Any advise/experience/guide on shooting jewellerys & accessoires?

[Astroboy77]

Hi all bros,

My wife ask me to help her take some photos of her self make jewellerys & accessories which she intend to sell online, therefore i hope i can shoot some nice photo for her, would like to find out more from you guys here what are the things to look out for, require stuffs, etc...

Currently i'm having D90 + kit len 18-105mm...

Any advise/experience/guide to share is very much appreciated...

Regards
Astroboy

 

[hotwork77]

Hi all bros,

My wife ask me to help her take some photos of her self make jewellerys & accessories which she intend to sell online, therefore i hope i can shoot some nice photo for her, would like to find out more from you guys here what are the things to look out for, require stuffs, etc...

Currently i'm having D90 + kit len 18-105mm...

Any advise/experience/guide to share is very much appreciated...

Regards
Astroboy

First thing to start off:
(1) Get a plain background like white or black paper so that the items you photograph will stand out.
(2) If you use flash then make sure the light is diffused. Cheapest way is to use indirect flash i.e. point the flash towards the ceiling. Otherwise get a thin white plastic to cover the flash. The idea is to remove the harsh lighting.
(3) If it is metallic jewellery than you might want to add some strong lighting to bring out the sparkle. Compensate it with filters and you might not need flash.

Experiment and try different settings and see which is more appealing. There is no one size fits all.

 

[Astroboy77]

First thing to start off:
(1) Get a plain background like white or black paper so that the items you photograph will stand out.
(2) If you use flash then make sure the light is diffused. Cheapest way is to use indirect flash i.e. point the flash towards the ceiling. Otherwise get a thin white plastic to cover the flash. The idea is to remove the harsh lighting.
(3) If it is metallic jewellery than you might want to add some strong lighting to bring out the sparkle. Compensate it with filters and you might not need flash.

Experiment and try different settings and see which is more appealing. There is no one size fits all.

Ok.. thanks for the advice... how abt the lens? 18-105mm kit len able to do the shot? or it better to get other len such as 35mm f1.8 or 50mm f1.8 or ????

 

[ortega]

if the jewellery is reflective, make sure you and the camera is not reflected in there

hint, dark room with dark clothes, light only the subject

 

[clipper79]

Try not to wear coloured clothes (plain black and white is best). It will be reflected into any shiny surfaces, like metal or gems. If possible,... try getting a light tent, and shoot using that in a dark room. The aim is to get it as clean as possible and super sharp if it is a gem like one (cos you want to see details in reflections). Also shallow DoF might not be always good too.

 

[hotwork77]

Ok.. thanks for the advice... how abt the lens? 18-105mm kit len able to do the shot? or it better to get other len such as 35mm f1.8 or 50mm f1.8 or ????

I have tried 18-105mm lens for handbags and belts shots for my friend. For smaller stuff, you might want to give it a tryout first before spending more money buying lens which is not cheap investment.

There is also light tent which is a small white plastic box for product photography. It is also not a cheap product to buy if you are only starting out an online business with limited product range. On the business side of things, you might want to see whether the business is sustainable to justify an investment for more photographic accessories.

Hope that helps.

 

[K S Kong]

The most important thing is a good micro lens, best is Nikon PCE 85mm f2.8 micro or 105mm f2.8 micro VR ED, but is a bit expensive.
http://www.nikon.com.sg/productitem.php?pid=1249-7620a44986
http://www.nikon.com.sg/productitem.php?pid=880-7ee2b83643

After you got the micro lens, you need a Light Tent (with black and white background) and set off camera flash too.
http://store.tagotech.com/product_info.php?products_id=281

Also you need to have a dark environment to avoid unnecessary reflection, than you can create a good results.

 

[Astroboy77]

The most important thing is a good micro lens, best is Nikon PCE 85mm f2.8 micro or 105mm f2.8 micro VR ED, but is a bit expensive.
http://www.nikon.com.sg/productitem.php?pid=1249-7620a44986
http://www.nikon.com.sg/productitem.php?pid=880-7ee2b83643

After you got the micro lens, you need a Light Tent (with black and white background) and set off camera flash too.
http://store.tagotech.com/product_info.php?products_id=281

Also you need to have a dark environment to avoid unnecessary reflection, than you can create a good results.

Wow... cool... i think the light tent is indeed a must for product shooting.... i guess i will invest in one...:thumbsup:

As for lens, tat will be a tougher choice.. :dunno:

 

[Zichar]

A light tent is DIY-able if you're looking to start out; can google it or check wikihow/ehow/instructables, etc
It's a good way to understand the relationship between light, shadows and reflection

 

[Astroboy77]

A light tent is DIY-able if you're looking to start out; can google it or check wikihow/ehow/instructables, etc
It's a good way to understand the relationship between light, shadows and reflection

ok... cool... thanks for the advice...

 

[Astroboy77]

Ok.. after shooting for some times.. seem like i really need a tripod coz i can feel my hand is abit wobbly.... can any experience bro here suggest or provide advise on what type of tripod to use is good?

Budget not more than $150 buck.

let say i need to hold D90 + Bat grip, any kind bro can to recommend the most suitable tripod to use??.

Thanks for any advice/ guidance provided

 

[Octarine]

Take your time to read / browse through the forum. Plenty of guidelines available like this: http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=384016