Tribe.net. Local Connections ANI http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#2b8a849b-0d8a-4cb1-93a6-18bdc90a8f6c 2007-07-30T03:05:56Z 2007-07-30T03:05:56Z

my canon digital ixus is amazing... which digital are you using? usually i photograph my creations on rustic colorful surfaces in late afternoon sunshine, indoors.. use propslike crystals and old school pocketwatches.. use the afternoon daylight and just play around. take many pictures and see what you like . you can check my photo page there is a few shots that i came out great i think! good luck

ANI 2007-07-30T03:05:56Z Iansane http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#f7931543-b754-4b5c-8f04-e56865a31817 2007-07-18T05:51:07Z 2007-07-18T05:51:07Z

I put a couple of layers of white paper over my camera's flash. This seems to work well enough. I got a Rite Aid one time use digital camera for $15 and made a few modifications. Now it only works well for photographing jewelry, but thats all I wanted it for anyway. <img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/220/489482627_bc13606eb3.jpg?v=0">

Iansane 2007-07-18T05:51:07Z eyefleye http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#bf9e9240-c8ca-4b87-94c2-46116957ac92 2007-07-18T01:35:30Z 2007-07-18T01:35:30Z

I don't have much to add, other than the photography light box, which I have yet to invest in one myself. I have to say though, i'm inspired by the ingenuity others come forth with & may try some of those ideas myself! So thank, all, for sharing. Peace & Love, ~eyefleye~

eyefleye 2007-07-18T01:35:30Z Mike http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#0675ccb8-58c1-4663-b10b-9284f1fe60a9 2007-07-17T03:02:40Z 2007-07-17T03:02:40Z

The best luck I have had with my art as far as photgraphing it has been with an SLR camera Get a 210 zoom and a set of macro lenses....This allows you to get to within 4 feet of the item you are taking the picture of....Without the macro lenses, your minum distance is about 8 feet. With a 210 zoom you can get very upclose and detailed pictures.....The part that stinks is getting the film developed then scanning it or having it scaned to a disk so you can load it on the computer. Ive tried to get away with useing a digital and you just cant get the things to focus right that close up.....You can see plenty of examples in my pictures if you are intrested. Almost everything there is either scanned on a scanner, or shot with a digital camera....The exception being the pictures I took of the Spider and Butterfly. Those are taken with the 210 zoom and macro lense or filter.....Good luck with your pictures....If you do use the digital camera Idea....take everything outside in the natural sunlight youll get a little better picture....Or at least thats what Ive had to do with my Cannon powershot 310.

Mike 2007-07-17T03:02:40Z Denise http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#015e6376-d8e0-44e8-8eae-582bff7ad4bf 2007-06-22T02:11:13Z 2007-06-22T02:11:13Z

Greetings All: Here is another idea, I was working for a Bead Store and we used to take our sample pieces and put them on top of a scanner bed and placed a cake pan over the top. On the inside of the cake pan place the color of paper you would like for the background. 9 out of 10 time it worked beautifully. Besides you can get a great shot of a necklace on the scanner, and the details are really good also. This is if you have a scanner or can get access to one. Just a thought...

Denise 2007-06-22T02:11:13Z Denise http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#031d15c5-d17d-4b43-9a70-5acfd6f330b0 2007-06-22T02:01:26Z 2007-06-22T02:01:26Z

These are all great ideas that everyone has shared. Stephen, your belt buckles are awesome, and the ice in the birdbath just sets them off! great Job.

Denise 2007-06-22T02:01:26Z Stephen http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#dda66a94-6a46-48e3-b1b7-2100b55cf343 2007-06-19T06:46:02Z 2007-06-19T06:46:02Z

Good shots Pamela, and using natural objects,stones ,bones,driftwood etc. enhances the soul of your pieces... deviantart.com is a good portfolio venue,I'm on there too.

Stephen 2007-06-19T06:46:02Z Indiefunk http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#484669e2-b320-4f9e-963e-107251e9006c 2007-06-18T23:03:20Z 2007-06-18T23:03:20Z

Wow Pamela - your stuff is great and the photos are terrific. What special tips do you have on doing the photography? (And I love your set decorations!)

Indiefunk 2007-06-18T23:03:20Z Pamela http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#dd7c66d7-424a-4ffe-ba56-75ae809fbbe8 2007-06-18T14:00:58Z 2007-06-18T14:00:58Z

this is my home made set up http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/14021199/ I do tweak the brightness and contrast a tad after the shot in photoshop If you would like to see a full gallery of shots here it is http://pj925.deviantart.com/gallery/ any questions I'll be glad to answer it was quite a trial and error to figure out what worked the best definitely learn to set your white balance photographing jewelry is one of the HARDEST things to do

Pamela 2007-06-18T14:00:58Z Simone http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#c973bd04-01eb-4573-823c-78a5a0bd2122 2007-06-17T09:23:36Z 2007-06-17T09:23:36Z

Wow! The Ice was a fantastic idea. I have not personally used the white bowl trick, but an old house mate, Pua Jewelry, used the white opaque bowl method in natural sunlight. I wondered what the heck she was doing until I saw the amazingly clear shots. Good luck with you pics. I'd love to see your work. -Simone

Simone 2007-06-17T09:23:36Z Indiefunk http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#9d14aa8d-69d0-4de8-b40d-52c9ddb93f55 2007-06-15T18:38:17Z 2007-06-15T18:38:17Z

Thanks! And the belt buckles (both pictures & product) are gorgeous.

Indiefunk 2007-06-15T18:38:17Z Stephen http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#0c94092e-a390-4397-8130-d7088dde637a 2007-06-15T02:53:32Z 2007-06-15T02:53:32Z

Kurt's idea was brilliant and reinforces the paradigm,there are no rules,or rather,there are always exceptions to the rule. Here's a few that are merely guides,your individual piece ,it's shape, color ,texture etc.will designate how it needs to be treated. 1. Start with NATURAL light. Kurt just proved an excellent exception to this rule,but for most work ,natural light usually shows the colors more true. I often shoot at sunset but foggy days are good for true color. 2, Use a background that does not compete. Usually a homogeneous background is the best, but sometimes you can find one that COMPLIMENTS and isn't homogeneous at all. 3. Find the most interesting angle. As Kurt stated sometimes the straight on shot is dull or boring. Showing the piece as it's intended to be worn is often better for showing it's scale and dimension. And for something completely different,here's a spontaneous shot of some belt buckles I made that I draped over ice in a birdbath on my deck...http://images.tribe.net/tribe/upload/photo/07f/0b3/07f0b336-19bd-4a05-b15b-7a155742557d

Stephen 2007-06-15T02:53:32Z Kurt http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#9b66ae33-58e8-45ee-a31d-695feb76745d 2007-06-12T00:22:37Z 2007-06-12T00:22:37Z

Hi, Indyfunk: I'm happy to help out with something like this - it seems good to share something so simple. Forgot to mention that the bowl serves dual functions: light diffuser and tripod as well. Have found varying results with partial dark under the bowl (draped my dark cloth around part of the bowl) and using the camera's automatic light readings to drive the exposures. I've also needed to adjust the height of the bowl for some things. For example, it can be hard to shoot all of a necklace if you're working at a 1" focal length. I've supported the bowl with scrap blocks of wood when I needed to back the camera away from the subject. Furthermore, you may find it is better to have your subject not lay flat; you may get a more realistic drape on a necklace, for example, if you tilt the entire apparatus somewhat off of horizontal. I had a little trouble cutting a circular hole with a pocket knife, even though I marked out the area I wanted cut away. If I had to do it again, I'd drill it out with the right size of Forstner bit, circle cutter or fly cutter and a drill press. Once I carved away the plastic, I heated the edges of the hole with the flame from a Bic lighter, in order to make the edge smoother. Hope it works for you!

Kurt 2007-06-12T00:22:37Z Indiefunk http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#9d45e463-71d5-430d-850f-84ad06b14128 2007-06-11T17:16:27Z 2007-06-11T17:16:27Z

Thanks Kurt! That is brilliant and absolutely something I never would have thought of. I will let you know how it works. Good luck with the opals. =:0)

Indiefunk 2007-06-11T17:16:27Z Kurt http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#ab7d7062-0238-4cac-be84-597560e9c019 2007-06-09T01:10:18Z 2007-06-09T01:10:18Z

I went to Target and bought a translucent white plastic bowl about 12" across - actually got a set of 4 nesting bowls, with lids - for about $5. I cut a hole in the bottom of the largest bowl and set it upside down over the jewelry, then let the digital camera shoot through the hole I'd made in the bowl. I use the camera's "Self Timer" feature, so that I can launch a shot and let go, then it will stop vibrating before the shutter opens. Biggest problem is in shooting pix of opals. I'm trying a string of white xmas lights hot-glued to the outside of the bowl. I put the lights inside the bowl, but there wasn't enough light diffusion. Expirement with different light sources (flash/no flash, sunlight diffusing through the bowl, etc), backdrops and camera settings until you find what works. Black velvet isn't always the best backdrop, sometimes you need different colors of paper. Let us know about your successes! Kurt

Kurt 2007-06-09T01:10:18Z Indiefunk http://JewelryArtists.tribe.net/thread/11ed11af-57c0-4da6-b161-5da1b7f5041d#d2e24b4f-cf78-418f-b4fe-a1616a9364e6 2007-06-09T00:44:07Z 2007-06-09T00:44:07Z

Hi all, I do a variety of different types of jewelry using vintage beads, semi-precious stones, wire-work, PMC, etc. I am not only cheap - I also work for a non-profit so I have little disposable income. =:0) But I do sell my jewelry at shows & fairs & exhibitions. I need some advice on how best to photograph it, without a pro photog, so I can post it online. I'd like to do a simple website and I have help for that part of the process - web design. Now I need help/advice about the photography bit. I do have a digital camera but I need ideas on what to use for lighting and how best to frame the shots so the details in the work are clear. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks

Indiefunk 2007-06-09T00:44:07Z