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Creating stunning photographs of pins and brooches can be more simple than most people realize. By following these simple steps, you can take great shots of your jewelry collection and spend very little time doing it.
(Click on any image below for an enlarged view.) |
Topics Covered:
- Using fabric remnants for backgrounds
- Using display forms as props
- Lighting to enhance the color of the subject
- Controlling the brightness of the background
Equipment Used:
You can click on the blue links below for more info.
Set / Backround
- A home made shooting table
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For this lesson, we chose some sheer white fabric remnants to serve as our background. We felt that the brooch we were shooting needed a little something to help set it off and make the photograph more interesting.
First, we spread out the fabric on the shooting table, then pushed and pulled it to create a flowing, wave-like texture. Once we were happy with the look of the fabric, we placed our brooch on a display that is designed for earrings, but works great for pins as well. We then placed the display on our fabric.
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Next, we mounted the camera to the tripod and set the camera approximately 9 inches from the brooch, matching the angle of the camera to the angle of the brooch (figure 1).
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 Figure 1 |
 Figure 2 |
Next, we set the Starlite Basic Digital Kit up and positioned it in close to the left of the camera. We angled the soft box to roughly 45 degrees relative to the subject, and approximately one foot away from the brooch.
To control the light spill onto the background, we turned the light to the right (toward the camera) and off of the fabric behind the brooch. We then turned the brooch to face into the soft box in order to pick up the color better (figure 2).
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Next, we decided to bounce some of the light from the soft box into the shadow side of the brooch. Here, we used the white side of the White/Soft Gold LiteDisc reflector clipped to a Litedisc Holder and placed it directly behind the camera.
This subtle fill will bounce some light into the metal surfaces of the brooch and reduce the overall contrast of the image (figure 3).
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 Figure 3 |
 Figure 4 |
As you can see from the result, the LiteDisc added a nice highlight to the legs and further enhanced the overall color of the brooch (figure 4).
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Next, we decided to add a second LiteDisc reflector to further reduce the contrast and add more separation between the subject and the background.
This time, however, we used the silver side of a Black/Silver LiteDisc. To keep it in position, we clipped a spring clamp to the LiteDisc, placed it 90 degrees to the right of the subject, and rested it on the shooting table (figure 5).
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 Figure 5 |
 Figure 6 |
As you can see from our final result, this second LiteDisc adds a bright highlight all the way from the top to the bottom of the brooch and separates the subject nicely from the background. |
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And that's all there is to it. As you can see, creating professional-looking shots of your reflective jewelry can be quick and painless!
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Equipment Used:
You can click on the blue links below for more info.
Recommended Links
- To learn more about Photoflex equipment, go to www.photoflex.com
- For more detailed digital photography lessons, visit
www.webphotoschool.com
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