Jewelry Photography With My First DSLR
- Thread starter AngryMetalsmith
- Start date
ok. well since you said its glorified toilet paper it must be true. Wait!!!! AngryMetalsmith dont look into what i said your eyes will turn insideout and you will be force to sniff out your dogs fecal matter on you hands and knees only having Ken Rockwell's work to pick it up with!!! O what karmic justice will smite me for mentioning this monstrosity!!!!
Alright tards knock it off, thith is thserious business.
I don't think my camera has a soft focus issue, I just don't know what the hell I'm doing. But I are learning.
I don't think my camera has a soft focus issue, I just don't know what the hell I'm doing. But I are learning.
what i was told is, the camera has a setting that needs to be changed manually, and how she found out how to change came from the t.p. guy.
There's no "soft focus" setting that defaults in any SLR on the market. Guaranteed. And certainly not the D300/D700, which are semi-pro bodies, one of which I own.
Here's a focusing rail that's about 35% off retail price, for sale on a photo forum, though:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1187875
That would be very helpful for focus stacking.
Here's a focusing rail that's about 35% off retail price, for sale on a photo forum, though:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1187875
That would be very helpful for focus stacking.
If you are doing macro and focusing manually, or using live view AF, it's a non issue.
What he's talking about is auto focus fine tuning. This adjustment makes up for slight inaccuracies of the AF system with various lenses, as matched to a particular camera. You can store banks of af tunings for multiple lenses in the D7000.
The AF sensor uses phase detection and it is located just forward and below the image sensor in the mirror box. Using AF fine tuning adjusts the settings on this AF sensor to a particular lens. Many lenses can be slightly soft in focus - back focusing or front focusing, even if within factory tolerances. This is most noticeable at close distances and shallow DOF.
Using live view AF, it focuses by measuring contrast on the image senor plane, so it's always dead on.
More:
http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/15869/~/how-do-i-use-the-"af-fine-tune"-feature-on-my-d-slr-camera?
I ran across my notes from what the pro suggested for aperture which was f22 not f32. Oops. I guess that would put me right in the middle of f11 and f32. Could be a good balance between sharpness and depth of field. More testing...IIRC everything I shot under f32 had blurred edges on the piece. The same photographer who's been giving me tips suggested the f32 setting to gain the maximum depth of field. I can try a couple of f11 shots later tonight.
This is my macro lens:
Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D
H8R-
I'm mostly manual focusing when I use the macro lens. I wonder though if I have the diopter dial set right. I'm wearing no. 2 reading glasses for doing bench work but don't need them to read, just to see the detail of what I'm working on. How much could that dial throw off the focus ?
I'm mostly manual focusing when I use the macro lens. I wonder though if I have the diopter dial set right. I'm wearing no. 2 reading glasses for doing bench work but don't need them to read, just to see the detail of what I'm working on. How much could that dial throw off the focus ?
The focus fine tune only affects autofocus. It just adds a pre-set offset to the AF system in case the AF is consistently off by a small amount.
If you can get apparent focus in the viewfinder, it's unlikely the diopter is wrong. The diopter usually will make the whole image fuzzy.
If you can get apparent focus in the viewfinder, it's unlikely the diopter is wrong. The diopter usually will make the whole image fuzzy.
Adjust it till the green LCD info in the viewfinder is in focus. That's it.
After you've tested a lens for proper AF, (and fine tuned if needed) you can double check your manual focusing in the viewfinder with the focus indicator in the bottom left.
Update:
So I've been working on shooting my rings that have a mirror finish on the inside with matt texture on the outside. Pretty tricky stuff. The light set up is still the same, but I made a white foam-core box to produce even reflections. During all this I discovered a couple of things. The reason why I am not getting a white background has to do with the mylar diffuser I am using which causes it to be grey. This can be corrected with a gel filter. The other thing is sharpening in PS. Last night I was finally able to achieve the level of sharpness I was after. Very, very happy with the results.
As shot:
Final:
So I've been working on shooting my rings that have a mirror finish on the inside with matt texture on the outside. Pretty tricky stuff. The light set up is still the same, but I made a white foam-core box to produce even reflections. During all this I discovered a couple of things. The reason why I am not getting a white background has to do with the mylar diffuser I am using which causes it to be grey. This can be corrected with a gel filter. The other thing is sharpening in PS. Last night I was finally able to achieve the level of sharpness I was after. Very, very happy with the results.
As shot:
Final:
Very nice. Focus stacked? What aperture did you settle on?
Thanks BV, the first image was shot at f25 which is what I use for most shots as it seems to give the best balance between sharpness and depth of field. The second one of the ring with a stone is focus stacked and stopped down to f18 since DOF was not a concern. I used four shots for that one. I find that if I start with the bottom of the subject then all I have to do is roll the focus ring counter clockwise a wee bit and take a shot until I reach the top. The four frames were developed in Lightroom and the focus stacked in Photoshop.
Lookin good! That's some pretty cool work you've done there, the photography skills are coming along nicely to show it off.
Better and better!
Look into creating a custom white balance setting, then bump up your exposure a bit, or bracket the exposure upwards and see if you can get a "clean" white in your RAW files.
Get it as close to perfect with the exposure, then you have can make it even better in post.
Thanks ya'll.
Did a few test shots of just the background and found that I can get a white background if I do not use the mylar. But un-diffused light and jewelry tend not to get along too well. A theater instructor friend confirmed that the mylar does indeed cause the grayness. He recommended a frost gel and there is a local place to buy a few sheets. Side note; it's in the hood and you have to call ahead so they can come unlock the door.
I agree, getting it right in camera is the best way. For now I'll have to settle for some new diffuser material, but want to invest in a couple of good lights. Been looking at Alien Bees...gearitis.
Did a few test shots of just the background and found that I can get a white background if I do not use the mylar. But un-diffused light and jewelry tend not to get along too well. A theater instructor friend confirmed that the mylar does indeed cause the grayness. He recommended a frost gel and there is a local place to buy a few sheets. Side note; it's in the hood and you have to call ahead so they can come unlock the door.
I agree, getting it right in camera is the best way. For now I'll have to settle for some new diffuser material, but want to invest in a couple of good lights. Been looking at Alien Bees...gearitis.
Recently, I was notified that his shot will be published in a forth-coming book titled 1000 Beads by Lark Books.
Lariat, oxidized sterling silver, 18K gold, and iolite.
The book is along these lines :
Ah yeeesss, validation of my photographic abilities. Where's the incon for pats-self-on-back ?
Lariat, oxidized sterling silver, 18K gold, and iolite.
The book is along these lines :
Ah yeeesss, validation of my photographic abilities. Where's the incon for pats-self-on-back ?
Nice! And nice shot. Did you pick up those Alien Bees and get sucked into the ever-expanding world of lighting?
Thanks BV
No, still haven't scored any Bees yet. Been a slow year sales wise. I do however have a borrowed strobe to try out, but I need a sync cord to trip it. The slave cel ( ? ) doesn't seem to work. The only way I can trip it with the built in camera flash is if the back of the unit is in the frame.
No, still haven't scored any Bees yet. Been a slow year sales wise. I do however have a borrowed strobe to try out, but I need a sync cord to trip it. The slave cel ( ? ) doesn't seem to work. The only way I can trip it with the built in camera flash is if the back of the unit is in the frame.
To the top!
How's your set up working? My girlfriend asked me to construct her something similar to photography her jewelry and well, coming from a man who has already done the same thing, any suggestions?
How's your set up working? My girlfriend asked me to construct her something similar to photography her jewelry and well, coming from a man who has already done the same thing, any suggestions?
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