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I have taken a few photos of my pieces but they look matt and dull in the photos and I can't quite figure out how to capture the almost mirror-like shine the pieces have. Any tips on how I can do this?
Thanks, I'm sure someone has some tips for me. I've tried using black card for a bit of reflection but it still doesn't quite show the shininess of the pieces :(
I am by no means an expert, but it would help to get more specific advice by describing how you take your pix.
For a beginner you might get the best results in daylight, but not in direct sun. Silver looks good on coloured backgrounds, particularly blue. I find black rather sombre, but shiny black is favoured by some. On white you have to increase the exposure by Exposure Compensation, or your silver will look dull.
It also helps to reflect light back onto your silver with white or silver card to bring out the highlights and create a more 3D effect. The link below shows some of my efforts, but I still have some way to go. Dennis.
Dennis,
Your photos look lovely! I wish I could get my photos to look like that. I've been using black card, I might try white card and see how that goes. Thanks!
heh, I find I spend half my time trying to ~avoid~ the mirror shine because it makes it hard to see the detail! Reflections are the bane of my life when photographing stuff!
Why don't you stick an example up and we can see how they look now?
The reason that silver can look dull in photos is all down to a thing called white balance, and exposure compensation.
Basically the camera is overcompensating for highlights etc so it renders the photo darker than it should do.
If you're using an advanced DSLR then do the following:
1. Shoot the image in 'RAW' format. This will allow you to tweek anything you need to once loaded into something like Lightroom / Photoshop.
You will also be able to easily overcome any exposure issues ( brightness ) and you can set your white balance manually according to the light you're working with.
2. As mentioned already, use good lighting. Even a simple 2 x light setup, one light each side of your jewellery and angled at 45 degrees can give decent results. Alternatively, careful positioning in good quality sunlight can also look great. If you're shooting using off camera flash, or studio type lights then its usually best to diffuse the light too in order to cut down on reflections and give a more balanced and softer spread of light.
3. If you're using a compact camera, then switching to 'macro' mode can render the best image for closup shots. Choosing your background / base carefully is also a factor as far as reflections go.
Cheers,
Nick
I have this problem for a while,i'm using light box which u can buy in ebay for less than £10,then try to use picmonkey or other editing apps.Hope will helps a bit.I'm using my s3 phone for taking photo beside my window not direct to sunlight.Attachment 6956
It's all about camera angles in relation to the light source, straight on is not usually the best, I own a whole load of studio equipment, but usually end up using a daylight bulb in a reflector........ CarltonAttachment 7087Quote:
Originally Posted by flowerpecker