Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2005 10:56 am Posts: 6461 Location: The frozen north prairie :-/
Hello all you photo-wizards .
I'd like to shoot photos of my wire-wrapped cabochons to put up on the Marketplace in hopes of making a few sales. Unfortunately, when I take pictures I end up with reflections of my couch, the lovely framed-artwork on the wall, and my camera lens . I've seen photos of cabochons for sale that don't have these reflections. Other than a can of hairspray, is there a way to eliminate or greatly reduce these reflections? Help!!
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Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:19 pm Posts: 590 Location: Las Vegas, NV
I put mine flat on a neutral background and surround with a 4 sided folding thing made of white cardboard, about 6 inches tall. Set the camera above all that and sometimes use different diffusers- tracing paper, t-shirt, cardboard with hole cut in it.. Helps cut down reflections and put light on the stone. But, most times I just put the cab down, , put the box around it, pull the light close and shoot away.
Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2006 9:44 pm Posts: 1079 Location: Washington State
Barbra Voltaire wrote:
In what way would you use a salad cup?
I sometimes use a small plain paper drinking cup. I cut the bottom end off and friction fit the cup into a ring light, (fiber optic or led), and then shoot through the cup. This gets the light very close to the lens and diffuses it nicely. Since I'm using an inexpensive Nikon point and shoot camera I need to get close to the stone. This allows me to get close and still have adequate lighting.
Barbara the key to cutting reflections is to use a diffuser dome or cloud dome. You can buy these things in all sorts of different varieties. They're not expensive. Google 'cloud dome" or "diffuser dome". For that matter also google "gem photography" and "jewelry photography". There's lots of stuff up there on youtube. That will give you plenty of background info.
My own cloud dome consists of a white plastic ice cream bucket, you know, standard 5 gallon white plastic pail. Sometimes I'll set it over what I want to photograph upright but upside down, and photograph through a hole cut in the side of the pail or sometimes in the top. There's a commercial version which is almost the same thing, white plastic bowl rather than pail, which is put open end down over the object to be photographed and has a hole in its "bottom" plus a fitting that holds the camera there such that you're photographing pretty much vertically downward. A friend of mine uses three vertical "walls" of white foamcore taped together with white duct tape into an open "U" and with a white plastic garbage bag draped over the top. That's an admirably flexible configuration; you can photograph from the front of the "U" or from the top and it folds down flat for storage.
Two or three halogen lights on goosenecks or tripods yield adjustable positionable lighting. Using a tripod and the self timer will eliminate camera shake. Macro can often be useful but sometimes will show more detail than you want. For cabs in general and particularly cabs with complex shapes I try to arrange one spotlight in addition to the overall diffuse lighting such that its reflections will highlight the shape and the angles of the stone. Also the spot yields a bright reflection that gives the stone sparkle and life.
That's fairly elementary stuff; like I said check google and youtube.
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2005 10:56 am Posts: 6461 Location: The frozen north prairie :-/
OMGosh!! That's brilliant!
Okay ... what fast-food joint uses that type of package ? I'm sure one of them in my area must.
What type of lighting did you use, Hans? I have two 5500K daylight-equivalent bulbs, as well as two Tungsten lights. I imagine I should be able to light up the inside of a foam container with those, don't you think ?
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Barbara I think any deli or grocery store that packs stuff for take out should be a good candidate for styrofoam boxes; barring that get one of those little rectangular plastic tote bins from walmart or somewhere. I used 3 50 watt halogens, one on each side at about 2 foot distance shining down on the box at about 45 degrees and one same distance about, vertically over top.
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2005 10:56 am Posts: 6461 Location: The frozen north prairie :-/
I hope to be able to get out of the house in the next day or two. I'm afraid the snow is coming down rather heavy right now .
A couple of the stores in my area have salad bars. They might still use the Styrofoam boxes. I'll be sure to post photos as soon as I can get a set-up together.
Thanks, again, Hans!
_________________ IIJA Registered Gemologist GIA Graduate Gemologist
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