http://craftjewelleryphotography.co.uk/

[Lucie]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know anything about this company http://craftjewelleryphotography.co.uk/ ?

They look pretty good and prices are competitive, but there are no company names /customer reviews on their site to verify their work or reputation.

I was just wondering whether anyone has had any experience working with them, or could recommend another jewellery photographer who can photograph pieces on a perfectly clean, white background?

Thanks again. xx

[mizgeorge]

http://www.sheridanphotography.com/#about-sp

is the parent company, and sounds pretty reputable.

Can't recommend anyone, I'm afraid - I do all my own photography. I'd love to be able to afford to get someone else to do it, but I could say the same for pretty much everything except actually making stuff!

[Lucie]

Thanks very much for getting back to me with this. I get all my work via my website & the comment I get over & over again is that my photographs are not up to much

I spent ages taking them all myself using my little Kodak and cutting them out pixel at a time, but even I have to admit, they pale in comparison to those on other sites.
These guys seem to charge £6 per photo, which is about the cheapest I've found, but I know from bitter experience that cheapest isn't always best!

Thanks again for the input

[caroleallen]

That's amazingly cheap. I think I would go for just one product and send something cheap that you could afford to lose, just to try them out. I use a professional photographer and he's usually very good but he's also a wedding photographer and I think sometimes he's a bit rushed.

[Lucie]

Hi Carole,

Thanks for your reply. I have a local wedding photographer who has done some head shots and family portraits for me in the past - he's said he'll have a go (although it's not his usual thing) & I love his work.

My problem is that i've had 3 professional photographers attempt this in the past for me. They've charged me quite a bit & the results have been completely unusable - which is why I ended up trying to do them myself.
I don't want to insult my photographer if it doesn't work out! Think I might be better off trying to find a specialist company, but they are frustratingly hard to find.

The photographs on your website are beautiful by the way

[medusa]

Thanks very much for getting back to me with this. I get all my work via my website & the comment I get over & over again is that my photographs are not up to much

I spent ages taking them all myself using my little Kodak and cutting them out pixel at a time, but even I have to admit, they pale in comparison to those on other sites.
These guys seem to charge £6 per photo, which is about the cheapest I've found, but I know from bitter experience that cheapest isn't always best!

Thanks again for the input

if you photograph on a white background you should be able to just clean up the background with a clone brush or something. TBH, I'm not much of a fan of those floating looking jewellery pictures. They make jewellery look a bit mass produced.

[Lucie]

I guess i'm torn between spending money on a photographer, or a decent camera. To be honest, my husbands new phone takes better pics than the camera I used for my jewellery at the time !!
The only way I could photograph them at all was by giving everything a satin finish & they do look rather odd.

From what i've been told by a few people, the cost of a decent camera and the lenses required is going to be huge.

[Patstone]

I cant comment on buying expensive camera's because I too use a camera phone, and our photo's are on our website, although not perfect, they are acceptable.

[Lucie]

Hi Patstone. Could I have a look at your site please? My photos are giving me a major headache

[mizgeorge]

Lucie, the new camera phones do a pretty good job. Especially if you use a stand for them and some decent lighting.

Have a look at this: http://www.modahaus.com/store/steady-stands/ they do a version for point and shoot cameras as well, and the difference they make is quite significant as they eliminate the shake that causes most problems.

As for the cost of a good camera, it really doesn't have to be huge. You can get some great deals on refurbished or past model cameras. I'm a big fan of the lumix range, and there are some excellent older models available at really good prices.