*who said i had big feet?

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Saint James, I like the coot...that is what we call them.  Kort, I would post a katydid who didn't make it, with spider but that is already up somewhere else. Neat shots.

Here are two simple bracelets, part of stock items we put together each year for the "Dogwood Arts Festival" in a larger city not far from here.  The fesvival goes on each year, blooms on time from the dogwood trees or not.  We do tie tacks, pendants, earrrings and now are trying these cuff bracelets.

This is simple jewelry and a simple photo...studio lighting at work is a piece of tissue over a flourescent desk lamp.   The top on is sterling silver with a gold center in the blossom. The lower one is 14k(585)  yellow cuff part with rose (pink gold) blossom, yellow center, green gold leaves.  We put together the gold alloys here in the shop.  Green gold has more silver added and rose gold has more copper.  All are mixed by weight and the karat stays the same with the same weight of pure gold in the mix.  So, there is it.

You can sure tell I haven't been out shooting images lately..posting this stuff.

This is a very quickly edited gold ring with a "Tennessee Pearl".   The pearls got the name from being found many years ago in the Tennessee River, back when the mussels had the right environment to survive and grow large with thick shells. The pearls are natural. These also come from the Missouri River and the Arkansas River.    Similar fresh water pearls are cultivated all the time in China, Japan and in some parts of the US..cultured freshwater pearls.

Some folks love them..some can't stand the totally baroque look of the natural pearls.   So, that is it for this one.

Great job with the jewelry, Tom. I learned the hard way...it's very difficult!!!

The original shot of this, taken with the cam at arm's length, was difficult enough to get... ( I was lucky enough to get my mouth in focus, lol )...but the ring always came out looking awful! So, I had to take multiple shots of it alone and then composite the diamond in... Plus, I had to tweak certain things to bring out the colors and clarity, etc.   ( And yes, I obviously added a sparkle or two, but I felt that was okay, in light of the surrealistic look of the pic overall... )

Interestingly enough, just as I was finishing this, a visitor from London, who works for a fashion magazine, told me that magazines hire people specifically for jewelry shots, especially diamonds. That's how specialized an 'art'  it is. Personally,  I had no idea how difficult it would be...until I took it on myself...Great job with that first image.

And LOL, while you also did wonderfully with the second one, I can't help but think it looks like a pearly white...molar, lol. ;^)

Marlene, composite layered renders are a way of life with photos of jewelry with gemstones. What makes the metal look right without many dark reflections also deadens the life of gemstones. The best advertising shots you see are most certainly made of several shots with different lighting for the components.  I like the surreal thought of your shot.      Tom.

Marlene, as a side note, shots like these I posted are taken at work mostly as a record of  designs and to have an image to show a customer if needbe.  I really spend little time fussing with the shots since this is taking time away from my real work there and it does not get done while I am shooting pictures.   I do these "shots for record" just well enough to be presentable to a customer and to show the idea of the item.   No time for layers, etc.

If a shot is needed for website or ads, then of course more time is taken with lighting, etc., and postwork to get better than what is shown.    Gottta run..work is calling right now..but it is Friday!

*he flies like a bird...

*

nice lighting on the jewels ... (st)

Nice work Tom, I never thought of it before but since Marlene mentioned it that pearl does kinda look like a tooth!

Good shot of the paraglider(?) James, just wondering how high up he was?

not that high he was just coming in to land .....

*just a few sticks.....

*

Some interesting stuff showing up here.. This one is pretty much untouched only resized sharpened and a tiny bit of saturation... I like it and I dont think what I like is the light and that's about it otherwise a boring scene? :unsure:

yeh i like it too...

Not boring at all Kai.
The mist / wave action on the left side shows one of the sources of life for the trees / shrubs in the center.

Short Ribs..I like it. By keeping those trees the pov, it shows stength and endurance in them. Perhaps the trees do not stuggle at all but the image tells me different, all from the pov.  

James, the "glider" shot is a neat one...wonderful color working well in this shot.

As for the the jewelry stuff, tomorrow if time and local resources permit, I will take some down and dirty shots as an intro of how the pros do it for such difficult images with troublesome gemstones compteing with the metal for the image light.  Layers, all that stuff. If this works, I will post a new thread..if not, it will not be showing up anywhere.

Yikes, late here. Time to hit the sack and be hit with cats who believe I am the place to take a nap at night.  Sure, a nap for them..my only sleep.  That is fine with me.        Tom.

That's not a bad shot at all Kai, but just playing around a little... I think I would maybe crop it a little tighter and maybe boost the contrast, or something, on the trees a liitle to make them stand out a bit more.

This is the bike ridden by 'Nitro' Nori Haga in the 2004 World Superbike Championship

lifes but a shadow.....

I have been so disgruntled lately..not a gallery worthy image from me in a while and that is getting to me.  So, what to do..wander around the yard and take pics of tree bark.

These grow close together...well, not this close.

Pine(maybe loblolly), wild cherry, sassafras, yellow poplar.  That is the make up of my woods with a few hickories and oaks further up the hill.

i think your barking up the right trees

St. James, I wanted perlite between the trees, so insprired by the famous cedar stick.  Unfortunately, could not pull that one off.  

Marlene, there is a short thread in the forum  (no one has replied)  on taking a pic of jewelry using two images.  I apologize up front for the out of focus top of the jewelry thing.  The idea was to give a very basic idea of how gemstones and metal don't mix in photos.
That is a real hunker of a stone in your ring! Wow.

pebble dash might look good ;)

i love bark.... some great textures

This is a chipmunk hidy hole and veranda.  Also, skink lizards use the hole and the moss patio.

I sit to the fore right of the image location each morning. A chipmunk after seed on our deck can peek from the hole or from behind the rotty log and watch me.  When I turn that way, whish, all I see is a tiny furry tail going down the hole to places only the critters know.

Just for easy viewing, I put a small line border around my images, one white or gray and one black. This shows "some border" on forum or full sized.

the playing of the merry organ.....

Is the organ at the church of St. James?

lol my organ only has one pipe ;)

***1700*** 13916 ***2007 Aug 05 5:16 pm***[***awjay***](http://www.renderosity.com/homepage.php?Who=awjay)

Wow! I missed so much while I've been working! All of the jewelery is gorgeous! I like the freshwater pearl the best. The trees are all amazing. I like the one Kai did, it has so much action if you think about it, those trees are fighting a battle for survival.  The organ, ( with multiple coloured pipes), is lovely. Sorry I haven't been around but it's summer and whenever anyone goes on vacation I cover the shifts.

My kid enjoying an icecream at the barby last sunday :)

This is me. One exposure, multiple flash firing. I held a 430EX in my hand pilot button several times. The room was pitch-black. Settings used are - Manual mode, 8 seconds @F11 & ISO 100. Here are some weird news headlines someone compiled. 1. Include Your Children When Baking Cookies 2. Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Experts Say 3. Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers 4. Drunks Get Nine Months in Violin Case 5. Iraqi Head Seeks Arms 6. Is There a Ring of Debris around Uranus? 7. Prostitutes Appeal to Pope 8. Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over 9. British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands 10. Teacher Strikes Idle Kids 11. Clinton Wins Budget; More Lies Ahead 12. Plane Too Close to Ground, Crash Probe Told 13. Miners Refuse to Work After Death 14. Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant 15. Stolen Painting Found by Tree 16. Two Sisters Reunited after 18 Years in Checkout Counter 17. War Dims Hope for Peace 18. If Strike Isn’t Settled Quickly, It May Last a While 19. Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide 20. Man Struck by Lightning Faces Battery Charge 21. New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group 22. Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Space 23. Kids Make Nutritious Snacks 25. Typhoon Rips through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

That speedlite works pretty well.  Very neat pic!   You actually look better than your avatar.   Tom.

3DGuy, you have a cute kid. Fine shot and a keeper for sure.  Memories are great to keep.   I love ice cream but can't eat it!        Tom.

Hey Jay I'm guessing melted glass. Great shot of the toddler with ice cream, such concentration. I like this shot of you much better than your avatar. I love the headlines!LOL!

nope not melted glass....

A very close shot of the surf on the sand? Or do I only get one guess?

you are getting warmer.... have as many guesses as you want ;)

It's been pretty hot around here.

Such a delightful shot Manning! He is adorable when he's not running around in the attic wit 60 of his closest friends at 3:30 AM on a winter morning. I give up Jay unless somebody spilled a beer on the beach, but I didn't see such a tragedy reported in the news.

*its the inside of a spider crab shell........ 

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Nice one! There's no way I would have guessed that, lol :biggrin:

This was an Alladuhsudden moment in which I turned around and fired. @Manning. That squirrel looks hilarious. :lol: It made my day. ooops. forgot the photo.

In San Pedro, Crow off a fishing ships mast.

And here it is on top of a street light... 

nice tail balance by the crow on the mast

*unlocked time......

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I placed some bamboo around the yard hoping to tempt some dragonflies to rest long enough to capture.  Seems other "predators" liked the idea as well.  The spider lurking below is the one I recently uploaded to my gallery.

And an anole getting in on the action.  The dragonfly moved to another location. :o).

Mike

WOW! So many bords! They're all great! I would never have guessed a crab shell Jay. I love the way the crow seems balanced too.

*a window on my town.......

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