Barry,
Since you asked about shooting jewelry ... well I think it one of the toughest
types of
product photography. Have you ever shot a picture of a mirror with artificial
light? Well
it's not too far from that. Well I took a job to shot some jewelry from a
designer without
really knowing how to do it. So I had to learn fast.
The good thing here is that it does not take any really expensive equipment. I
recommend the
following:
2 good strobes
2 good light stands
a good polarizer filter (some times these are not necessary)
a flash meter or TTL OTF system (will sometimes work better here than on other
things)
a tent or cone (these can be homemade)
The one thing that most have not used is the tent. I've made several and even
bought a
couple from photo supply houses. One of the best ones I made consists of making
cube out of
PVC pipe (sprinkler pipe). Then I got some 180 thread count white cotton cloth.
I made some
different plexiglas stages (actually the floor of the tent) for placing the
jewelry. I use
standard studio clamps (get them at the hardware store .... they come in
different sizes ...
usually have orange grips ... buy several they're cheap) to wrap the cotton
cloth around the
cube frame. Obviously the open side is is where you put the lens through. You
can also
make a real tent by pulling the top up and using something to hold it up. Just
think of a
pup tent.
Now just place the jewelry on the stage or floor inside the tent. Do all your
focusing and
once you see the shot you want, clamp the tent closed around the front of the
lens.
It's a good idea to angle the camera anywhere from 20 degrees to 45 degrees.
What you don't
want is reflections bouncing off the lens. So a polarizer is a good idea but I
have found
out it is not always necessary.
Now the most critical part. Setting up the strobes. Again you want them to
angle about 45
degrees from the product in all directions. Make sure that there is nothing
that might
throw a glare onto the lens. Using 2 T32s I usually can get by on TTL OTF. It
sure makes
life easier when you don't have to open up the tent to put the flash meter in
there. I've
used both white and black plexi as the stage floor and both work well. You
will be able to
adjust exposure by moving the strobes closer to or further from the tent. I've
also put the
diffusers over the T32's and sometimes you can spread the light more evenly.
One thing you don't have to worry too much about is exact color. Gold, silver
and gemstones
will always look good when properly lit.
Other tent ideas I tried. Using a Plexiglas cone with a hole in the top where
by you attach
a filter ring. Usually a plastic shop will make up one of these. Several years
ago I paid
$30 for a small cone a $60 for a large one. Basically just screw the thing on
to the front
of your lens. Normally these are good for shooting things like rings and gem
stones. Your
camera will will face down over the product. These cones are great for for
shooting gem
stones and rings and small pieces.
Sometimes you can just make a tent out of good quality paper. Always use 2
strobes. And
sometimes shooting down onto a very reflective flatter surface can cause a
glare on the
lens. So make sure if you shoot gold and silver belt buckles (I shot many of
these) that the
product is propped up on one side.
Give it a try. You will be surprised how good this works. I've used a
standard MC 50/f1.4,
a 35-70/f3.6. I used them with and without close up tubes.
Phillip Franklin
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