taking pictures of jewelry: POST YOUR TIPS HERE

[Tela]

We all struggle taking pictures. Let's get together and share our tips, tricks and questions.

[Tela]

I was talking to someone about photos and realized that one of the best and easy solutions to getting good photos, color wise, is to use a "digital gray card". You can pick them up all over the place for cheap.

Place the card in front of the object that you are photographing and fill the camera frame with it. Then use the manual white balance setting to capture just the right color balance for your setting. Every source of light has a different color cast. Light bouncing off objects also adds to a color cast. The card helps your camera to know ahead of time what color it will be shooting. EZPZ!

[laura]

If you shoot using natural daylight indoors - Tripod is a must. And remote trigger (or 2 seconds delay if you don't have it).
Shoot RAW if your camera has it - easier and more possibilities to edit later.

Try not to shoot in direct and harsh mid-day sunlight - you'll get deep shadows, too much contrast, blown highlights. Bad. If you absolutely must shoot on a sunny noon, use diffusers (summon clouds, find a place out of direct sunlight, use shower curtain, garbage bag or white bedsheet to filter light). Overcast days are the best.

Concerning WB, I always adjust it when editing photos (painless if you shoot RAW). Usually I shoot on AWB.

Try to wear neutral color clothes, white/grey is best.

+don't wear garnet earrings ;D (best no jewelry at all)

See the color cast on weathered grey wood below? Well, most of the pictures from this photoshoot had such purple tint (or spots) to them because I was wearing a similar pair of earrings


"Garnet rain" by Cook On Strike, on Flickr

When shooting macro, white stylist gloves and a soft paintbrush are helpful - you don't want fingerprints or specks of dust on your beads.

E.g. editing these beaded beads was a nightmare - I was wearing a red shirt and got a nice "albatross" of myself on every shiny bead, plus I didn't pay attention to dust which was soooo very nicely visible on black beads..
(btw, the backgound is the same piece of wood as above)


Beaded bead by Cook On Strike, on Flickr



Get yourself a foldable double sided reflector (white/silver) or make one to reflect and throw back some light on your object - especially useful when you have to shoot faceted stuff:


Handmade drop earrings with beadwoven bezel by Cook On Strike, on Flickr


wire wrapped copper earrings by Cook On Strike, on Flickr

[Tela]

Laura, those are fabulous tips and some I bet most people wouldn't think of. Thank you! I shoot inside, but the tips about what color you wear was great for anyone.

Those are beautiful pictures and very nice work, Laura.

I would shoot outside, but like a lot of people, it isn't practical for me. I use a light tent. store.tabletopstudio-store.com/jephkit1.html It's on the pricey side, but has been worth the price.

For about 10 years, I used an inverted, translucent trash can www.ikeahackers.net/2008/02/trash-can-turns-into-photography-light.html and it worked very well. (In my setup, I just laid the camera on top of the hole in the trashcan.) After a hiatus in jewelry making, I came back to it and found I had thrown out my shade, so I used the box and paper method for about a year which also worked great. strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent

The beauty of having a set up inside is that it is not weather dependent. And, my nosy neighbors don't see what I am up to.

Below is a pic with the trashcan method

[Tela]

I had to go and find one with the cardboard box and tissue paper. My husband made mine in no time flat for cheap, cheap, cheap! It worked great with clip on work lights from Walmart and color correct bulbs. The only problem was it didn't like being moved around much. It would work great outside, too, if you had too much sun.

[laura]

Yep, lightbox is a good solution for product shots, and any DIY box works as well as a xxx dollar one. Just like you said - the DIY is usually difficult to move/store (but it costs close to nothing to make new one). Google images have tons of ideas, some are quite portable.

But to be honest I'm not a fan of lightbox photography. It has benefits when you have to do lots of "catalog" product shots quickly (and painlessly), but it has it's limitations too. Especially with creative shots when you want some props, different angles, play with DOF, have nice bokeh.. IMHO, a good photo has to have its unique character, atmosphere and mood, a lightbox makes it difficult to achieve.

[Renate]

Thank you for all the great tips, ladies.

I've got a question re light - which kind of bulbs do you use, neon or filaments? And how many watts?

Two years ago I had a two 100 Watt filament reflector bulbs, and they worked perfectly for my purpose. Then the new European law came, that forbids high wattage filament bulbs, and they will finally disappear from the market. Instead we have a huge choice of ineffective but expensive energy-saving neon bulbs. I hate them, and get foam at the mouth every time I have to deal with them. I've lost count how many bulbs I bought, only to find out that their light is still not good enough, and they are butt-ugly into the bargain, and make perfectly fine lamps look terrible.

To come back to the topic: I wonder which (how many?) wattage you use with a lightbox


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Laura, so it is possible to embed one's own picture stored at flickr without getting into trouble? I had tried but it didn't seem to work.

[Tela]

Renate, we have a ban on bulbs, too. But, we can buy color correct compact florescent bulbs which work well. They are expensive though. They came with my kit, but you can get them in other places, I'm sure.

[Renate]

That you also have that ban on bulbs makes me feel slightly better. ;-) How many bulbs do you use for your tent, and how strong are they?

[laura]

Tripod + sunlight. Cheap and effective. And ecological too
Or flash + diffuser on it (to soften shadows - e.g. tissue paper or smth more fancy) + some reflector
Or whatever light is available + tripod + correct WB in post processing

I think the most important investment is a decent camera, and there's plenty of free light available Equally important is learning to use your camera (not in "auto" mode).

[Tela]

I had to go and check what my bulbs were store.tabletopstudio-store.com/lightbulbs.html I have (2) 40w and a 14w. The 14 is actually pretty bright. You can get similar bulbs in other places, I just happen to have these. The important thing is that they are color correct.

Yes, Laura, I agree- learn to use your camera on manual. And, a tripod is great! But, I have seen some people, like Lisa Barth, who don't use one and do fine- most ppl, I think, do need one.

[Tela]

Hey, Laura- you want to start a new thread? I have some thoughts on the subject, but maybe this is best in a new thread.