A local company has just contacted me about photographing some jewellery for them. This is something I haven't done before and while I can find tips throughout the internet does anyone here have any advice with regards to lenses, lighting etc. I use a Canon 1d series body.

Thanks
Chris

The Canon 100mm or 50mm macro would be the one of the lenses of choice for jewelry.
Not knowing what kind of jewelry you are shooting, it's difficult to suggest lighting.

Get a lightbox or light tent.

Thanks for the reply. I'll be photographing mainly rings and probably some necklaces.

Do yourself a favor and get one of these. Light (and reflection) control is a sincere issue with jewelry, and this type of unit relieves most of the pain.

There are special light boxes, made by MK, which make things easier. THey have bottom lighting, which keeps the background white, which is what most jewelers use for their websites. They also have halogen lights, which provide specular highlights for gemstones.
The key is even wrap-around lighting, so that the jewelry is evenly lit, since it is highly reflective.
I am now coaching a local jeweler on inventory photography.

Hmmmm....

I guess my original post was overlooked. Here is the MK digital direct website:

http://mkdigitaldirect.com/

Other items that will help with your photographing jewelry are the small clear ring stands, the sticky stubstance that holds them in certain positions, and other similar accessories. Make sure your insurance covers the cost of replacing the jewelry if lost or damaged. Best of luck to you.

A 90mm T/S lens will come in handy for maximizing depth of field, especially necklaces if you're shooting them at an angle. A friend of mine who shoots a lot of jewelry has started using the program Heliconfocus www.heliconsoft.com which you might want to check out.

Sorry, I didn't overlook your original post, I just didn't have a chance to come back to this forum lastnight. I have been looking at the lightbox/light tents and it seems like that's the way to go for a lot of product photography. Thanks for the tip.

Chris

I always find it strange that people would suggest light tents when asked about shooting jewellery or watches. I would really like to see some first rate jewellery photos shot by pros using light tents. I won't consider picture used on ebay as first rate so I hope someone can help me out here.

Thanks.

What would you recommend?

It's what people who do catalogs and the like use. You can see it in use on some websites as well, though it's usually high-end gemstone dealers and the like plus a couple of the high-end auction houses.

Just go to Tiffany.com

Good results require this sort of equipment.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/...s/mp-e-65.shtml
Probably the best dedicated lens for this sort of work that will fit(I think so - not a Canon expert) on your camera.

65mm is very close to a 1:1 ratio to begin with, and this is a macro-only lens. 5x is a godsend.

Cheaper still is this:

EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro ($250 at B&H)

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews...Set-Review.aspx
B&H photo item # KEAETSCD ($169 at B&H)

Three tubes for the price of Canon's one. (over half a dozen different lengths if you mix and match them together)

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/...non_macro.shtml
A nice bit of info/page from this site.

http://www.shutterfreaks.com/Tips/ExtensionTube.htm
A good example of an extender tube in action.

Note - the extender tubes will convert almost any lens into a macro, so you can actually squeek by in a pinch with a tube and a simple 50, 85, or 100mm lens. Most non macro lenses focus at about half life size natively, so adding 2-3 tubes together is a quick and dirty trick.(worth trying out with your existing lenses - can't hurt to try) The 85mm with a .44x magnifier photo at the site above is a superb example of what a even a cheap lens and a magnifier/extension tube can do. But with a true macro, even if it only goes to 1:1, things get stunning for small things like jewelery, because .25x factor with something already at life size is really large - perfect for small items.

(though again, the MP-E 65mm 1-5x while pricey, does this all right out of the box)

http://photo.net/equipment/canon/macro-flash/
Another nice item you might consider - makes lighting small subjects much easier. But it's kind of pricey compared to a light box and some tweaking. Lots of examples on this page of macro lenses and small items. This gives you an idea of why lighting like this or a light box(much cheaper!) is a necessity.

Light tents get easy results, not good results. Shooting jewelry is about the most technically demanding aspect of photography except for maybe architectural.

Reflectors, mirrors, black cards, reflector cards, and your standard softboxes and gridspots are how you properly light jewelry to give them depth, specular highlights, reflections, shadows, etc. It's pretty impossible to learn from a couple tips posted on a forum.

Go to www.imagingprep.com - a website devoted to lighting, shooting, and retouching jewelry.

Thanks for the link, very informative.

[quote=Plekto,Jul 19 2008, 12:06 AM]
It's what people who do catalogs and the like use. You can see it in use on some websites as well, though it's usually high-end gemstone dealers and the like plus a couple of the high-end auction houses.

Just go to Tiffany.com

Good results require this sort of equipment.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/...s/mp-e-65.shtml
Probably the best dedicated lens for this sort of work that will fit(I think so - not a Canon expert) on your camera.

65mm is very close to a 1:1 ratio to begin with, and this is a macro-only lens. 5x is a godsend.

I had a look at the 65mm lens a while back and have to say I was really impressed by it. Like you said the 5x is an absolutely godsend, not just for jewellery but also for many types of macro photography.

I was really considering the light tents as I'm on a really tight budget right now but may actually invest in one (or at least hire if possible) of the twin macro flash setups and give that a go.

Thanks
Chris

[quote=radders2007,Jul 19 2008, 09:48 AM]
[quote=Plekto,Jul 19 2008, 12:06 AM]
It's what people who do catalogs and the like use. You can see it in use on some websites as well, though it's usually high-end gemstone dealers and the like plus a couple of the high-end auction houses.

Just go to Tiffany.com

Good results require this sort of equipment.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/...s/mp-e-65.shtml
Probably the best dedicated lens for this sort of work that will fit(I think so - not a Canon expert) on your camera.

65mm is very close to a 1:1 ratio to begin with, and this is a macro-only lens. 5x is a godsend.

I had a look at the 65mm lens a while back and have to say I was really impressed by it. Like you said the 5x is an absolutely godsend, not just for jewellery but also for many types of macro photography.

I was really considering the light tents as I'm on a really tight budget right now but may actually invest in one (or at least hire if possible) of the twin macro flash setups and give that a go.

Thanks
Chris

[/quote]
I use the 100 mm Canon Macro....Very sharp! and the Canon Ringlight and sometimes use the a softbox all work well.

There are all sorts of these types of links floating around:
http://www.studiolighting.net/homemade-lig...ct-photography/

The great thing about it is you don't need hardly any space, or any light expense.

Good luck.