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The Dark Room -- Photo Editing and Picture Taking. Advice, tutorials, questions on all things photoshop, photo editing, and taking pictures of beads or glass.

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  #1  
Old 2012-09-03, 10:20pm
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Default why can't i take decent photos??

I got my new camera and it's improved my pictures dramatically but I want professional looking photos without having to do a degree!
I spent the afternoon gathering and making the setup from this thread http://lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209243
and was excited by the results others had but, mine SUCK! why do others look like they're bathed in angel light while mine LOOK like they're on crappy tin foil with tracing paper in the dirty window, wtf.



I got a slightly better one when I just extended the paper over the foil, but theres still no light, I want inner light dammit

I can still take better ones outside

I know its the person not the camera but seriously how can it be so hard, I'm only using the macro or auto setting cause thats as much as I know how to use. I need coffee.
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  #2  
Old 2012-09-04, 5:34am
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You need more light reflecting into the front of the bead, plus your camera is adjusting for the light source (do you have it on auto?) so your getting a great photo of your background

I'm not sure what you should do, I use a white light box with fill in flash and love the results, check out the single bhb on my etsy site for how I photograph on a white background (I prefer a dark background though)
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Old 2012-09-04, 4:53pm
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Deb your pictures are fantastic, I like the dark background you have more than the white as well, maybe I will ask this in the other thread where people used the set up successfully. thank you
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  #4  
Old 2012-09-04, 6:31pm
Mike Jordan Mike Jordan is offline
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Kristan, I see your problem... you are in New Zealand. All the instructions and suggestions you have read about on here are the Northern Hemisphere. You need to reverse everything you've read and do it backwards.

Ok, sorry, I couldn't resist.

Does your camera have a flash? Although some will say never use an on-camera flash, there are times when it can be used to advantage when you need more frontal light. Even though I do have studio lights, I use my Canon 480ex most of the time to do the quick shots of my glass so I can post them. I don't shoot straight on though as that will just give reflection and large hot spots. What I do use either a white card and aim the flash at the white card so that the light bounces off of it and onto the glass or I shoot through a small white diffusion panel. Sometimes I'll do both if the glass is round or has a lot of area that is reflecting back at the camera.

If you do have a flash, it's probably not moveable like mine is but you can still shoot through several layers of Kleenex, tissue paper, thin white clot or even a white coffee filter. Anything that will diffuse the light from your flash.

Also, since you say you get better shots outside, why not take advantage of it and take a table out there, drop it with dark blue or brown or some other darker material and then use some white material on a frame (you can make one out of wood, coat hanger or other stiff wire or have someone hold it for you) and put it between your jewelry and the sun. This will diffuse the sunlight just as well as it will light bulbs. You can also use white cardboard and hold them around your jewelry to help reflect light onto it. It helps to have helpers or you can use boards and clamps to help place them.

Don't use metal or foil reflectors if you have any choice. Metal and foil create harsh light and for jewelry you want softer, warmer light.

Although I really don't like them a lot of people do use Halogen work lights. They are very bright, very hot but they do provide a lot of light to work with. You just have to diffuse a lot and watch out for the heat they generate. The energy saving florescent lights are better light but even though they produce plenty of light for human eyes, for a camera they are just to dim unless you create a bank of them in a reflective type box. I've used banks of the long florescent tub type lights before and when you have 6 or 8 of those in a good reflective box, you can create plenty of cool light.

Anyway, keep working at it. The more you learn about light, the better your pictures will be.

Mike
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Old 2012-09-04, 8:25pm
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Hah Mike,
"Kristan, I see your problem... you are in New Zealand. All the instructions and suggestions you have read about on here are the Northern Hemisphere. You need to reverse everything you've read and do it backwards."

I thought you were really on to something there for a moment, made me laugh anyway

Thanks for the advice, I will try the frame with white fabric too for outside, I have some with mosguito net for hanging earrings I can replace, the problem with New Zealand though,( besides everything being backwards and upside down!) is it rains a lot. I will try some more with the flash, i think I have to get some tungsten or flourescent bulbs too because the ones I have throw a very yellow light.
thanks
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Old 2012-09-05, 3:16am
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Oh, yeah *flash* yay. THANK YOU
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  #7  
Old 2012-09-05, 9:05am
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Wow, I'm really surprised by your flash result. Usually flash is really harsh and causes wash out in spots, burn out in others and generally doesn't look good.

Yours looks really a lot better though.

I use the auto function with macro on my camera too and if I shoot on a gray background it does great, but if I shoot on white, it makes the object too dark. The camera's light meter is compensating for the huge amount of light the white background is reflecting. That is why the gray works better, the camera gets a better read on the light situation and can set the exposure accordingly.

If you put your bead on a gray background and pulled your lights a little more forward so they are shooting toward the bead from the front instead of all from the sides and back you would see a dramatic difference even without the flash.

Basically that is what you're doing in your outside photos...your light is from all around and you're on a gray background.

~~Mary
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  #8  
Old 2012-09-05, 10:20am
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I tried the same photo set-up from the link in the other post, but it didn't work for me.

Here's the one I came up with: http://laurabrackenblog.blogspot.com...tructions.html

I think the last photo in your first post is great.
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Old 2012-09-06, 1:47am
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Mary, thanks, I actually just took that shot in my bathroom with one overhead bulb and the flash, I'll still experiment with more lights and definitely try a gray background too.
Laura I love your tutorial, thankyou so much for providing the link, I'm sure I can make a box like yours, I was messing around with plastic milk bottles too but they didn't really work for me.
I really appreciate your gradient printables too, just what I was looking for
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Old 2012-09-06, 4:25pm
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Kristan you should really get Kevan's photography tutorial. It helped me a lot. Especially with editing the photos.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/55371848...earch_type=all


Other than Kevan's tutorial here's what I've been doing this past summer and I've seen a big improvement in my photos.

I also use macro setting and almost always use the auto setting. I take my photos outside on my patio table about an hour or less before sunset. Sometimes I have the sun facing my bead if it's not too harsh. Check for shadows. Set the paper so that part if it is rounded up in the back giving you a back drop. I usually prop this up on my patio table umbrella. I've been experimenting with different papers to lay the beads on. I get them in the scrapbook section at Michaels and Hobby Lobby. One of my favorites lately has been one that looks like a mirror. I really didn't think it would work but I love the effect I get from it. I do have to hold another sheet of paper, usually light grey or white over the top to block out any house or cloud reflections in the mirror.

I try to take the photos on several different backgrounds to see which shows the colors of the bead most true and if they look good on several backgrounds I will post them on Etsy so the buyer can see how they look on dark and light backgrounds.

I bought papers in light and medium gray, reflective black, black, mirror, white, cream. The light gray is what I use the most and seems to be the most flattering to the beads. White is the worst. Because I'm on auto (I guess) the shots on white look too blue in editing and it's hard to get it just right and look natural.

Here's two shots I did using the mirror paper that I was very happy about.
The third one was shot on gray paper.
The fourth one was taken with reflective black paper. All found in scrapbooking.
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  #11  
Old 2012-09-07, 3:33am
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Donna your pictures are inspiring, thank you so much for telling me how you go about getting them.
I am going to get Kevans tutorial now as well, it looks great.
I feel as though I already made a lot of progress this week, (especially considering how frustrated I was getting when I first posted here!) but incorporating the techniques explained here and the gradient and reflective background ideas plus some editing help is going to make an even bigger difference.
Thanks for all the helpful replies
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Old 2012-09-08, 8:29pm
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I'll second Kevan tutorial, is very good
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Old 2012-09-11, 8:59pm
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Oooh, I love the shiny black paper, Donna!
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  #14  
Old 2012-09-17, 4:53am
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Time for an update, I have been making progress thanks to all of your wonderful advice.
I bought Kevans tutorial which is great, and I finally got my A into G today made a lightbox and got the right bulbs set up

I don't have photoshop though and don't want to do a lot of editing, these were taken on a gradient from Laura's link and were just slightly white leveled in Gimp.




Good? I'm pretty happy,I like my outside pics for natural light but love the way this can show such intensity and detail.
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Old 2012-09-17, 4:32pm
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Yep, a much better job. Keep up the trying and practice and reading and you will continue to get better.

Mike
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Old 2012-09-17, 4:41pm
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Much better indeed! I'm building a light box with pvc pipes. Yours looks great.
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Old 2012-09-19, 9:17am
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Massive improvement, those are bead-selling-pictures. Good on ya!

~~Mary
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