p.1 #1 · Any experience with Photo Cubics Inc "flashbox"?
Hello Everyone,
I am going to be doing a lot of jewelry photography and I have been looking for a decent setup to do that.. I have been doing a lot of research on the different ways of doing so. I was given a small light box to use and experiment with, but the lighting was poor even with additional lights. They where not the proper color which is why I am looking to expand. I have seen the light tents/ soft boxes and the light box's with the continuous lighting. However I came across this product that uses a strobe/flash inside a light box.
I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this product or anything similar. I really like this set up because of the ease of use, simple setup, and decent image quality right out of the box. I will be doing entire jewelry store, so this looks like it will drastically cut the time in half.
p.1 #2 · Any experience with Photo Cubics Inc "flashbox"?
Cubes / Tents are a good way to shoot metal jewelry because the trick when shooting reflective objects is to light the objects surrounding the piece creating the reflections seen by the camera. The idea is to put the white reflections on the higher parts where light from above would hit a solid object, then arrange black material (cards, fabric, etc.) around the object near the bottom to "kill" the white reflection from the tent creating the illusion of shadows.
The strategy is based on the fact that in a 2D photo we get our clues about 3D shape from highlight and shadow patterns. Natural light usually comes from above at about 45° so we expect the top sides of objects to be lighter and there to be shadows below, opposite the position of the highlights at 10 or 2 on the clock face...
With a black object you'd want the primary highlights in the same place near the top, but rather than shade the bottom side to create the illusion of 3D you'd want to add secondary reflections off a white surrounding surface. http://super.nova.org/MP/Comp6black.jpg
So what you need to do with reflective metal jewelry is trick the brain of the viewer into thinking they are seeing an non-reflective object lit normally with direct lighting. A good way to practice your skills is to get an opaque object like a wooden ball and light it normally as illustrated above, then get a chrome ball and try to create the same pattern by controlling the reflections seen on it by surrounding it with white, gray and black objects.
Faceted jewels are an entirely different lighting problem. What gives faceted stones their sparkle is the light from a single point source reflecting off the internal angles. When you get light coming from many different directions like a tent the reflections become a muddle and the sparkle is lost. A solution to getting sparkle in the stone and natural 3D shape reflections on the setting is bare bulb flash used in a small white room free of things that will appear in the reflection of the metal parts of the setting. The bare bulb will create the point source needed to creating sharp reflections in the stone and will fill the room with light like an overcast day. If a suitable room isn't available one can be created around the set by draping white muslin. Muslin is widely available in 9 and 10 foot widths at fabric stores and relatively cheap. I've found it at Walmart in the fabric section (not all stores have them) and any fabric store should have it.
p.1 #3 · Any experience with Photo Cubics Inc "flashbox"?
The goal of photographing jewelry is to not only exhibit its sparkle, but to also give an otherwise completely reflective surface depth and clarity. I advise against the tents because it will trap you into just focusing on the white reflections (since all 4 sides of the tent's interior is white). The result won't be as flattering as you think.
Instead, I'd light the jewelry on a table with carefully placed bounce cards, including near the camera lens, AND a strategically placed black card for contour definition on the jewelry. Also, employing a silver card will give you beautiful, gradual fall off and gradation to emphasize the lines and tones of the piece. The goal is to not have blown highlights everywhere. Of course, be mindful of your studio space, and reduce as many specular highlights and objects in the reflections before shooting.
More of an effort to wield the lighting my way, but will make you the better jewelry photographer.
I have spent a lot of time on their site and really like their products and they seem to be reasonably priced.. I also spoke with Stephen there and the amount of info on their end has been super helpful also.
