Photographs of jewellery- help
Discussion
Hello all!
I am trying to sell jewellery on Ebay, my samples look lovely in the flesh, however as soon as the picture is taken they look dull and boring, I am not a pro at PS, and wouldnt know how to highlight the sparkle without it looking fake... can anyone suggest any ideas? I usually photograph with the flash and its a D50.
I am trying to sell jewellery on Ebay, my samples look lovely in the flesh, however as soon as the picture is taken they look dull and boring, I am not a pro at PS, and wouldnt know how to highlight the sparkle without it looking fake... can anyone suggest any ideas? I usually photograph with the flash and its a D50.
It's quite hard to make product shots look good without the use of proper lighting accessories such a domes, tents, diffuse light sources etc
http://www.tabletopstudio.com/documents/jewelry_ph...
http://www.tabletopstudio.com/documents/jewelry_ph...
Suekiwisr said:
It's quite hard to make product shots look good without the use of proper lighting accessories such a domes, tents, diffuse light sources etc
http://www.tabletopstudio.com/documents/jewelry_ph...
That all looks very expensive http://www.tabletopstudio.com/documents/jewelry_ph...
Bit of catch 22, until I start making profit I cant afford to spend much, and until I improve my pictures I wont sell them 
There is a hando link to this somewhere but i can't find it, so I'll try to descrivbe it ...
You can make a perfectly satisfactory "light tent" for this sort of purpose using a plastic storage box from Ikea (or similar).
Get one of the semi transparent white ones, tape plain paper on the inside and then light it from the outside with two or three angle poise lamps.
With the box on its side, use something like coloured paper or a piece of material to cover the "base" so that your subject has some interest. Though the jewellery stands you have may suffice on their own.
If you are using a DSLR then investing in a macro lens or some extension tubes may be worthwhile.
If you are using a compact then use the macro setting (assuming it has one).
Examples of watch shots of taken (mostly) using this method: http://www.tertius.me.uk/JLC-MD.html
Oh, and use a tripod - it is essential.
Edited to add, here is the link: http://www.wrist-watch.info/pgtips/phototips2.htm though I use a large square storage tub, rather than the "bucket" shown on that page.
You can make a perfectly satisfactory "light tent" for this sort of purpose using a plastic storage box from Ikea (or similar).
Get one of the semi transparent white ones, tape plain paper on the inside and then light it from the outside with two or three angle poise lamps.
With the box on its side, use something like coloured paper or a piece of material to cover the "base" so that your subject has some interest. Though the jewellery stands you have may suffice on their own.
If you are using a DSLR then investing in a macro lens or some extension tubes may be worthwhile.
If you are using a compact then use the macro setting (assuming it has one).
Examples of watch shots of taken (mostly) using this method: http://www.tertius.me.uk/JLC-MD.html
Oh, and use a tripod - it is essential.
Edited to add, here is the link: http://www.wrist-watch.info/pgtips/phototips2.htm though I use a large square storage tub, rather than the "bucket" shown on that page.
Edited by tertius on Saturday 28th July 23:44
missdiane said:
Excellent tertius! I have all of that in my house! plus a macro lense (its a 200mm plus though 
) I presume I still use my flash?
That's a pretty long macro lens ... you may find you can get away without a macro lens as I'm guessing your jewellery items aren't that small?) I presume I still use my flash?Don't use flash - use only the lighting from the angle poise/similar. Flash will reflect horribly. The tripod (and a fairly sedentary subject ...
) will allow you to use slow shutter speeds.Oh, and apologies for all the typos in my last post ...
missdiane said:
Vheers, maybe a silly question, but wont the bulbs make the picture appear yellow? Do I need special daylight bulbs or something?
Not in my (limited) experience, but you may need to experiment. Also you can of course take the picture in daylight, and simply use the "lightbox" to soften the light/shadows - you may not need any additional lighting in that scenario.When I photograph my jjewellery I tend to use a simple light tent or neutral background, no flash and then give them a slightly off white look - if you use too bright a WB they can look washed out and lacking in warmth. You need to get in close and if anything take shots at different angles and include at least one shot that shows just a small section of the piece. I take on average 50 shots per piece - literally all the angles I can imagine. I also use fast shutter speeds and imaging i'm taking a photo of an ice sculpture; it's got to be quick. Don't dally around composing the perfect shot, just shoot!
With larger pieces (and some of mine are full neck chokers that extend over decent clevage!) its very important that the photo shows some kind of scale - so a tailors dummy is very useful. I have found that some pieces look stunning on black, the more 'organic' looking pieces I make look better on a raffia dummy and very few actually look good on white (just washes out colour completely) Make 'em sexy by doing things like sticking flowers by them - roses are great red or white; strong colours - pinks look washed out, garters add a stunning look placed next to the 'sexier' pieces. Selling jewellery is not at all the same as selling watches. You have a different market and the overall shot and context is more important than some clean and fancy look (though the site linked here shows great technique). Sell the overall impression - the feeling you want to convey. The piece will sell itself.
( One last point, thought this is entirely my own opinion: E-bay is rubbish for selling Jewellery. If you are serious about this then invest in setting up your own site - create a professional look, by specific shop software, get a trading account and do it properly. If you think what you sell is 'worth it' don't go down the fleabay route - it's for junk and if you take any pride in what you make it will only piss you off to sell it that way )
Good luck
With larger pieces (and some of mine are full neck chokers that extend over decent clevage!) its very important that the photo shows some kind of scale - so a tailors dummy is very useful. I have found that some pieces look stunning on black, the more 'organic' looking pieces I make look better on a raffia dummy and very few actually look good on white (just washes out colour completely) Make 'em sexy by doing things like sticking flowers by them - roses are great red or white; strong colours - pinks look washed out, garters add a stunning look placed next to the 'sexier' pieces. Selling jewellery is not at all the same as selling watches. You have a different market and the overall shot and context is more important than some clean and fancy look (though the site linked here shows great technique). Sell the overall impression - the feeling you want to convey. The piece will sell itself.
( One last point, thought this is entirely my own opinion: E-bay is rubbish for selling Jewellery. If you are serious about this then invest in setting up your own site - create a professional look, by specific shop software, get a trading account and do it properly. If you think what you sell is 'worth it' don't go down the fleabay route - it's for junk and if you take any pride in what you make it will only piss you off to sell it that way )
Good luck
Cheers drivin, have been doing it for 3 months and its now crucial deciding time- to take further and tell Mr taxman, or pack up, have decided to go further, but not with the jewellery part of the business as the main part, so this week I am working on my own site to get it up and running.
Thanks for the advice everyone. Had a go in natural daylight sunshine, again same problem, so will revert to tertius' suggestions
Thanks for the advice everyone. Had a go in natural daylight sunshine, again same problem, so will revert to tertius' suggestions
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