 Neelam Mughal |
How to Catch the Sparkle in Jewelry? I've recently been given a great opportunity to work with a great magazine! But first I have to prove myself. One of my tasks is to produce great photos of jewelry (highly sparkling pieces). I'm completely confused on how to catch the sparkle in my pieces. I've lit my piece with a softbox above and used a white reflector on the other side, but should I use flash or not? My soft box is fitted over a flash head that fires. But my photos look dull, and the pieces look much more sparkly in real life! I've tried no-flash, but although the gems look colourful, the black background and the metals look dull. PLEASE HELP! Sophie
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Bob Cammarata |
Light is most reflective off a shiny surface when it comes from directly behind you ... shining on the object from the same direction your lens is pointing. I would suggest a small-product/type setup, tungsten film with incandescent lighting ... two light sources hitting the object at 45 degree angles. This will provide the primary illumination. The background should be black felt ... or anything else that will "gobble up" stray light and won't leave hot spots. To create the "sparkle": Shine a small high-powered flashlight on a reflective part of the jewelry. Hold the flashlight under the lens - just out of frame and shine it in the same direction your lens is pointing.
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Derek Holyhead |
Hi, Maybe you could use a filter? Cokin makes a Star filter that may give a good effect on Gems. Look here: http://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/pp/Camera_Accessories/Cokin_Filters/Cokin_A057_star_4_filter.html I may be completely off the mark here, or of my head, but I hope this helps. Regards, Del
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Neelam Mughal |
Hey thanks, guys! You've really helped ... I'll get cracking tonight. Del, your filter idea is great, but after speaking with the editors I realized that the star filters would make the jewelry look too fake, so it's more the natural "bling" they're looking for. Although I do use the filter in my fashion shots and it picks up great!
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Bob Cammarata |
Those filters need a bright point of light to get the starburst effect, and they do tend to look a little fake sometimes. You can get a similar effect by stopping down your lens to a small aperture (like f-22). The starburst effect you will get off the highlight will be subtle and look more natural.
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Karma Wilson |
I've found this whole thread fascinating! Thanks everyone!
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Sreedevi Kashi |
I find using small mirrors to shine light selectively onto the jewelry to be very effective. You can find all kinds of cheap small mirrors at the 99 cents store even in the cosmetics section. Using compacts - powder, eyeshadow, etc.- is perfect because you can stand the mirror up really easily and have it angled however you want it, and if you get different kinds, you'll get different sizes of mirrors. Also, if you get only one with a bigger mirror, you can just use black tape to flag off the areas where you don't want it to reflect. Another reason this method is helpful is because you can keep your "reflector" close to your object and have it aimed at the exact spot where you want your shimmer without having to worry about much else being affected by the reflection nor do you have to worry about your reflector getting in the way of the shot.
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Lorraine Jones |
Hi, Neelam. You probably have found a solution to this already but I thought I'd pitch in. I was doing research on product photography (got hired for a product shoot beginning of December and still doing it for the same client!) and came across an online merchant that specializes in tabletop photography (got my photo box and two-light set from them). In the process I learned about jewelry photography. They have a light that they call "sparkler light" (Sparkler light is ideal for use as a third light for jewelry photography). The 15W low wattage bulb is perfect for adding sparkle without creating glare) specifically for jewelries. Check them out at http://www.tabletopstudio.com. They are great. They also offer tips on how to do this kind of photography.
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Judy D. Zedalis |
I found this excellent resource specifically for enhancing jewelry photography. I think it answers your question perfectly. http://www.tabletopstudio.com/documents/jewelry_photography.htm
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LoveTheNature.com - VISHVAJIT JUIKAR Contact VISHVAJIT JUIKAR VISHVAJIT JUIKAR's Gallery |
Hi All Thanks for such a great ideas. this is really helpful and valuable to have a such information Thanks and happy clicking
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William Koplitz |
I went a little further and had a mirror cut into 40 4x5" pieces and I use them in concert to add sparkle. I don't use a soft box but bounce a hot light/s off the ceiling or different parts of the room - esentially making my room the soft box. I also use pieces of reflective board in gold and silver foil and pieces of tin foil smushed and flattened to give me different kinds of textures. If you are photograhing silver it has to look like silver and not pewter nor can it show the darkened parts of your studio. Large white cards are useful here. You can buy jewelry cove arrangements for photographing small shiney objects but I found I have more control if I use the room as my cove.
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Alison Russell |
One of the best resources I know of for photographing jewelry is a jewelry website, rather than a photography website. Try searching under "photography" at www.ganoksin.com and you will find several articles. Also, if you Google "Jewelry Photographers" you will turn up websites for people who shoot jewelry on a regular basis. Having a good idea of what things ought to look like can be a big help in figuring out what you need to do.
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Roy Blinston |
The torch or extra light source above will work. If all else fails, why not add the "sparkles" manually in Photoshop using a Star Brush (set to desired size in white) and add twinkles wherever you want?
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William Koplitz |
It's pretty tough to add sparkles to original camera film with photoshop and if anyone goes in to add sparkles later it needs to be the art director, it's not usually the photographer.
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Pete H |
Hello Neelam; Just to add a little more... Professionals use "snoots" to focus the light. Basically just a way to pinpoint a light beam from your strobe. Also; light tables "rock" when shooting rocks. :) Pure color balanced light is the key, and selectivly focused.
Pete
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Roy Blinston |
Per above... I am also an art director (designer) and have some freedom to add "sparkles" in Photoshop wherever necessary or to lift the image. Working/editing other people's photos is common in the industry and catch-lights sometimes have to be added using the same method. A light table will also work wonders with careful set-up, but will create a white background (not velvet black per previous). "Snoot" lighting will also add some twinkle. Small aperture (f22 ?). My new Canon flash has a pop-up card for catch-lights only (not illumination in the normal sense as the head is pointed directly upwards). Saves doing it in Photoshop.
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kathleenkparkerphotography.com - Kathleen K. Parker Contact Kathleen K. Parker Kathleen K. Parker's Gallery |
I have a related question - about shooting antique jewelry. I have a few rhinestone necklaces that are probably 100+ years old. The sparkle is rather gone due to years of accumulation of dust and so forth. Does anyone know how to clean pieces like this and then photograph them using some of the above techinques? Also, I need to do this on a budget. The comments above are great ideas, and I will try some to see how I can improve the appearance of these pieces. Thanks!
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Roy Blinston |
A simple and inexpensive way to clean jewellery and gold etc is to place all your pieces in a small saucepan with a small amount of water, and add a few squirts of dishwashing liquid and let simmer/boil on stove for about 15 to 20 minutes. It really does bring them up like new.
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