Shot of a Sapphire

[Aceski]

Couple of shots I took of a ring, I like the way the blue in the sapphire came out..
Lemmy know what you think.

 

[ClintBalsam]

The first one is quite nice. The second one is ok. The blue looks good, could even be punched up in photo shop a bit. Rings looks a little under exposed but not much.

 

[Jaemie]

#1: I'd crop a bit and remove the pink, which for me isn't working to complement the blue gem. Also, the focus on the sapphire could be sharper, imo.

#2: I think the ring is too small and lost in a sea of pink

How about this?



Ideally, I think I'd re-shoot the ring on a neutral surface.

 

[ClintBalsam]

I'd leave some of thing pink, not full black and white.

 

[Frequency]

Even though the ring looks much tiny in the second, i think the effect of depth of field works well in the second more; my vote is for this...

 

[DigitalDave]

I do like the first one, although the previous poster does have a point that it could perhaps be seen as being 'lost in a sea of pink'. Although I think if you had added a bit more direct lighting onto the ring it would have made it stand out more. I would have perhaps liked the shot closer, but that's just a subjective point on my part.

The second one is actually quite nice composition wise, as it follows the rule of thirds. You wouldn't be able to use it as the main feature of an ad for product photography, but it would be a nice compliment to a set of shots.

 

[Tony S]

I think another light source coming in on the stone would really help. The stone itself seems "flat" with no edges on the facets on the left side visible, another light source would help bring those out. Gems should be all sparkly and reflective, not flat.

I'm betting Bitter might have some suggestions when he gets to this.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

If you are trying for a product shot, you really want to avoid busy backgrounds. The color is to intense, and over powers your subject. Also it has a pattern that competes for attention. The hardest thing is shooting reflective surfaces. See how much the background reflects in and basically camouflages the gold. That's not good.

It's also time to have your ring cleaned. The stone has lost some life from a film of soap and hand lotion on the pavilion, or belly, of the stone.

Fill the frame with the subject so it commands attention.

Nice first try. But keep trying!

 

[Aceski]

Thank you everybody for your comments!

These shots are actually of my fiance's engagement ring.. which I gave to her nearly a year and a half ago. I meant to take some pictures at the time but it became a bit of a shelved project due to lack of any useful lighting here. I recently grabbed a florescent lamp for miniature painting that I figured could finally give me a chance at a decent shot of the ring.

I do agree with everybody that the second shot does have a bit of a 'lost' feel due to the pink and busy background, although I felt the deep blue of the stone made it still quite noticeable and attractive anyway.

I took the shots with a macro lens which is technically the best lens I own.. sometimes I struggle with its ability to take almost too detailed images.. The ring was polished earlier in the day but it did not take long for it get a bit scuffed.. and the lens doesn't miss anything..

I never thought of a second light, but now it makes a lot of sense!

Bitter, your advice is top notch and your samples are wonderful. If I ever have the need for product shots I know where to look hehe.

Thanks again,

 

[Frequency]

Bitter is a Goldsmith for Gods' and he is on a leisure tour on our Earth

 

[jake337]

Some links...

Jewelry photography tips - how to take pictures of jewelry. <~~~Do not click this link, there is not a single tidbit of useful information in it!



http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

You may want to focus on these parts in particular.

Strobist: Lighting 102: Unit 2.1 - Apparent Light Size

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2007/07/lighting-102-unit-22-specular-highlight.html


http://strobist.blogspot.com/2007/07/lighting-102-22-specular-discussion.html

I used a similar setup as the link above with this rice shot.

​

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Some links...

Jewelry photography tips - how to take pictures of jewelry

This link gives great advice for taking flat, lifeless images of jewelery.

 

[Tony S]

These shots are actually of my fiance's engagement ring.. which I gave to her nearly a year and a half ago

...OK, a year and a half now? ... time to pull the trigger and make her an honest woman. lol

 

[Jaemie]

Some links...

Jewelry photography tips - how to take pictures of jewelry

This link gives great advice for taking flat, lifeless images of jewelery.

I looked. You're correct. It's basically an ad for some gizmo, and the sample photos are remarkably awful in a number of ways.

 

[jake337]

Some links...Jewelry photography tips - how to take pictures of jewelry

This link gives great advice for taking flat, lifeless images of jewelery.

I looked. You're correct. It's basically an ad for some gizmo, and the sample photos are remarkably awful in a number of ways.

Sorry I guess that link didn't have one single price of good information in it, lol. If one used the information learned from the strobist links and applied thar knowledge to be used with that "gizmo" I'm sure you could create some nice images. Kinda like a Gary fong diffuser........