Photography Help

[pwsg07]

I took some photos this morning around nine o’clock. The stone in the photos looks so dull.
How to take photos like this example?

I used iPhone XS with a marco len
Which time is the best to take daylight photos? Thank you so much in advance.

 

[OoohShiny]

I don't think there is a set time of day that is best - it will depend on season, geographic location, weather...

It may be that overhead / over-the-shoulder light might increase stone brightness (due to increased direct reflection back to the camera) but bright, diffuse lighting may bring out stone body colour better (because less direct reflection).

 

[pwsg07]

I don't think there is a set time of day that is best - it will depend on season, geographic location, weather...

It may be that overhead / over-the-shoulder light might increase stone brightness (due to increased direct reflection back to the camera) but bright, diffuse lighting may bring out stone body colour better (because less direct reflection).

Thank you

 

[Anne111]

Welcome to gem photo hell!

 

[2Neesers]

I’m pretty sure a lot of gem cutters use a light box and traditional cameras instead of phone cameras to get pictures to look like the one you referenced. When I take a picture of a gem, I walk around the house and slightly shift the gem and the camera around until what I see on the screen looks good and take pictures in different natural and overhead lighting. I have to take at least 25 pictures to get one that looks decent! @elle_71125 always takes amazing photos, maybe she will chime in and share her photo tips .

 

[voce]

My photo tip: invest in a decent camera that captures color correctly, instead of using a cell phone. My blue sapphire in my avatar and my ruby e-ring both look less vivid and way more gray when I use my phone. I cracked the glass around the phone camera lens by dropping the phone, and I've been lazy about going to replace the phone. However, my Canon Powershot makes a world of difference.

 

[elle_71125]

I’m pretty sure a lot of gem cutters use a light box and traditional cameras instead of phone cameras to get pictures to look like the one you referenced. When I take a picture of a gem, I walk around the house and slightly shift the gem and the camera around until what I see on the screen looks good and take pictures in different natural and overhead lighting. I have to take at least 25 pictures to get one that looks decent! @elle_71125 always takes amazing photos, maybe she will chime in and share her photo tips .

Ok, here’s my secret: I take all my pictures with my cell phone. Yup, my gorgeous DLSR camera stays locked in its case because I’m too lazy to pull it out. My phone is a Sumsung galaxy S8+ and takes great pictures. Most camera phones now are pretty awesome so that’s good for the lazy factor. I almost always zoom in to 1.6 and sometimes higher (if I really want to catch those details). I prefer taking pictures on a sunny / well lit day but do not recommend taking pics directly in the sun. They don’t usually turn out well. I prefer a slightly shade spot. Seriously, 90% of my pictures are taken on my fence.



That spot right behind my dog is one of my best used pic locations.


You can also find really nice cell phone macro lens kits on Amazon. I bought this one and used it to take the ring pic above.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A6D2JVI/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1&pldnSite=1

 

[strawrose]

Ok, here’s my secret: I take all my pictures with my cell phone. Yup, my gorgeous DLSR camera stays locked in its case because I’m too lazy to pull it out. My phone is a Sumsung galaxy S8+ and takes great pictures. Most camera phones now are pretty awesome so that’s good for the lazy factor. I almost always zoom in to 1.6 and sometimes higher (if I really want to catch those details). I prefer taking pictures on a sunny / well lit day but do not recommend taking pics directly in the sun. They don’t usually turn out well. I prefer a slightly shade spot. Seriously, 90% of my pictures are taken on my fence.



That spot right behind my dog is one of my best used pic locations.


You can also find really nice cell phone macro lens kits on Amazon. I bought this one and used it to take the ring pic above.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A6D2JVI/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1&pldnSite=1

All you need is Riley. It makes a broken camera phone 10x better.

 

[2Neesers]

Ok, here’s my secret: I take all my pictures with my cell phone. Yup, my gorgeous DLSR camera stays locked in its case because I’m too lazy to pull it out. My phone is a Sumsung galaxy S8+ and takes great pictures. Most camera phones now are pretty awesome so that’s good for the lazy factor. I almost always zoom in to 1.6 and sometimes higher (if I really want to catch those details). I prefer taking pictures on a sunny / well lit day but do not recommend taking pics directly in the sun. They don’t usually turn out well. I prefer a slightly shade spot. Seriously, 90% of my pictures are taken on my fence.



That spot right behind my dog is one of my best used pic locations.


You can also find really nice cell phone macro lens kits on Amazon. I bought this one and used it to take the ring pic above.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A6D2JVI/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1&pldnSite=1

Thanks for sharing your secrets! It’s all very interesting and it sounds like lighting is key. I am going to try all of these tips .

 

[elle_71125]

All you need is Riley. It makes a broken camera phone 10x better.

That’s right. He’s my favorite little man!

Thanks for sharing your secrets! It’s all very interesting and it sounds like lighting is key. I am going to try all of these tips .

Lighting is definitely key. Too much sun and your pictures come out all sorts of weird. Hopefully, the things that work for me will work for other people too. Lord knows, I’m still learning so I’ll be following along for some tips myself.

 

[pwsg07]

I’m pretty sure a lot of gem cutters use a light box and traditional cameras instead of phone cameras to get pictures to look like the one you referenced. When I take a picture of a gem, I walk around the house and slightly shift the gem and the camera around until what I see on the screen looks good and take pictures in different natural and overhead lighting. I have to take at least 25 pictures to get one that looks decent! @elle_71125 always takes amazing photos, maybe she will chime in and share her photo tips .

Thank you for your input. I took a lot of photos too. But I am trying to figure out a formula for photographing colour stones.

 

[pwsg07]

My photo tip: invest in a decent camera that captures color correctly, instead of using a cell phone. My blue sapphire in my avatar and my ruby e-ring both look less vivid and way more gray when I use my phone. I cracked the glass around the phone camera lens by dropping the phone, and I've been lazy about going to replace the phone. However, my Canon Powershot makes a world of difference.

Thanks for sharing. I borrow an old digital camera to see if it is going to work better

 

[pwsg07]

Ok, here’s my secret: I take all my pictures with my cell phone. Yup, my gorgeous DLSR camera stays locked in its case because I’m too lazy to pull it out. My phone is a Sumsung galaxy S8+ and takes great pictures. Most camera phones now are pretty awesome so that’s good for the lazy factor. I almost always zoom in to 1.6 and sometimes higher (if I really want to catch those details). I prefer taking pictures on a sunny / well lit day but do not recommend taking pics directly in the sun. They don’t usually turn out well. I prefer a slightly shade spot. Seriously, 90% of my pictures are taken on my fence.



That spot right behind my dog is one of my best used pic locations.


You can also find really nice cell phone macro lens kits on Amazon. I bought this one and used it to take the ring pic above.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A6D2JVI/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1&pldnSite=1

Thanks for your secret. I am too lazy to learn how to use a digital camera that is why I try to learn how to use cellphone. However I am too lazy to go outdoor to take photos. Maybe I should get an overhead light.

 

[voce]

Thanks for your secret. I am too lazy to learn how to use a digital camera that is why I try to learn how to use cellphone. However I am too lazy to go outdoor to take photos. Maybe I should get an overhead light.

For me, ever since I started working full time, it's difficult to have the time to take my gemstones outdoors for pictures. I think you could try those fancy LED lightbulbs that give you a close approximation of daylight at noon in the light frequencies. Those would probably light your day stones right up!

Personally, I think that the reason I don't buy many tourmalines is that apart from paraiba, they just get great or brown indoors, and I spend far too much of my time indoors. I think that certain gems need certain frequencies of light to be at their prettiest.

 

[2Neesers]

However I am too lazy to go outdoor to take photos. Maybe I should get an overhead light.

It’s winter here and we are lucky to see temps above 30 degrees (Fahrenheit), so going outside to take photos of gems in the snow isn’t something I want to do right now either . I wonder how an inexpensive light box like this one would work? For less than $15 think I am going to order one and try it out.
https://www.amazon.com/Photo-Jewellery-Backdrops-Included-Cofunia/dp/B01M9IPG53#customerReviews

 

[voce]

If you want the optimum results, I suggest something more like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GIL6EU...&pd_rd_r=0567a3d6-2e45-11e9-88a1-f3496d10471d

Primary reason being--" Lights are positioned for optimum contrast, and provide 5600k daylight balanced LEDs with high Color Rendering Index (CRI) for consistent color."

 

[2Neesers]

@pwsg07 I ordered one of the inexpensive light boxes to see how it worked before springing for the nicer one @voce recommend. It already arrived and I took a couple of photos and it’s still not quite giving the right kind of indoor lighting you are hoping for. It is kind of fun to see the gems sparkling under the bright lights though (please ignore the fuzz that seems to be in every picture I take).

 

[pwsg07]

@pwsg07 I ordered one of the inexpensive light boxes to see how it worked before springing for the nicer one @voce recommend. It already arrived and I took a couple of photos and it’s still not quite giving the right kind of indoor lighting you are hoping for. It is kind of fun to see the gems sparkling under the bright lights though (please ignore the fuzz that seems to be in every picture I take).

Thanks for sharing. Quick action. Actually I was planning to buy a table lamp first..https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077YCK85J/ref=cm_sw_r_pi_dp_U_x_ivluCbQ0Z013N before getting a light box. Which light box did you buy? Are you using cellphone with Marco len? Is that a garnet? The colour is so pretty. Is the photo accurate? Tooo many questions.

 

[2Neesers]

Thanks for sharing. Quick action. Actually I was planning to buy a table lamp first..https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077YCK85J/ref=cm_sw_r_pi_dp_U_x_ivluCbQ0Z013N before getting a light box. Which light box did you buy? Are you using cellphone with Marco len? Is that a garnet? The colour is so pretty. Is the photo accurate? Tooo many questions.

The table lamp with the different color temperatures is nice! I bought this cheap light box just to try one out https://www.amazon.com/Photo-Jewellery-Backdrops-Included-Cofunia/dp/B01M9IPG53#customerReviews . I used my iPhone 8 Plus and zoomed way in to around 3.5x. The bright light in the box was somehow causing my pictures to look dim, so I used the built in light adjustment on the iPhone until what I saw on the screen was the same as real life. Yep, it’s a purple garnet and demantoids . The photo is accurate as far as how the stone looks in the light box, but it doesn’t look so bright in my overcast winter lighting.

 

[pwsg07]

The table lamp with the different color temperatures is nice! I bought this cheap light box just to try one out https://www.amazon.com/Photo-Jewellery-Backdrops-Included-Cofunia/dp/B01M9IPG53#customerReviews . I used my iPhone 8 Plus and zoomed way in to around 3.5x. The bright light in the box was somehow causing my pictures to look dim, so I used the built in light adjustment on the iPhone until what I saw on the screen was the same as real life. Yep, it’s a purple garnet and demantoids . The photo is accurate as far as how the stone looks in the light box, but it doesn’t look so bright in my overcast winter lighting.

All the stones you have are well cut. I have a purple garnet photographed under natural light indoor.


Which mode did you use to take the phone? photo or portrait? Do you use "edit" for the built in light adjustment after the photo is taken? What do you adjust under the "lighting"? Brillance, exposure, highlights, etc? I never use these photo function until you mention it and I google to see how it works.:roll

 

[2Neesers]

All the stones you have are well cut. I have a purple garnet photographed under natural light indoor.


Which mode did you use to take the phone? photo or portrait? Do you use "edit" for the built in light adjustment after the photo is taken? What do you adjust under the "lighting"? Brillance, exposure, highlights, etc? I never use these photo function until you mention it and I google to see how it works.:roll

You have a beautiful purple garnet! I used photo mode and I actually just discovered the light adjustment feature with the brightness slider yesterday. Here’s a link explaining it and showing how to use it https://www.igeeksblog.com/how-to-a...e-setting-on-iphone-ipad-camera-app-in-ios-8/ , you drag the sun symbol up and down. I wish I had known about it a while ago!

 

[pwsg07]

You have a beautiful purple garnet! I used photo mode and I actually just discovered the light adjustment feature with the brightness slider yesterday. Here’s a link explaining it and showing how to use it https://www.igeeksblog.com/how-to-a...e-setting-on-iphone-ipad-camera-app-in-ios-8/ , you drag the sun symbol up and down. I wish I had known about it a while ago!

Thank you for the information

 

[pwsg07]

What is the purpose of the green background? Does it enhance the intensity of the colour of the gem?

 

[chrono]

I'm lazy so I use my iPhone and natural lighting, sometimes indoors if it colour shifts noticeably.

This goes into in-depth for far more professional looking pictures.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/kenny-and-gene-photo-help-needed.186123/

 

[2Neesers]

What is the purpose of the green background? Does it enhance the intensity of the colour of the gem?

I have noticed there are times when my camera won’t pick up the correct color if I am am taking a photo of a single object on a neutral background and adding a second color to the photo will make the color of the original object more accurate. I don’t know if that is the case in the photo you posted, but more than one color in the frame does seem to make the camera color correct quite often for me .

 

[pwsg07]

I have noticed there are times when my camera won’t pick up the correct color if I am am taking a photo of a single object on a neutral background and adding a second color to the photo will make the color of the original object more accurate. I don’t know if that is the case in the photo you posted, but more than one color in the frame does seem to make the camera color correct quite often for me .

Thank you

 

[icy_jade]

Before kids and when I had way more time I did some experiments on photographing my pearls. Here is one on different background colors:

Read that most cameras can't handle really white backgrounds/pictures and will default to grey when exposed to too much white... Which really means that for most of us who do not know how to adjust the white balance of the photos or have really good cameras, the photos that we are taking really will not reflect accurate colours especially if we are using a white background. It could also mean over/under exposed shots.

Back to experimenting cos I went to the art store and bought some paper...


Without light box:
Top: 1. Background papers, 2. Canvas, 3. Grey
Bottom: 4. Light blue/grey, 5. 'Ice white', 6. Pearlie white (with slight sheen)



With light box:
Top: 1. Background papers, 2. Canvas, 3. Grey
Bottom: 4. Light blue/grey, 5. 'Ice white', 6. Pearlie white (with slight sheen)



Indeed, you can see by comparing against the background papers shot how 5. 'ice white' looks grey... Hmm... And 3. grey is too pale (and so the pearl looks over exposed).

So how, which background do you prefer?

Personally I think light blue/grey seems to be coming off most true to life/colour. So that may be my default background from now on.

Ok, that's the end of my experiment for this weekend.

 

[icy_jade]

And now that I have much less time, I find that including a few other items/colors help when I don’t have a gray background handy. So I tend to use some props like a plant, my hand or something else that can be cropped out of the pic to help with the white balance thing that throws color off.

For CS they don’t seem to do so well under diffused lighting (unlike pearls) but better under stronger (but not direct tropical sun) light. Haven’t had time to use a light tent so can’t comment on that.

Am an iPhone photographer so I don’t do the color correction thing that photography hobbyists do but I guess that’s another way.

 

[pwsg07]

This photo is taken on a mirror. Will the gemstone look darker in real life?

 

[MeowMeow]

Ok, here’s my secret: I take all my pictures with my cell phone. Yup, my gorgeous DLSR camera stays locked in its case because I’m too lazy to pull it out. My phone is a Sumsung galaxy S8+ and takes great pictures. Most camera phones now are pretty awesome so that’s good for the lazy factor. I almost always zoom in to 1.6 and sometimes higher (if I really want to catch those details). I prefer taking pictures on a sunny / well lit day but do not recommend taking pics directly in the sun. They don’t usually turn out well. I prefer a slightly shade spot. Seriously, 90% of my pictures are taken on my fence.



That spot right behind my dog is one of my best used pic locations.


You can also find really nice cell phone macro lens kits on Amazon. I bought this one and used it to take the ring pic above.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A6D2JVI/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1&pldnSite=1

Really?? I used my s8 and it never looks anywhere as nice as yours. The metal always looks melted and I don't know how to fix that. I have an s10 plus now. We got them for the battery life and my husband told me I should take more pictures of my baby, cat, and shiners now with it lmao. But somehow it still looks melted and in real life it looks great. Maybe I'll try the zoom idea again.