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Old 2015-05-30, 3:13pm
Mike Jordan Mike Jordan is offline
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Join Date: Mar 18, 2008
Location: Hillsboro, OR
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If you have your camera on a tripod, you can extend your exposure to compensate for the weak light source. This way you can stop down the aperture to at least f11. You may have to shoot for 10, 15 or even 30 seconds to get a full exposure.

If you have a histogram graph on your camera, this will tell you when your exposure is correct (at least it can get you very close). You want the graph to peak in the middle of the graph.

Something else you can try (and glass like this can really benefit from it) is to put your light tent on a sheet of clear glass or plexiglass and then shine a light up from underneath. If you mask around the beads (use cardboard or thick paper with holes cut out) so that the light only shines through the bead and not around it, it will bring out the design and color of the inside of the bead.

Another thing that would work that I've done in the past is use a flashlight (one of the big Mag Lights that takes 4 D cells or one of the new halogen type flashlights) and paint your bead with light while you are taking the picture. If the light can focus, make it the same size as the bead or create a miniature snoot out of aluminum foil or rolled up paper. Don't hold the light steady but move it around a bit to feather the edges of the light.

In any case, it's hard to beat a decent pair of studio lights or several flashes to create the light you need. For what the kit costs that you bought, you could get a number of small to medium size flashes that would give you a lot more usable light. They do have their learning curve as well though and are not a magic bullet... just a more effective one.

Mike
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