Inexpensive techniques for taking jewelry or craft item photographs

Inexpensive Jewelry Photography Techniques: How to use inexpensive techniques to photograph jewelry, craft, collectible, and online auction items

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Copyright 2007 Jim Juris All Rights Reserved www.InexpensiveJewelryPhotography.com

The material in this ebook may not be shared, sold, or given away. It is strictly for the use of the purchaser.
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a!le o" Contents

Buying a digital camera......................................................................................................1 Becoming familiar with your digital camera......................................................................6 Using a tripod and the camera s self!timer for sharp images............................................." The three different focus mode settings, tips and tricks to avoid blurry images..............1# $hite balance, e%posure compensation settings, and bracketing....................................1" &hoto light bo%es and light tents......................................................................................'( Using various types of backgrounds for your )ewelry or craft item photography...........## Using a water )ug to photograph small )ewelry items......................................................(1 *igital darkroom basics....................................................................................................(6 +dvanced image editing techni,ues.................................................................................-1 &inhole lighting techni,ue................................................................................................-( .inal words.......................................................................................................................-/

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Inexpensive Jewelry photography echni#ues

$ow to use inexpensive techni#ues to photograph %ewelry& cra"t& collecti!le& and online auction items

'uying a digital camera

.or those of you who already own a digital camera and don t intend to buy one in the near future skip this section and begin by reading section two of this ebook. Be sure to come back and read this first section should you ever decide to buy a new digital camera. The easiest type of digital camera to use is a point and shoot camera. These are intended for camera users that want to have instant photos and for people who do not want to deal with steep learning curves when using the camera. These cameras are also the low priced models. + low priced three!mega pi%el camera is fine for printing four!inch by si%!inch photos, emailing photos to your friends, and for posting photos on web sites. 0ameras with four mega pi%els and above have resolutions of '1(2 3 1-#6 or better and they are capable of printing good ,uality eight inch by ten inch prints. &lus a higher resolution camera will allow you to use photo!editing software to enhance your photos without degrading the ,uality of the image. 1

0amera manufacturers reali4e that there is a market for both the easy!to!use digital camera as well as the sophisticated digital camera in every pi%el category. The basic three, four, and five mega pi%el point!and!shoot digital cameras can be found as well as midrange models that have features such as ad)ustable focus modes, various e%posure settings, and different flash mode settings. *on t go out and buy a digital camera )ust because it has a high number of mega pi%els. Believe it or not, the number of mega pi%els that a camera has is not the most important thing to look for when buying a digital camera. The number of mega pi%els is purposely hyped by the camera manufacturers. The ,uality of the camera lens and the shooting performance are much more important than the number of mega pi%els a camera has. 5ome cameras like my old 6icoh two mega pi%el camera have slow shutter lag, which is the time that it takes for the auto focus to lock and for the shutter to snap. 6ecycle time is also very important. This is the amount of time that it takes for the camera to record the image and to be ready to take another photograph. 7y old camera also had an e%tremely slow recycle time but since it was the only digital camera that I ever owned I wasn t aware of this until I purchased a new camera. I bought this camera around 1""", and since then the ,uality of digital cameras has improved significantly. 5low shutter or recycle times on a camera can cause you to miss taking photos that you will wish that you could have captured with your digital camera. I will not be recommending specific makes or models of cameras to buy because by the time you read this ebook there could be a much better camera on the market. 8ere are the steps to purchasing a new digital camera9 1. .igure out what your primary use of the camera will be. .or e%ample, will you be taking photographs of friends and family, sporting events, or )ewelry and crafts: *o you need a light camera for travel: '. *etermine how much money you are willing to spend for a digital camera. ;ou should be able to find a good digital camera for photographing )ewelry for under <#-1. #. =o online and check out reviews of the digital camera that you are considering buying to be sure that the digital camera that you want to purchase will perform the way that you e%pect it to. + couple of websites to check are pcworld.com and pcmag.com. '

(. 6ead reviews for digital cameras in 0onsumer 6eports maga4ine and various photography maga4ines. -. If you should decide to purchase a new digital camera, go to a ma)or camera store in your area. Talk to a sales person about the camera that you are interested in purchasing. =o to a ma)or camera store instead of a regular retail store because you will find the sales people more knowledgeable about cameras in a camera store that a retail store. The sales person in a camera store may be able to suggest a better camera to you for your intended use of the camera. $hile you are in the camera store, you should not )ust look at the cameras in the display case but actually hold the camera in your hands so that you can get the feel of how the camera operates. If there are too many features for your intended use of the camera or if the camera seems too complicated to use, then you should consider buying a different camera. ;ou will be much happier in the long run with a camera that meets your needs as opposed to buying a camera that is too complicated to use or does not do the )ob that you originally had in mind before you purchased the camera. .or e%ample, if you intend to purchase a digital camera for photographing )ewelry or other craft items, the same camera will probably not be your best choice if your primary purpose of buying a digital camera is for photographing sports events. 6. $hen you go to a camera store to check out different digital cameras you should take something like a pair of earrings or a bracelet with you. +sk the salesperson to let you take a photo of the item that you brought with you using several different cameras. Then have a small print made of each photograph and compare the prints. ;ou may want to make the images slightly different by rotating the )ewelry item in the photo a little bit for each of the different cameras that you are testing. >r place a different coin ne%t to the )ewelry item in some of the photos so that you will be able to tell which photo was taken with which camera. ;ou may also want to consider )ust marking each print with the camera name on the back of the print so that you will know which photo belongs to which camera. Try to keep each camera about the same distance from the item that you are photographing and also use the same lighting for each photo. .or e%ample9 if you use the camera flash for one photo, then use it for all of the camera test photos to enable you to make a fair comparison of the photographs. +lso, use the cameras self!timer for each of the test photos to keep the sub)ect of the photo in focus. #

/. ?eep a mental note of how well you liked the way each of the cameras handled when taking the photograph of the )ewelry. The ,uality of the photograph along with how well you felt the camera performed when you took the photograph will be will be ma)or factors in determining which camera you should purchase. 5ome of the other things that you should consider before purchasing a digital camera9 The camera has both manual and macro settings not )ust automatic focus 5i4e of the camera $eight of the camera Type of memory card that the camera uses Type of batteries that the camera uses. *oes the camera use a type of battery such as a ++ si4e battery that is available at many different locations or does it use a type of battery that you can only buy at a camera store and only available when the camera store is open: Battery life and the amount of time that it takes to fully recharge the batteries @0* viewing screen si4e. + 1.- inch viewing screen makes it harder to focus the camera properly when you are taking photographs of small items such as a pair of earrings. + '!inch or '.- inch viewing screen will make it much easier to focus your camera in manual mode when you photograph )ewelry. + '!inch or '.- inch viewing screen is also much nicer for viewing the image after the photograph has been taken. + video cable for plugging the camera into a television 60+ Aack to use when you are taking the photograph and also when you are reviewing your photographs. I will go into greater details about using this cable and a television later in this ebook. 0amera s ability to be used with a tripod. I looked at a slim digital camera and it did not have a way for the camera to be mounted on a tripod. This will make it harder to take )ewelry and small craft item photos that are properly focused if you cannot mount the camera to a tripod. ?nowing more about what to look for when buying a new digital camera will help assure that you are getting the best camera for your intended use.

The photograph shown above is a crown.

'ecoming "amiliar with your digital camera

It is vital for you to take out your camera and the camera owner s manual and sit down and spend some time reading the manual and getting familiar with all of the different settings that there are for your particular camera. ;ou will probably need to spend several hours to read through the whole manual and become familiar with all of the different settings for your particular camera. ;ou would be surprised at the number of people that have never taken the time to do this.

$hen you first look at a camera that you have )ust purchased it will seem very complicated to you. +s you read the owner s manual, practice making the various ad)ustments to the camera by actually holding the camera in your hands and make changes to your camera settings as you read about them. This will help you become familiar with the camera. 6

+s you are making different ad)ustments to your camera, take some photos using various settings to see what the camera does when you change the settings on the camera. ;ou will not be trying to take a great photo at this time, )ust take a photograph of whatever you want. ;ou may want to )ust point the camera at something across the room each time that you take a photograph. Aust try to point it at about the same spot on the other side of the room fore each photograph. ?eep reading the owner s manual and taking photos for each of the settings on your camera and observe the difference in the photos. .or some of these changes you may have to look very carefully to notice a difference. This is the best way to learn how to use your digital camera properly. >ne of the nice things about using a digital camera compared to using a film camera is that you can view and print photos that you have taken immediately after the photograph is taken. Bo more going to a store, dropping off the film, and having to get back to the store an hour later to pick up your photographs. +s you learn about the different settings for your digital camera here are some of the things to pay particular attention to.

The type of batteries re,uired for the camera and how to insert them into the camera properly. If batteries came with your camera when you purchased it, do they need charging first before you can use the camera: +re the batteries commonly available or are they only available at camera stores: This is very important to know for situations when your batteries die and you are traveling, if it is late at night and most stores are closed, or you are away from home and you do not happen to have spare batteries for your camera with you. +re the batteries that came with your camera rechargeable: 8ow long does it take to recharge the batteries once they have lost their power: If your owner s manual does not give you this information, )ust make a mental note of the time that you placed the batteries on charge and the time that the batteries become fully charged. The type of memory card that is re,uired to store the images that you take with your camera and how to install and remove the memory card from your camera properly. 8ow to use the camera s self!timer. 8ow to set the image ,uality mode. 8ow to transfer the images from your camera to your computer. If the camera comes with a video cable, learn how to view the images on your television both when you are taking photographs and when you are viewing /

photographs that you have )ust taken. Using a television to see if your )ewelry or craft ob)ect is properly focused will be much easier on your eyes than trying to look at the viewing screen on your camera. ;ou will also need to check the photo that you have )ust taken to make sure that the photo was properly focused and lit. >f course if you are taking photos away from home you will not be able to do this. 8ow to erase a photo that you do not want to keep. Bot every photograph will be a keeper for you. 8ow to load and install the software that comes with your camera so that you can edit your images. 8ow to plug in and use the power cord for taking photographs with your camera. This is a great way to take photos of )ewelry because you don t have to worry about the camera batteries dying before you have finished taking all of the photographs. 8ow to use the camera flash. @earn about its effective range. ?now how to set the camera s e%posure value CDEF. This is very important and will make a big difference in how your photos will look. 7ost people do not know how to use this and it is probably why most people can not photograph )ewelry properly. 8ow to use the camera s manual and micro settings. ?now what the effective range is for the macro setting.

>nce you have read the camera s owner s manual, keep it handy so that you can refer to it again should it be necessary. Bow that you have done all of the necessary reading and have become familiar with how to use your camera, you are now ready to start taking )ewelry photographs. ;ou will discover that being familiar with your camera before you start shooting photos will make photographing )ewelry much easier. The ,uality of your photos will be much higher compared to someone who has not taken the time to read the owner s manual and become familiar with their camera before they started using it.

Photo light !oxes and light tents

Using a photo light bo% or tent structure offers several advantages for ease of arranging backgrounds, lighting and display of ob)ects you are photographing. Backgrounds can be easily changed using pins or tape. +rrangement of light fi%tures is routine so you have consistency in the way multiple pictures look on your website or in a catalog. 0entering and straightening the items to be photographed is a snap. Using a tent reduces shadows and glare. This section of my ebook talks about how to use photo light bo%es and tents. It also provides instructions for building your own photo light bo% from very ine%pensive materials. + goose neck halogen light is used with both type of bo%es. These lamps can be purchased at superstores for <2 to <'1.

The photograph shown above contains a mi%ture of beads and bead chips that I placed in a 6 inch C1-.'( cmF by / inch C1/./2 cmF plastic container. The elastic bracelet that is shown elsewhere in this ebook is also in this photo. I used the macro setting for this photo. '(

Photo 0ight 'oxes &hoto light bo%es are constructed of many materials. I prefer ones made of foam core board because they allow me to use pins in placing both sub)ect items and backgrounds. If you should decide that you do not want to make your own photo light bo%, you can purchase one from your local camera store or on the internet. Be certain not to purchase a bo% that is too small for the items you will be shooting. ;ou may wish to use props such as a necklace board, and will need room for them. Bever purchase a bo% or tent less than 1( inches C#6cmF cubed. Two advantages of using a large bo% are that you can use a bust or other props and you can take photographs of the )ewelry without being able to see the corners or the edges of the light bo%. &ointing your camera straight at the )ewelry on the bust should work fine, but if your camera is pointed down at the )ewelry you may see the back wall of the light bo% where it meets at the bottom of the bo%. If that is the case, try moving the bust closer to the front of the light bo%. If you still see the back lower edge of the light bo% then arrange your background material to cover the )oint. I have seen several photo light bo%es sold on the internet for several hundred dollars to over a thousand. ;ou can make a bo% for less than <1- to e%actly suit your needs and get great results. &lay around with lamp position placement to see what works best for you. 5ometimes I shine the lamp on the back wall of the light bo% when I take photographs and other times I shine the lamp directly on the )ewelry. >ccasionally I shine the desk lamp on the side of the light bo% and not on the )ewelry. ;ou may need a prop for the base of your goose neck lamp to compensate for a lack of neck length. Instructions "or ma+ing a photo light !ox using "oam core !oard .oam core board is made of two pieces of cardboard with a thin slice of foam sandwiched between them. &urchase board that is at least #L16 inches C-mmF thick. Dven fairly large pieces cost only a few dollars each. ;ou can find them at stores selling art or craft supplies as well as at many superstores. 5ome boards have small faint s,uares printed on one side. Use these lines to help you cut the pieces. The sides with the grid will be the outside of your light bo%. If your pieces do not have a grid, then use a T s,uare, triangle, or similar tool to be certain you are cutting pieces that are rectangular with even sides. 0ut the boards using a bo% knife or utility blade. '-

0ut white foam core boards no smaller than these dimensions9 5ides9 12 inches tall by 1( inches deep C(6cm by #6cmF. Back9 12 inches tall by 16 inches deep C(6cm by (1cmF. The top is made of stiff poster board 16 inches by 12 inches C(1cm by (6cmF or larger. If you make the photo light bo% any smaller, you will probably be able to see the bo% s edges and corners in your photographs. &lus you won t have enough room to move the head of your goose neck lamp inside the bo%. ;ou may prefer to modify this light bo% by cutting out both sides of the bo%, leaving a two inch border all the way around the sides of the bo%, and using straight pins, push pins, or tape to attach a piece of thin white fabric over each opening. The light will shine through the fabric and be diffused when it hits your )ewelry. This will soften shadows. This method involves the use of three light sources as opposed to )ust one. &lace a light source on each side of your photo light bo% and the other light source ne%t to the camera, shining almost directly at your )ewelry or craft item. The ' e%tra lamps should cost you less than <'- total. Backgrounds can be easily changes for your )ewelry photography by placing colored poster board or cloth inside the light bo% at the back. To make the bottom of the photo light bo%, I set the two sidepieces and the back piece of the light bo% on top of a full si4e piece of foam core board with the fine grid facing down. The bottom piece of foam core board doesn t have to be cut to si4e. If you decide to place a top on the light bo%, the easiest way to do this is to purchase a piece of white poster board and )ust lay it on top of your light bo%. ;ou should be able to buy the poster board where you bought the foam board for a dollar or two. The poster board for the top part of the light bo% should be white in color. + photograph of my photo light bo% is shown below. + white piece of fabric is wrapped around a piece of foam core board and it is sitting on a basket which is turned sideways.

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foam core board photo light bo% Before placing a permanent top on your light bo%, cut notches to allow you to place the head of your lamp inside the bo%. 0ut each sidepiece of the photo light bo% so that the notch is placed in the center at the top. The notch should be ( inches C11cmF deep and 6 inches to 2 inches C1-cm J '1cmF wide. This should allow enough room to place the head of the desk lamp into the light bo% and give you some room to move the lamp around inside the light bo%. +ssemble all parts temporarily with pins before deciding on whether you want to place a permanent lid on your light bo%. &lace the lid on the photo light bo% in the correct position. Bow try inserting and removing your desk lamp from the light bo%. ;ou should be able to place the lamp inside the light bo% without any problems. If movement is too restricted, enlarge the notches. '/

The above photograph of an orbital ocean )asper necklace was taken using a light bo%. 7y photo light bo% is temporarily held together with four straight pins. This is not very sturdy but it allows me to take the pieces apart for storage. There are several ine%pensive options for )oining the pieces permanently. *uct tape, use this with the straight pins @ brackets 0abinet door hinges. Cif you use double!folding hinges, you can fold your light bo% for storage.F 0ight tents +n alternative to using a light bo% is to use a light tent. This is a cube!shaped tent made out of white cloth with the front portion of the tent open. 5ome tents have a flap in the '2

top to allow you to place items in the tent without moving your camera and light fi%tures. 7ost tents collapse for easy storage. + light tent differs from a light bo% in that you shine a light from the outside of the tent through the material used to make the tent onto your )ewelry or craft item. This diffuses the light to reduce both shadows and glare. @ight tents re,uire several light sources to properly light the item that you are photographing. 8alogen desk lamps can be used for your light sources. 5ome photographers use ine%pensive can lights for the lights shining through fabric and then a halogen for the direct lighting in front. They can be placed at both sides of the tent, the top, the front of the tent, and even the back wall of the tent. ;ou normally would only shine a light source through the back wall of a light tent for special effects. &lace a light source on both sides of the light tent, shining the light through the tent onto your )ewelry or craft item. &lace the third light source in front of the tent alongside and slightly higher than your camera or tripod. ;ou can vary the amount of light used to illuminate your )ewelry or craft items by moving the light sources closer or farther away from the light tent. Take some photographs of an item and see how well the images appear to you. ?eep ad)usting the position of your light sources until you obtain the desired results. @ight tents come in several si4es and the smallest ones costs around <21 to <1'1 in a camera store. >n line auction sites sell them for <1- and up. *o not buy one smaller that 1( inches C#6cmF cubed. +nother option is to do a search on =oogle for instructions on building a light tent. Use the phrase Hhow to build a light tent.I Tents can be made using white nylon or silk and &E0 pipe. wo ways to +eep your camera level 5ome craft stores sell a small light level you can place directly on top of your camera. The cost is around <(. 7y favorite method is to use weighted threads dangling down from the top of the light bo%. ?not a couple of beads at the end of a length of thread. The beads will give the thread a bit of weight to keep it straight. Then knot the thread onto a pin. 7ake a second one. .asten the pins of each thread about ' inches C-cmF from the front center of the lid of your light bo%. @ooking through the camera s viewfinder or at the @0* viewing screen you should )ust '"

barely be able to see the threads. If not, move the threads closer together. 7ake ad)ustments to the camera or tripod until the thread and the left and right sides of the viewing screen are parallel. .inally, lift up the threads and take your photographs. If you did not make a solid top for your light bo%, you can improvise by using a yardstick. @ay the yardstick across the front of the photo light bo% and fasten the thread to the yardstick. Then follow the instructions shown above.

#rd anniversary =ilpin 0asino commemorative coin

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The above photograph has too much glare from the light source shining on the # pendants. The photograph shown below has very little glare. I used a different techni,ue to eliminate the glare. I redirected the light source so that the light source went up and over the center part of the back wall of my light bo%. I then placed the light source so that the light was shining directly on the back wall of the light bo% instead of shining directly on the )ewelry. I used some white poster board to cover up the front of the light bo%. Two push pins where used to hold the poster board in place by inserting the push pins into the front edge of the sidewalls of the light bo%. ;ou also need a lid for your light bo%. Use another sheet of foam core board with a hole cut in the center of the foam core board large enough to allow the camera lens to point down onto your )ewelry. The lid does not have to be fastened to the light bo%. I recommend using a full si4e piece of foam core board for the lid and )ust place it on top of the light bo%. 7ost of the light will now be trapped inside the light bo% by the lid and the piece of poster board that you placed on the front part of your light bo%. If your camera has a handL finger grip on one side of the camera, then you need to place something under the other side of the camera to keep your camera level. #1

Take your photo using the @0* viewing screen or a cable plugged into your camera and the yellow 60+ )ack on a television. Be sure to also use the camera s self timer.

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Inexpensive techniques for taking jewelry or craft item photographs

Inexpensive Jewelry Photography Techniques: How to use inexpensive techniques to photograph jewelry, craft, collectible, and online auction items

Buy The Complete Version of This Book at Booklocker.com:

http://www.booklocker.com/p/books/3039.html?s=pdf