  The back of the figurine can be seen in the mirror,  This photo is better because the wood is not in a direct line with the camera.  The additonal angle helps to negate the effect of the background on the figurine.

Moving another six inches to the left strenthened the outline of the figurine.  It is slightly clearer.  Unfortunately, this is the best shot this setting has to offer.  I took over fifteen shots and the ones shown here are the best.  To get a good photo of this figurine requires a different setting.

When I looked back over all my figurine photos, the worst ones were those with wood backgrounds.  I can't explain why, it"s just that way!