Need Help With lighting For Watches

[Roomka]

Hello, Im Trying to upgrade my picture quality Because Im currently using a regular light box that i purchased on ebay with a compact fluorescent bulb and The pictures from this light box are not accurate and it takes lots of time to Photoshop it.

 

[tirediron]

You need the Bible! It looks to me like the main issues are white balance (easily corrected in post assuming you shoot raw) and under-exposure; easily corrected by a longer exposure/higher ISO/stronger lights.

Edited to add: Consider shooting in portrait orientation so that you don't wind up cropping part of the band, OR, shoot much closer in on the face.

 

[astroNikon]

check your whitebalance - do you know the K color of the bulbs ?

 

[Roomka]

yeah i believe its 5000-5500, when you say white balance you mean like take the grey card?

 

[tirediron]

You need some method of calibrating your white balance. There are targets, calibration filters, cards, and a host of other tools. Even something as simple as using Lightoom's WB 'eye-dropper' to sample the white background will get you 98% of the way there, but you need to get your exposure dialed in first.

 

[KmH]

Understanding White Balance

Just 1 light ioesn't work very well.
You're not getting enough light on the face of the watch, and to much light on the upper portion of the watch band.

You'll want to light the sides, top, back and front of the light box.

I also get the impression your light box is to small by about half.

Tones & Contrast

• Understanding Histograms, Part 1: Tones & Contrast
• Understanding Histograms, Part 2: Luminosity & Color
• Using the "Levels" Tool in Photoshop
• Using the "Curves" Tool in Photoshop

 

[Roomka]

the problem with exposure/ iso is that the more of it you have the more hot spots you get in the crystal of the watch. in my light box i have a plastic sheet covering the bulb. otherwise the color of the dial will be full off noise and no color.

 

[tirediron]

Read the Bible!

 

[astroNikon]

as all tirediron said above for your WB, exposure etc

I learned alot about white balance taking pictures of my white bathroom bathtub which has a yellowish flourescent and a bluish flourescent as the 2 main light bulbs. It really teaches you alot to experiment and test.

with the grey card you can use your camera to setup white balance measuring it directly. For example, on a Nikon D7000 you can do a custom WB this way Creating Presets for White Balance on a Nikon D7000 - For Dummies

 

[astroNikon]

It took me alot of experimentation to get some "good" pictures (not magazine quality or anything) of a couple of my watches.
But it's all about light, angles, etc. I wasn't using a softbox and I used 2 flashes. But I was happy with the outcome after suggestions and corrections
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/general-gallery/340111-pocket-watch-see-through-skeletal.html

but you have to adjust and practice to get everything correct.

 

[Roomka]

so basically all i need to do is the white balance?, and also once this white balance is setup i wont need to touch it everytime i picture?

 

[KmH]

No, you also need to learn how to make sure your exposure is correct. I posted a link to how to read histograms.
As long as you use lights that have the same color temperature, you can use the same white balance setting.

The shot you posted is at least a full stop under exposed, and you are not lighting the watch effectively.

 

[Roomka]

can you recommend good lights and box so i can practice on that? because the box i have now is small and only has 1 light from the top.

 

[astroNikon]

I think the consensus will be to get at least two speedlight flashes, and not bulb lights

of course this will vary dependent if you use Nikon or Canon or another brand camera, etc.
and what your budget is. And how well your current camera can handle OCF (Off Camera Flash).

I've experimented alot (for a newbie hobbyist) where I also Know I have high intensity like desktop lamps that I can supplement my flashes with that have the same color (lucky me). So there's alot to learn.

As you bump up ISO you will get graininess - varies dependent upon camera make and model. So the lighting is the important part (as they mentioned above). and exposure, etc

All the right answers are above. The problem is you probably don't want to spend $1,000 doing this ... but to do it right you have to know all they mention above, AND have some decent equipment and ingenuity.

 

[Roomka]

Yeah the speedlights are probably the best way to go. And about the box.... would a lasolite tent do the job?