[Les Meehan]

Infinity curves or more usual name 'fashion coves' are used extensively in fashion and car photography. With cars the cove usually surrounds the area on three sides and floor and ceiling creating the effect of looking into 'infinity' since you have nothing to relate to but blank space. The effect is quite disturbing the first time you experience it but studio photographers soon get used to them.

The reason for the infinity cove in car photography is that lighting a car involves NOT lighting the car but lighting the environment (the cove) which is reflected in the bodywork of the car. Check out a studion car shot and look at those wonderfully smooth tones on the surface of the bodywork, that's the reflection of the light hitting the white surface of the cove. Any dark areas are usually areas of the cove that have been covered with black fabris such as velvet to create interesting contrast on the car bodywork.

This approach is the usual method of lighting shiny objects, usually metal or glass. A cove is really a huge light tent for big objects such as cars. The method is actually very easy once you know how.

Fashion coves are usually just a smooth curved surface from floor to ceiling since in fashion the background is often just left plain.

Hope this explains it a little.

Cheers

Les