Light Help For Jewelry

[table1349]

Kodak 18% gray card. Cheap and easy to use. Put it in the shot, take a photo and adjust your color in post processing.

As for the settings, Derrel is correct. Smaller aperture will give you a bit more DOF, and slower shutter speed will brighten up the shots. Light is light, you have to understand it and learn how to use it. Especially in situations like this. It's not like you subjects are going anywhere or are going to move on you.

 

[table1349]

The reason that I need new Lighting First, is that I am currently using shop lights that are very yellow. Also because I'm finding pictures too dark I have an additional light that I've been pointing right at the object.

As Derek said, camera can balance to your yellow lights, even if incandescent balance isn't enough. Just increase your exposure time to make the images brighter.

That light you're pointing right at the object is flattening your image so it has little depth. If anything, try bouncing some back with a white piece of paper or something, that will keep it diffused. I can see the shadow that harsh light is making...

Derek?

 

[PhotoRob06]

[QUOTE
Derek?

[/QUOTE]
L and K.. so close on the keyboard... but miles apart in meaning.

 

[table1349]

[QUOTE
Derek?

L and K.. so close on the keyboard... but miles apart in meaning.

Not to Derek, er I mean Derrel. You haven't been down the Derrel misspelling highway.................YET!



Yes, 911, we're gonna need an ambulance here in a few minutes. Could you have them just sort of mosey this way a bit. We'll let you know the condition of the victim once the assault occurs. Thanks.

 

[PhotoRob06]

[QUOTE
Not to Derek, er I mean Derrel. You haven't been down the Derrel misspelling highway.................YET!



Yes, 911, we're gonna need an ambulance here in a few minutes. Could you have them just sort of mosey this way a bit. We'll let you know the condition of the victim once the assault occurs. Thanks. [/QUOTE]

 

[ellenwheels]

Thanks Derrel, I have tried different settings on white balance but to no avail. Of course I have no idea how to lower white balance or check the Kelvin number that you mentioned. And I haven't found a way to do it in the manual yet.

 

[smoke665]

The reason that I need new Lighting First, is that I am currently using shop lights that are very yellow. Also because I'm finding pictures too dark I have an additional light that I've been pointing right at the object. The shop lights themselves are pointing at the side through the lightbox. Once I get more appropriate lights, I will play with the camera settings.

Get two of these Philips 100W Equivalent Daylight (5000K) PAR38 Dimmable LED Flood Light Bulb-435016 - The Home Depot , make sure they are the 5k daylight bulbs and two of these 150-Watt Incandescent Clamp Light-HD-300PDQ - The Home Depot. Use a piece of white foam as a target, make that your first shot in a series, then use the eye dropper tool in LR to click on it and set the white balance, then highlight all your shots in the series. Click on the synch button > white balance. That will set all your images to the same white balance.

If you're doing JPEG's straight out of the camera, with no editing, then set your white balance to 5,000K to start, if they look ok, then you're good to go, if not adjust up or down to suit. Up will cause the image to look warmer, down will cause it to look cooler.

 

[table1349]

How to Use a Gray Card for Custom White Balance and Metering

 

[ellenwheels]

The reason that I need new Lighting First, is that I am currently using shop lights that are very yellow. Also because I'm finding pictures too dark I have an additional light that I've been pointing right at the object. The shop lights themselves are pointing at the side through the lightbox. Once I get more appropriate lights, I will play with the camera settings.

Get two of these Philips 100W Equivalent Daylight (5000K) PAR38 Dimmable LED Flood Light Bulb-435016 - The Home Depot , make sure they are the 5k daylight bulbs and two of these 150-Watt Incandescent Clamp Light-HD-300PDQ - The Home Depot. Use a piece of white foam as a target, make that your first shot in a series, then use the eye dropper tool in LR to click on it and set the white balance, then highlight all your shots in the series. Click on the synch button > white balance. That will set all your images to the same white balance.

If you're doing JPEG's straight out of the camera, with no editing, then set your white balance to 5,000K to start, if they look ok, then you're good to go, if not adjust up or down to suit. Up will cause the image to look warmer, down will cause it to look cooler.

Great. Going to Home Depot this week. The rest of the stuff you said, no idea how to do it but I'll look at the manual once the lights are in place. Maybe there's a you tube video that can help. Thanks.!

 

[smoke665]

The rest of the stuff you said, no idea how to do it but I'll look at the manual once the lights are in place.

What camera brand, and model are you using?

 

[ellenwheels]

What about this one Par38 Led Bulbs Daylight COB Spotlight 5000k Dimmable - 18w 100watt equivalent 25degree CRI93 - E26 Ul-listed and Energy Star - - Amazon.com

 

[ellenwheels]

Nikon D3100

 

[smoke665]

What about this one Par38 Led Bulbs Daylight COB Spotlight 5000k Dimmable - 18w 100watt equivalent 25degree CRI93 - E26 Ul-listed and Energy Star - - Amazon.com

Be aware that LED light output is VERY marginal at best. I never had any luck at all with the cheaper ones. I've used the Phillips in a pinch. This is a sample taken with 2 of the Phillips LED's, and natural light from a window, when I was playing around one day.

If you have the time and flexibility you can also move outside and use natural light. You need to decide what you want your product to look like to a potential customer. Sharp images sell product, bad ones don't. Sometimes cheap costs you sales in the long run. As others have suggested using proper lighting can improve your images. By the time you fork out $60 for lights and reflectors, for another $80 you could get a couple of speedlights ,Yongnuo YN560-IV Speedlite YN-560IV B&H Photo Video that would work well for your application. Depending on your camera connect one with a cable, and set the other to slave, or for another $20 you could buy a couple of cheap wireless triggers.

The other part of the equation that you seem to be overlooking entirely is the need to learn a little bit about lighting. Many others here have suggested some great resources on lighting, so before you go out buying anything, you should really do a little reading.

 

[smoke665]

Nikon D3100

I'm also assuming that you are saving as JPEG images in the camera??? If you are saving as Raw files and processing in something like LR, then leave the WB setting on the camera at automatic and use the card method I posted above to correct in LR. If you're saving as JPEG files, then adjust your white balance in camera for the lights - Adjusting White Balance Settings on a Nikon D3100 - dummies

Disclaimer: no offense intended in the suggested reading, I just find them simpler for those without a lot of knowledge on a subject.

 

[ellenwheels]

That looks pretty great to me. I may try the led wit natural light. But I've never done particularly well with natural light and I like the ability to be able to take photos of my stuff anytime of day or night.