Favorite 2013 Ring shots

[mrswahs]

I was just going through my favorite ring shots of 2013 for my blog - I'm a wedding photographer - and decided since I was over here posting about my most recent project that it wouldn't hurt to share with others who are bling obsessed

 

[mrswahs]

Just a few more

 

[motownmama]

OMG!!!!! LOVE these pictures! They could be in a coffee table book!

 

[m-2-b]

Beautiful photos! Always looking for further pointers from professionals on how to photograph jewelry better--any tips to share w/ us?

 

[kenny]

Beautiful work, but did these women and men give you permission to post their wedding and engagement rings on Internet fora like PS?
Just curious.

 

[mrswahs]

kenny - I have a full release for use and own the copyright to the images

 

[mrswahs]

Beautiful photos! Always looking for further pointers from professionals on how to photograph jewelry better--any tips to share w/ us?

Honestly the best tips I have are already highlighted in the pinned post - how to take good photos of your diamonds - at the top of this forum.

I use a macro lens and a full frame dslr so equipment wise I'm probably working with better stuff than the average joe... but my best advice is to put the light source behind the diamond so it'll show off all of the sparkle! Especially with fancy cut diamonds - my diamond is a unique cut and when front lit it's not terribly exciting, but when I position the sun behind it it's downright magical!

 

[kenny]

kenny - I have a full release for use and own the copyright to the images

Thanks.

 

[kenny]

I use a macro lens and a full frame dslr

Just curious.
Which body and lens?
I love talking camera gear.

I'm a geek with a Nikon D600.
For macro I'd love to have Nikon's 200mm f4 for the great working distance but only have a 30-year old micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8, fully manual, no auto focus or vibration reduction.
At least it gives me much more working distance than a 60mm macro lens.

Then for super-duper close ups, like the diamond girdle inscription below, I use a Nikon PB-4 Bellows and a PB-13 extension tube with an old reversed Nikkor 24mm f2.8.

 

[madelise]

Your photos are beautiful. I recently came across a local (I think? I can't remember) wedding photographer's blog about engagement rings, picking them out, and taking pictures. I wonder if it was yours? I know that, as a very anal PSer, I will drive my future wedding photographer batty with all my "rules" for taking pictures of my ring(s). I was proposed to by my fiancé while we were doing a photo shoot (we do one annually), actually, and he had planned a surprise with the photographer. She took 2 shots of my ring, and both of them came out "meh". I'm so anal about it. I want the focus to be obvious and specific: either find a good shot of a forward face without reflection of the table, to be on a specific gallery detail (if there is one), or to be on the kozibe effect of an OEC/OMC's culet (if there is one). Haha. Yes, like I said, anal When I got my photos back, I wondered if anyone else is as nuts as I am. Like, I couldn't understand why she focused on the angle of the halo melee, where my diamond didn't look fabulous, and my gallery was obscured.

For example, I love how you showcased the facets in the MRB in square cushion, and it is my favorite photo of these you shared.
I also love the face-on view of the ring on the baseball.
And I love how you showcased the setting for the pear halo (which I adore! It's so pretty!), but I'm not crazy about how none of the facets show.

Just sharing my thoughts, in case you had similar or dissenting to share, or in case you get anyone as crazy as me.

Other conversation: Do you ask your clients to properly clean their rings before you shoot them? Do you bring along cleaning material since one quick touch can dirty it with oils? Are you more anal about all this stuff because you are both a photographer and a PSer?

I hope you don't find my comments as annoying or critical as I've tried to word this without sounding like a rude hag. I'm really hoping to follow up on your answers. I'm very intrigued.




and, also, I'm unsure by the name of the title of this thread-- are you just showing off your favorite shots of this year, or are you asking for us to chime in with our favorite shots, too?

 

[mrswahs]

I use a macro lens and a full frame dslr

Just curious.
Which body and lens?
I love talking camera gear.

I'm a geek with a Nikon D600.
For macro I'd love to have Nikon's 200mm f4 for the great working distance but only have a 30-year old micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8, fully manual, no auto focus or vibration reduction.
At least it gives me much more working distance than a 60mm macro lens.

Then for super-duper close ups, like the diamond girdle inscription below, I use a Nikon PB-4 Bellows and a PB-13 extension tube with an old reversed Nikkor 24mm f2.8.

Canon 5D Mark III and 100mm L Macro lens with AF and IS. I love that you can get that close with a reversed lens and extension tube, it's nothing I've ever played around with personally but I love macro photography, so maybe it should be on my list of things to do

 

[mrswahs]

Your photos are beautiful. I recently came across a local (I think? I can't remember) wedding photographer's blog about engagement rings, picking them out, and taking pictures. I wonder if it was yours? I haven't done a post like that- but I definitely should! I always love a good excuse to talk about rings and share what I've learned I know that, as a very anal PSer, I will drive my future wedding photographer batty with all my "rules" for taking pictures of my ring(s). I was proposed to by my fiancé while we were doing a photo shoot (we do one annually), actually, and he had planned a surprise with the photographer. She took 2 shots of my ring, and both of them came out "meh". I'm so anal about it. I want the focus to be obvious and specific: either find a good shot of a forward face without reflection of the table, to be on a specific gallery detail (if there is one), or to be on the kozibe effect of an OEC/OMC's culet (if there is one). Haha. Yes, like I said, anal When I got my photos back, I wondered if anyone else is as nuts as I am. Like, I couldn't understand why she focused on the angle of the halo melee, where my diamond didn't look fabulous, and my gallery was obscured. A lot of photographers aren't as knowledgeable or obsessed with diamonds and don't really know anything other than how to get the image in focus. I don't think there's any problem with pointing out what you love about yours and what you want them to highlight! It might come off a little strong if they don't get it but if it results in you getting a beautiful image of your ring and them getting a new portfolio piece than no big deal

For example, I love how you showcased the facets in the MRB in square cushion, and it is my favorite photo of these you shared.
I also love the face-on view of the ring on the baseball. Thanks! Those are two of my favorites
And I love how you showcased the setting for the pear halo (which I adore! It's so pretty!), but I'm not crazy about how none of the facets show. Oh I totally get that! This was my favorite of the set because the backlighting made the stone really come to life. There were others that showed off the facets better but the lighting wasn't as magical so it didn't end up being a favorite

Just sharing my thoughts, in case you had similar or dissenting to share, or in case you get anyone as crazy as me. I wish I had more brides who cared about the ring shots! Haha

Other conversation: Do you ask your clients to properly clean their rings before you shoot them? Do you bring along cleaning material since one quick touch can dirty it with oils? Are you more anal about all this stuff because you are both a photographer and a PSer? I do ask them to clean them before bringing them to the shoot. I have a dazzle stick that I bring with me but most of the time we don't have a place to use it and rinse it off so it's just a matter of me catching any fibers stuck in the prongs and pulling them out. Thankfully most people get it cleaned right before

I hope you don't find my comments as annoying or critical as I've tried to word this without sounding like a rude hag. I'm really hoping to follow up on your answers. I'm very intrigued. Not at all!




and, also, I'm unsure by the name of the title of this thread-- are you just showing off your favorite shots of this year, or are you asking for us to chime in with our favorite shots, too? Originally the goal was to just show off mine but I love the idea of other people chiming in too!

 

[mrswahs]

madelise - I had also meant to mention that the best way for a photographer's macro image of a ring to appear in focus is to focus on the prongs. If we focus anywhere else and the prongs are out of focus, even if that's the intention, it will appear that the entire shot is out of focus since the point closest to the camera is out of focus. So if you want them to focus on a point other than what's closest to the camera they will need to shoot with a wider depth of field (more area in focus, higher number aperture).

 

[pandabee]

madelise - I had also meant to mention that the best way for a photographer's macro image of a ring to appear in focus is to focus on the prongs. If we focus anywhere else and the prongs are out of focus, even if that's the intention, it will appear that the entire shot is out of focus since the point closest to the camera is out of focus. So if you want them to focus on a point other than what's closest to the camera they will need to shoot with a wider depth of field (more area in focus, higher number aperture).

That seems like a really simple pointer to remember to tell non-jewelry obsessed wedding photographers! Thanks. Your ring shots are great, and isn't it lovely to actually have a photographer who loves jewelry as much as us too!!

 

[madelise]

Thanks so much for your thoughts, and for that tip! Interesting that the camera "needs" the prongs to focus.

I think maybe a "how to pick a diamond/ring" might be "too late" for a wedding photographer to blog since most customers have already purchased theirs long ago! How about a "how to pick a wedding band for your e-ring" topic, where you can show matching sets, unmatched sets, stacks of multiple bands: two of the same vs. unmatched, shanking the e-ring with one on each side vs. having the two on the same side of the e-ring, spacers for donuts, custom made "wrap-arounds" like the ones with notches or curves, etc. since your blog will usually be read by those who are probably searching for bands?

and also a "FYI ring shots" topic, where you can discuss the needs for a proper cleaning before the shoot, suggest bringing a microfiber cloth and isopropyl wipe, getting rings polished, etc.? The blog I had read mentioned that couples need to not worry about the "color" grading of their diamonds showing through since photos are always retouched for the rest of the picture that it is no issue.

 

[mrswahs]

Thanks so much for your thoughts, and for that tip! Interesting that the camera "needs" the prongs to focus.

I think maybe a "how to pick a diamond/ring" might be "too late" for a wedding photographer to blog since most customers have already purchased theirs long ago! How about a "how to pick a wedding band for your e-ring" topic, where you can show matching sets, unmatched sets, stacks of multiple bands: two of the same vs. unmatched, shanking the e-ring with one on each side vs. having the two on the same side of the e-ring, spacers for donuts, custom made "wrap-arounds" like the ones with notches or curves, etc. since your blog will usually be read by those who are probably searching for bands?

and also a "FYI ring shots" topic, where you can discuss the needs for a proper cleaning before the shoot, suggest bringing a microfiber cloth and isopropyl wipe, getting rings polished, etc.? The blog I had read mentioned that couples need to not worry about the "color" grading of their diamonds showing through since photos are always retouched for the rest of the picture that it is no issue.

I love those ideas! I will definitely make use of some of them, especially with the slow season coming up soon

It's not so much that the camera needs the prongs to be able to focus but rather if they aren't in focus the image appears out of focus. I've included some photos to show what I mean In both of these images the left photo has other parts of the ring / diamond are in focus but the image feels off since the prongs aren't sharp. Similarly to how if in a portrait if the eyes aren't in focus the entire image feels soft. It takes many tries to get the focus right on these shots since the depth of field is so small even the slightest movement when shooting handheld will move the focus. So I have lots of outtakes These are just the only ones on this computer. The right image of the pear diamond isn't even the best I had, the prongs are still a little too soft for my taste but it's just what I have the raw files of on my laptop.