Taking pictures of gemstones...

[Deia]

Any hints/tips on how to best photograph a gemstone?

Ive been trying but so far all lof them have come out blurry

so I havent even bothered uploading them...

I own a digital camera - 7 megapixels iirc

 

[LostSapphire]

Macro Mode (the flower icon)

Steady Hands (if you can position your camera ontop of something that''s even better.

Try different lighting techniques: I found with my sapphire the most stupendous shots came in cloudy overcast conditions.

And above all else: practice, practice, practice!

Good luck and have fun!

LS

 

[gladyskristen]

Take lots of them!!

I usually take about a hundred and keep maybe 20 of them? It helps move your camera around to find a good angle too. I prefer using the view finder for that reason. Doesn''t work too well if your camera has an optical view finder (as opposed to a digital one) though! Good luck!

 

[FinewaterGems]

Photography has always been a hobby of mine so that helps, as I realized that gemcutting and photography are similar because both are all about manipulating light. It really is a quite a steep learning curve but once you grasp a few concepts it''s not too bad.

The first requirement is a decent digital camera. I now have a digital SLR and dedicated macro lens, but I’ve actually taken good gem photos with an inexpensive digital camera with a macro setting. Another camera requirement is a remote shutter release or a self-timer feature. For other equipment you’ll need a good daylight lamp (I like the Solux lamps at www.solux.net) and a tripod. The background can be anything you like, but my current favorite is a clear matte plexiglass sheet over a black sheet of paper. I also suspend a bit of sheer white fabric between the lamp and gemstone to soften the light a little.

I wish I could remember where I got this idea as I can’t take credit for it, but this really is the key idea. Take a white piece of cardboard or white foamboard (about 1 ft x 1 ft) and cut a 1” hole in it. When placed in front of the lens it will focust light onto the front of the gemstone. You’ll need to play with the placement of the gemstone and the whiteboard to get the light to reflect off the facets just right. I usually like some reflections on the smaller facets to highlight the polish and meetpoints; too much on the table will usually overwhelm the shot.

I then use Photoshop to crop and remove the inevitable dust spots. I very rarely need to adjust levels or saturation, and only do it if I feel that the picture does not represent what I am seeing with my eyes. I’ve found that very pale stones are most difficult to photograph, and usually need a little saturation adjustment.

Hope that helps!

Gary

 

[Deia]

Wow thanks for the answers!! It''s alot more complicated than I imagined

but i''ll see what I can do... will post pics when I get it right!

 

[oldmancoyote]

Date: 10/14/2008 9:39:20 AM
Author: FinewaterGems


[snip]
I wish I could remember where I got this idea as I can’t take credit for it, but this really is the key idea. Take a white piece of cardboard or white foamboard (about 1 ft x 1 ft) and cut a 1” hole in it. When placed in front of the lens it will focust light onto the front of the gemstone. You’ll need to play with the placement of the gemstone and the whiteboard to get the light to reflect off the facets just right. I usually like some reflections on the smaller facets to highlight the polish and meetpoints; too much on the table will usually overwhelm the shot.
[snip]

Hope that helps!

Gary

Gary - thanks for the tips. One question: did you mean "when placed in front of the light"? Otherwise, I can't understand how it would work.

A few other tips for "home made" photos - particularly with small pocket cameras - derived from what works for me:

1. Make yourself a "white box" using white paper kept 6-8" away from the piece. Letter or A4 printer paper folded in two, then stood on the edge by opening it at a 90 degree angle works just fine; back, bottom and sides are enough.This helps capture and diffuse light, avoiding shadows. Position the main light source in front of the box, at a slight angle.

2. Adjust white balance on the white paper just before shooting.

3. Use a neutral grey background cloth/surface to provide contrast without altering colours. Alternatively, choose a high contrast colour background to get a more "showy" picture, but be aware that the background colour may be reflected back by the stones. Black can be great, but it sucks light in, so you need really high levels of lighting.

3. Clean the piece with a chamois or microfibre cloth or give it a quick wash in water and dish soap - it's amazing how much dust and grease show up!

4. Use a torch or similar to shine a fairly focused ray of light directed at the stone, if you haven't got a professional light source. An LED torch is excellent. This will help to create some sparkle.

5. Set the autofocus on the camera (if it can be set) so that it will focus on a fairly narrow area, rather than averaging out on a broader one, then keep the piece at the centre of the picture (you can always crop and "move" the centre later)

6. Don't use zoom; move the camera as close to the piece as you can while keeping it in focus.

7. Take at least twice as many shots as you think you will want... there's always one that comes out better.

 

[FinewaterGems]

Good points - I should have been more specific about the white cardboard. Place the hole of the white cardboard just in front of the lens so that the lens can "see" through the hole. This will bounce light from your lamps into the front of the gem (where you want it) and prevent any light blockage from the camera or lens itself.

Your other points are excellent. I had neglected to mention the white balance and cleaning, which are both very critical. I always take about 10-15 shots of each stone (with slight variations in exposure and slight movements of the stone) to ensure that I''ll get at least one good shot.