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Newbie ..looking for help with product (jewellery) photo
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Hi my name is Noel and I am based in Cork. Got the camera (Nikon D50 + 18-55kit lens ) about a year ago to help my wife with photography for her website. She operates a home based bridal jewellery business. I also purchased this specialist lighting kit http://www.tabletopstudio.co.uk/Pages/Jewellery%20Kits.htm . In addition I bought a cheap set of Sonia Close-up kit 4 piece (+1,+2+4 7 Macro) which I have found pretty useful for getting close up and clearer shots.
While my images have improved overall they’re still not near where I’d like them to be. Professional photographers told me that pearls an crystals are one of the most difficult thing to shoot. Right now I’d like to get to “good enough” but am still getting poor, some good but most frustrating of all hit-and-miss (i.e. variable) outcomes.
I’d gladly pay a pro for a few hours focused training in this area as I feel I should be able to get decent shots which represent the products well (creativity can come later!!) with the equipment I have.
Here’s one of my worst shots
http://www.edenjewellery.ie/proddetail.asp?prod=EB034%2DIN(Mark this post may be best served in Fashion?)
Attached also you will see a typical lack lustre unprocessed image !!!
Any/all advice welcome. (I have a “day job” so am a complete amateur in this photography field)
Biggest issue is getting a nice clean contrast between white background and jewellery
Hi Noel,
sorry can’t offer too much as in detailed idea’s
but do you require the white background? as Bridal appreciate you probably do..just wondering if you have to use white would a more silken cloth be better?
Maybe way off point and make it worse but just an idea
Ger
The lighting looks good, separation from the background might work better, maybe use a black velvet?
Si
how about some light pink background?
I read that pink is sooo popular colour for weddings right now…I’m a newbie so I’m take what I say lightly.
It seems to me that you are giving yourself too much work
by trying to take this picture with a white background.If you had a black background it would highlight the piece.
Make life easy on yourself use a backgraound that will naturally contrast the piece.
2 things:
1/ The depth of field begins to fall off towards the rear of the piece. Try to focus a little bit behind the front. One third of depth of field is in front with the remaining 2 thirds behind. If you focus a little bit back from the front, say on the second row of white roses, then you should be able to bring it all into focus,
2/ If the white background is something you want to keep then use sheets of black card on the left and right (out of shot but close to the subject) which will introduce a little more definition to the edges, particularly in the silver and the pearls
Dave
Hi Noel,
Ok don’t know if this will be of any help but I too am in the same bridal type industry as your wife so I’ll just impart a little of what I found worked for me. For the Jewellery I too found it quite difficult to picture on a white backround even though I wanted to use one. So I had to give in and purchase a black neck bust and which can also be used for other jewellery pieces. I still use a white box with a white bottom but with the black bust placed inside it works quite nicely. Hope I haven’t lost myself any potential customers here but what the hell this site is for helping each other.
Best of luck (to both of you)
Terry
I am travelling this week but will try out new backgrounds when I get back. Have tried various colours and busts to date but will give it another whack !!! Thanks all for the tips especially Terry!!!
NoelI’ve been away this past week on a number of workshops and haven’t had internet access, so I’m still catching up with all of the posts here, including this one. I’ve done some small object photography before for a brochure and it proved even tougher than this – I had to photograph clear transparent acrylic jewellery stands. The secret really is in the lighting. In my case I had to light the products so that the edges were defined. I’ve also shot other small items in the past and my two favourite tools for doing so are a light tent and black acrylic sheet (Perspex ?).
If you’ve never used highly reflective black acrylic for this type of photography, you really should give it a go! I love using it. But because it is so shiny, it reflects everything and you have to be very careful with your lighting and really would need a light tent to shoot in. What also works very well, if you want to try out different colours, is a sheet of clear acrylic or glass, placed on top of a background of your choice of colour (cloth or mount board work well). The glass will give you a nice reflection and the material behind it will add the colour.
I notice that you’re in Inishannon, which isn’t a million miles away from Cork. If you’re interested, I could drop around with my light tent and I could run through some ideas with you; PM me if you are as there are some other ideas I would like to bounce off you.
I think you should also consider doing some shots showing the jewellery in use, using either family and friends to model the jewellery or getting professional models to do the job.
In the meantime, just in case you missed this earlier, for some great tips and advice on how to achieve the look you want, click on over to http://www.tabletopstudio.com/documents/jewelry_photography.htm
Cheers,
I tried a different colour back ground and it has helped. Picked some different sheets from arts supply shop in town. I am not a huge fan of black as a background so tried this. I think it looks better although depth of field needs a it of improvement ?
thoughts ?
tks
NoelAm following up with Thorsten also !!
background does inprove it!
just also wondering idea using model for..
authentic appearance of it being worn…just an idea..
Noel, there’s another tutorial which I just came across that may be of interest to you at http://ir.webphotoschool.com/Shooting_Jewelry_in_a_Tent/index.html
Thanks for the link ..had come across it before …have trawled the web for stuff at this stage !!
Noel
ndillane wrote:
I’d gladly pay a pro for a few hours focused training in this area as I feel I should be able to get decent shots which represent the products well (creativity can come later!!) with the equipment I have.
Noel,
I’ll be overnighting in Cork in the next few weeks. I could work with the gear you have to help you get the shots you need,
Dave
Hi Noel, please please see http://www.morganstudios.ie and see whether Gerry Morgan can help. I am a model and work with him often and have done lighting classes. He has also had some great paid work for jewellry recently. He charges for classes but the tips you would get would be well worth it.
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