Have you tried to photograph jewelry objects? This is perhaps one of the most difficult of the macro and close-up tasks. The reason is simple: Metal is very reflective and needs a nicely diffused light to avoid distracting reflections. Gemstones absolutely need a point source of light to show the color and reflections from inside the gem.

Here are two examples of the same ring, a 2 carat diamond surrounded with rubies. Yes, this is rather not my style but loved by the owner.

See how washed out the stones are in the image where the metal is subdued? See the reflections in the metal in the other shot?

Pros at making ads for jewelry items will often use software to combine many shots for the final outcome. Often the stones are shot for brilliance and placed into an image properly lit for "reflective metal". To try and do it in one shot is very, very difficult.

I have become the "staff photographer" where I work. The did buy PaintShopPro and some batteries for the cam...all in a days work, I suppose.

Lighting is generally homemade stuff, using local lights, tissue for diffusion* and custom white balance for the shots. These are not ad quality shots, lol! These shots are for reference and good enough to show customers some of the work done.

*I also use a sandblasted plastic tea pitcher with a hole in the bottom for the lens..a neat but relatively effective diffuser. We have a simple light box with "cold cathode" lighting but this will not take a large lens as the macro on my D70. Light balance is not good in that box, either.

If you have tried taking jewelry images...I mean with stones brilliantly reflecting and metal in true color but not showing all the background and lighing in refelection..let me know how you did and how you did it!

Maybe the pros have the way..take shots of the gems and the metal and combine for the best effect overall.
BYW, these are old shots taken with my old Minolta DImage F100 point and shoot with manual control. The best pics are on the computers at work. Still, the idea is presented, I hope.

Message edited on: 12/29/2005 18:44