Hi,

Since this is the negginners section this is were ill have to post my question. Hope someone can help me out.

Ive just recently gotten interested again in photography and practically im a begginner again. Ive recently purchased a canon 350D. I am trying to create a catalogue/product list of some producst that i sell in Europe (basically they are jewelry with semi precious stones, pearls, etc..)

My question is what is the best way to shoot them inside my house (Dont want to get the whole set of huge lights, etc,,,) Can i just buy regular lights to light them?? If yes what kind of lights/bulbs to you suggest. I purchased a "magic studio" (its a tend thats white canvas) and im supposed to put the product inside and then shoot them, but im not sure what lighting to use and how to position them.

Also what would be the best settings for me to shhot them (As of now i only have the lens kit that comes with the camera (18-55) but id like to get eventually a 50 mm 1.8

I hope someone can help me to set this up.

Thanks

You can use any lights actually. Of course, if they are not studio strobes, you would definitely need a tripod as they would be long exposures.
If you have one of those light tents or light cubes (a.k.a. Magic Studios) then all you have to do is position one or two lights on the sides of the tent. You can experiment positioning them until you find the effect you are pleased with.

Now, the light tent doesn't work well for all jewelry, for example: it can often times flatten pearls robbing it of its luster. Thus you might really have to play around with positioning the lights to achieve a more pleasing effect.

You have a bit of a problem though with your present lens. You might need a macro lens for small jewelry, your present lens would be too wide to do jewelry shots. Your cheapest option would be to purchase close-up filters - by using them they allow you to do some really tight close ups . You can purchase Cokin closeup filters from Island Photo along Gamboa street, Legaspi Village, Makait. Its a cheaper alternative to buying a macro lens.
The close up filters come in various magnifications from +1 until +4, you can even combine two to achieve a stronger magnification.

Louie,

Thanks for your advice. Ive tried using regular lights but the pictures come out yellowish...so i dont know what to do to make them look better. If i use the flash they come out too bright.

Also yes, with my lens now I cant get close enough so I really was considering other options...the option of close up lens seems ok would you know how much they cost aprox?

Thanks

Hi Miguel,

I agree with what Louie said regarding shooting up close. You need to show the detail and the color as much as possible. Since you will be using home lights and not studio lights, you MUST shoot in RAW that way, you can correct any color cast from the lights. If you have a gray card, shoot the gray card under the lights and you can use that as a gray point for the correction.

good luck!!:)

Ok I'll try it out.

Thanks Pilar !

hi miguel. i've done a few shoots photographing my stuff in DIY fashion (obviously i'm not a pro) and i remember getting best results with a Magic Tent and natural light. of course the sun has to be up and bright. also, from what i've seen in trade fairs, if indoor lighting is used along with a tent, tendency nga is to cut down the sparkle and luster of the gems. so what they do is put a small LED lamp INSIDE the tent directed at the jewelry. may sparkle ulit. but you really need a macro lens or a close up filter. i have a site you and everyone reading can check out (maybe critique?): www.paulsyjuco.com (http://www.paulsyjuco.com)

excellent work Paul! Nice lighting! Carefully lit, very clean, galing! Looks very pro to me.

Paul,

Great work..really nice product shots. Thats exactly how I want to show my products. What kind of lighting did you use for those product shots?

Ya definitely ill have to get a macro lens or close up filters...maybe filters since they are cheaper..till i can master taking shots and get the lens...

thanks guys!!! but that's only DIY hahaha. just used a light tent with natural light and a couple daylight lamps both sides of the tent when the sun didnt cooperate. or you can do a makeshift light tent by checking this site out:

http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/light_box_light_tent

for tips on lighting jewe;ry and other reflective objects, check out this site:

http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/light.htm


hope this helps

Hi Miguel!

when you are shooting jewelry you have to remember that your shot needs to be as close as the real thing as possible.... well in most cases it also has to be really good to look at :) Jewelry is not easy to shoot. if you are shooting pearls you have to produce clean highlights (softer lighting) to them so that the pearl would look as flawless as possible. while if you are shooting diamonds or other precious stones it needs to have some shine in them, for this to work you need harder lights pointed at your product. this will give that shine effect to the stone.

btw, avoid mixing light sources. you will have a hard time fixing your white balance if you do so. I suggest that if you plan to shoot using ordinary light stick to one kind of light source, that way you can correct your White Balance better.

Paul.

When you shot it ay available light what time of the day was that?? whats the best time to shoot those kinds of things with the tent??

Ben, I i shoot indorrs then i can use regular lights and just set my white balance to tungsten??

Thanks for all the help !!

usually in the morning. shoots usually start about 8am till before lunch time. but i suppose as long as there's sunlight ok na.

Thanks for the tip !

Paul.


Ben, I i shoot indorrs then i can use regular lights and just set my white balance to tungsten??



so long as you use tungsten lights only, then you can set your WB to tungsten.

Hi Miguel!!

Just want to know if you've changed youre mind in putting the big lights in your house and have the shoot taken, cause i might able to help you out as i know someone who has a photostudio and they do rent their studio lights and can advice on the shoot, that is if you're interested

hi! i'm interested also in taking jewelry pictures. i only own a P&S cam -- canon S5 IS. will its macro feature be enough for my needs? i was able to make a light box already. i'm not sure about the kind of lights to buy. will two lamps of 60 watts each be enough? another question, should i turn off the room lights?

Rory, the bigger hurdle is how to light the subjects, especially with jewelry, crystals and other translucent/reflective items. Your P&S will do just fine, but you'll need to research about lighting techniques.

hey, thanks for the quick reply! yeah, i surmised as much. it has a big thing to do with lighting. the diamonds i shoot turn out to be dark and very flawed even if they are not so. actually, i find indoor shoots very difficult in general. i'm also a badminton enthusiast, and taking pictures (especially action shots) inside a court is not easy. or maybe it has something to do with the limitations of my camera already?

Yes and no... With your indoor badminton dilemma, yes, equipment is a big factor, but it still depends on the available light, even high end gear will struggle with most "casual" indoor sport complexes since there aren't a lot of light unlike sponsored, big event where lighting is more than adequate.

Google stuff up and you'll find tons of info like these:
http://jewelryphotography.com/index.htm
http://www.tabletopstudio.com/documents/jewelry_photography.htm

etc.