Wedding rings - how do I improve?

[Luna]

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[Rachelsne]

how was it when you focussed on the ring and not the reflection?

 

[Big Mike]

I like the idea, but the DOF seems too shallow...the large jewel (diamond or sapphire?) isn't in focus.

There is an area on the right side that is blown out.

The background is just grey...you could try to make that less bland.

Lastly, there is a halo around the rings. I'm not sure if that's from editing or JPEG compression.

 

[Alpha]

There isn't nearly enough light on the rings. And the gray background is thoroughly unattractive.

 

[Alpha]

You don't need a different background, just more light on the background.

 

[TrickyRic]

Personally I think those reflections are just too distracting. I'd go for a much less reflective background and draw the eye using shadows instead. Of course the rings should be well lit to create a shine, but the reflections just distract me from the real object.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

You should gel your background to make it more appealing, and put more light on the walls around your subject so your strobes cover more area around the room.

Also, the high-pass filter was a bad idea.

 

[Rhys]

When photographing a subject and a reflection, focus on the subject, then the reflection. Then work out the distance between the two points using the lens distance scale. Then check the hyperfocal point, close the aperture accordingly and shoot. Better lighting though would be a good idea.