I understand the principle that the environment will be reflected in the surface, and therefore the key to photographing a shiny surface is to alter the environment that is reflected i.e. it is an exercise in reflection management. The most difficult part of this project was not the theory but the practical of getting the environment right - problems I encountered included greaseproof paper that was too narrow for the task, tissue paper that was too floppy, tripod legs getting in the way, trying to focus the lens with the tracing paper attached, trying to stop a shower curtain falling off my head etc. etc. It sounds so easy in the notes, but wasn't that always the case on Blue Peter as well? What also became apparent is that moving the camera was part of reflection management, not to mention composition management, but that wasn't easy once you'd attached a cone of tracing paper.
Anyway, here's 2 examples of how not to photograph a shiny surface (note the reflection of the 3 ceiling lights and my camera in the face of the 2nd watch):
And here's some results using various backgrounds (light vs dark), set ups etc. My favourite was the shot of my watch (bought for myself exclusively with Tesco tokens) at the end, where the low key lighting works well. I found the live view function of my camera to be extremely useful when arranging the light for this shot, which was provided by a torch. I have found powerful torchlight to be a most useful artificial light, being so flexible and easy to move around, not to mention inexpensive. Used in conjunction with live view, it is an excellent way to learn lighting set ups.
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