topic Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5 in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

Metalsmith — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 14:15:44 GMT

Hey Everyone,

I own the Canon Rebel t5 and I have the standard 58mm lens and a 60mm macro lens. I shoot my jewelry photographs in a Foldio light box.

I am a super beginner with my Canon and so far have found the most success shooting in the Manual Exposure setting. I typically use a shutter speed between 1/500, 1/640 or 1/800, it seems to give me the brightest results. My aperture was always around F5 and ISO1600. Here is what i'm hoping to achieve and unable to:

*A jewelry shot that is completely in focus

*As white a background as possible (I currently shoot in the lightbox on top of white computer paper)

I have tried changing the aperture but it still seems that I still can't get the entire ring, necklace, or earring in focus and this is critical so that I can then edit in photoshop. I've also tried the macro setting but photos come out too dark when I can't change the shutter speed.

I'm very open to everyones suggestions and expertise. My jewelry website is www.metalribbonstudio.com I hired a photographer for a some photos but the backgrounds she gave me were gray so I have to redo a lot of my photos and a ton of the ones I have taken are blurry in the background, in focus in the foreground.

Cheers,

Corkie

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

Peter — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 14:52:39 GMT

LED and no flashes? Then try Av mode, f16. iso 100 or 200 and the shutter speed will be whatever the camera chooses. If the image will be too dark, exposure compensate with +1 or +2.

You will need a tripod and 2 seconds shutter release.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

diverhank — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 15:21:02 GMT

I think you can improve your result with a few things, based on what you have described.

1. If you haven't already, set your camera on a steady tripod. This is a must for some of the subsequent points.

2. Set your ISO to 100

3. Set your aperture to f/11 or f/16 (larger value may give you diffraction error - less sharp, depending on lens)

4. Adjust the speed as appropriate...this might be several seconds but that's OK,the camera is on a tripod.

5. You need to set the proper white balance. This will help greatly in making your white background to look white.

5.1 Take a picture of just your white background for use in a custom white balance. You may need to switch your lens to manual focus so you can take a picture and it doesn't have to be in focus. Use this picture to set your manual white balance (consult your manual for how to do it). OR

5.2 For this kind of photography, I use daylight (5500 degrees K) light bulbs to illuminate the objects and it looks great with auto white balance. OR

5.3 Set manual white balance in degrees K using liveview until everything looks right, especially the background.

6. Since the lens has to be close to the jewelry to fill the frame, as you've discovered, the depth of field is shallow. A larger aperture value as in step 3 will help but may not be enough. If you require everything to be in sharp focus, you need to do focus stacking - a procedure where you take a series of photos (up to 30), each with a different focus point (you manually focus) and use post processing (photoshop can do this with ease) to combine them together to make one photo with everything in focus. You can google on how to do this easy enough. This is a must for macro photography so there are thousands of instructions, including youtube videos.

Let me know how you fare if you decide to try my suggestions... 🙂

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

Waddizzle — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 17:02:13 GMT

"I have tried changing the aperture but it still seems that I still can't get the entire ring, necklace, or earring in focus and this is critical so that I can then edit in photoshop. I've also tried the macro setting but photos come out too dark when I can't change the shutter speed."

What you need is software that performs "focus stacking." There are some free packages out there, and some that cost money.

The image of the quarter was created from six separate shots, with each shot focusing in on a different part of the quarter's face. Imagine that the quarter was sliced, horizontally, into six pieces.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

ScottyP — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 17:32:33 GMT

The whole thing is an exercise of getting enough light into the camera to give you a proper exposure. Rather than memorize the very good suggestions offered by the two contributors above, watch a couple of free 5-10 minute videos on Google explaining the "exposure triangle".

The he jewelry isn't moving, so you don't have to use a fast shutter speed like 1/640th, etc. use a tripod to eliminate hand shake and you can take as long an exposure as you need.

Do do not use high ISO. It destroys your image quality. ISO 100 is the best. As you will be on a tripod you can again just use a long slow shutter and you don't need to dial up a high ugly ISO.

You you also want a high f/number which is a small aperture opening because it gives a deep depth of field in focus so the whole piece of jewelry will be sharp. Again, the tripod lets you pinch down the opening by letting you make up that lost light with a longer exposure.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

Waddizzle — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 17:49:53 GMT

"*As white a background as possible (I currently shoot in the lightbox on top of white computer paper)."

If you want an absolute white background, then you will need to perform some post-processing on the images. Adobe's Photoshop Elements can probably do all that you need, ... so can some freeware, like Paint_Dot_Net.

If you want perfect backgrounds, then take a beauty shot of a perfect background. Then, take a beauty shot of your item, and use the software to cut out the jewelry from the image, so that you can layer it onto your perfect background.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

Waddizzle — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 17:54:17 GMT

"The jewelry isn't moving, so you don't have to use a fast shutter speed like 1/640th, etc. use a tripod to eliminate hand shake and you can take as long an exposure as you need. "

Long exposure, which is exactly how the quarter was photographed. I used ambient light, a rather robust tripod, and the camera's two second timer to take the shots. I think my exposures were around 1/4 second each. I used a 35mm lens, and a 14mm extension tube. Yup, I cheated.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

Metalsmith — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 19:21:47 GMT

Thank you so much for the suggestions thus far. The first thing I need to do is get a tripod. I haven't been using one. I will order one today which will allow for me to begin to experiment with some of the suggestions below.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

ScottyP — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 20:55:44 GMT

Don't go cheap on the tripod. Get an unsteady one and you will end up having to buy another one.

If you shop online go with a big enough store that they let you search by the weight the tripod can support, and then go a lot heavier than your camera and lens to be sure it is a steady one. I'd say get one that is rated to hold at least 17+ pounds.

You need a ball head too. Some pods come with a head, most of the better ones come separately.

Getting a ball head that is "Arca-Swiss compatible" is smart. It lets you use a wide range of connector plates from many different manufacturers. No need to be stuck with some company's proprietary connector stuff.

Don't waste money on carbon fiber; for your use you don't care about an extra few ounces because you are not hiking with it. Aluminum is fine.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

RobertTheFat — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 22:20:28 GMT

@Waddizzle wrote:
"I have tried changing the aperture but it still seems that I still can't get the entire ring, necklace, or earring in focus and this is critical so that I can then edit in photoshop. I've also tried the macro setting but photos come out too dark when I can't change the shutter speed."

What you need is software that performs "focus stacking." There are some free packages out there, and some that cost money.

The image of the quarter was created from six separate shots, with each shot focusing in on a different part of the quarter's face. Imagine that the quarter was sliced, horizontally, into six pieces.

This picture, which Waddizzle has shown us several times, is a striking display of masterly, but time consuming, technique. The reason that technique was necessary is that the coin is positioned at a shallow angle to the axis of the lens, greatly increasing the required depth of field. If your requirements allow the jewelry to be photographed from directly overhead, you shouldn't need to consider such heroic measures.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

ebiggs1 — Sat, 04 Jun 2016 01:53:35 GMT

"What you need is software that performs ~~"focus stacking.~~" editing.

He is absolutely correct about needing post editing software. But focus stacking is just a small part of the process. Great photos are made in post, rarely in the camera! IMHO, of course and subject to change.

The tripod and shooting straight down is also a winner.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

Waddizzle — Sat, 04 Jun 2016 00:40:34 GMT

"This picture, which Waddizzle has shown us several times, is a striking display of masterly, but time consuming, technique. The reason that technique was necessary is that the coin is positioned at a shallow angle to the axis of the lens, greatly increasing the required depth of field. If your requirements allow the jewelry to be photographed from directly overhead, you shouldn't need to consider such heroic measures."

Thanks, for the compliment, Bob.

The angle must have been somewhere close to 45 degrees. The Depth of Field at that angle covered about 1/3 of the quarter's face. The DoF was well under an inch, perhaps as short as 1/4 of an inch, if not even less.

Had I focused straight down at the quarter, I probably could have managed to get the entire face of the quarter in focus. But, how many pieces of jewelry that you are photographing are as thin as a quarter, or less than 1/4 of an inch thick?

BTW, I took 6 shots so that I could have a bit of overlap between the images. I started at the bottom, the closest part of the subject to me, and worked by way "up" to the most distant part of the subject, which is what the software was looking for...nearest to farthest.

---------------------------------------------------

I would advise getting a tripod and head that is rated at least 4-5 times the weight of your heaviest camera/lens combo that you expect to use. That probably works out to somewhere near 17 pounds, at a minimum. That's a good start, now double it. Some manufacturers are overly optimistic with their "load capacities" of their tripods.

The load ratings most likely apply when the center column is fully retracted, and with the legs extended to their minimum distance. Once you start raising the center column and extending the legs, instability will creep into the picture, which is one reason why getting your hands on what seems to be an overly robust tripod is a good thing, most especially if you're using it in a studio, or some other controlled environment where you're not carrying it around.

Tripod heads can be similarly overly rated by the manufacturers. I have found a liking for Benro and Induro, which are two names from the same parent brand. I like ball heads that have a separate friction adjustment. I prefer pan/tilt heads over ball heads for precision shots. I also like to use leveling adapters between the head and the tripod.

If you get serious about macro photography, then some macro rails might be a good investment. Prices for rails can vary widely. I shot the quarter with a pretty strong pan/tilt head, Induro PHD3, which is rated at over 70+ pounds. Everything else was rated just as high. The head was mounted on an Induro 8M Alloy 100mm tripod, with a Gitzo Series 5 pnuematic ball mounted in the bowl as a leveling adapter. The Gitzo head has exceptional friction control. I also use a Sunwayfoto leveling plate, which is nothing more than flat plat with an oversized bubble level, under the PHD3 head. I use the Gitzo head to level the plate, which naturally levels the head.

Why so much horsepower in my tripod set up? I used an EOS 6D, with a battery grip, and the 16-35mm lens listed just below, to photograph the quarter. The camera, battery grip, and lens must have weighed well over 5 pounds. I manually focused with Live View, which meant I would be touching the camera quite a bit to adjust the focus for the six shots. So, I wanteded something that would not move, wouldn't budge, and not by a hair. BTW, most photo stacking software can align images, but I wasn't going to rely too heavily on that feature.

Please, ask questions about any tripod and head combo that you wish to purchase. Stay away from the plastic tripods sold at the big box stores. Look for metal tripods that allow for interchangeable heads. My "legs" are made from an aluminum/magnesium alloy, as well as the head. My advice will run towards the more robust the better, which does not mean you need to spend a whole lot. I bide my time, and take advantage of clearance sales.

There is no need to rush into a tripod purchase. I recently purchased a "travel tripod", which consists of a Benro COM37AL tripod, which has no center column and comes with an excellent, oversized, well padded case, and a Benro V3 ball head. I recently purchased the pair at nearly 66% off list price. I use a Sunwayfoto Leveling adapter base. The entire setup fits into the tripod case without need to disassemble it! Most would not consider such a setup to a "travel tripod", but I'm a big guy.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

Waddizzle — Sat, 04 Jun 2016 01:31:38 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:
"What you need is software that performs ~~"focus stacking."~~ "

He is absolutely correct about needing post editing software. But focus stacking is just a small part of the process. Great photos are made in post, rarely in the camera! IMHO, of course and subject to change.
The tripod and shooting straight down is also a winner.

The above shot is an example of using a tripod to "shoot straight down" at a subject. This tripod allowed for the center column to be reversed, flipped upside down, so that the head can be positioned with a ball head as shown.

I am shooting at an angle to avoid casting a strong shadow over the plate of food, juevos rancheros. Normally, one would use special lighting and a light box. This shot was taken to illustrate how to use a reversible center column.

Here is a shot of the plate of food. The actual shot was taken with the tripod raised higher, so that the camera aimed straight down, and so that the MFD, minimum focusing distance, of the lens was maintained. Ambient light and a "long" exposure was used.

What is it? It's a couple of fried eggs, served over a bed of Spanish rice, and a bed of pinto beans. This is covered with sauteed salsa, queso fresca and crema, along with fresh tostitos, some grated iceberg lettuce, and avocado slices.

This shot was taken with a T5, and the 18-55mm kit lens.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

ScottyP — Sat, 04 Jun 2016 02:23:50 GMT

Were any juevos rancheros harmed in the making of this image? 😉

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

Waddizzle — Sat, 04 Jun 2016 02:41:36 GMT

@ScottyP wrote:
Were any juevos rancheros harmed in the making of this image? 😉

They were nuked, and then utterly destroyed, shortly after the photo shoot.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

Metalsmith — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 20:06:33 GMT

UPDATE

First and foremost I wanted to thank everyone who took the time to respond to my post.

I purchased a ProMaster 7100 Tripod and it seems to suite my needs just fine.

So now that I have the tripod I attempted to shoot in AV mode with my macro lens. This is f16, iso 100 and I could not figure out how to change the exposure from 0. The dial near the view finder didn't change it nor was i able to pick it in the digital display while in AV mode. It is way, way too dark.

I completely agree about using software to edit. I have photoshop and lightroom. I even purchased a colorchecker **bleep** which I am struggling to use. I feel way in over my head.

I really need simple, begininer advice. My understandling of photoshop is a begininers understanding. The reason I initially posted was because I need the entire jewelry in focus before I can cut it out and paste it onto a pure white background in photoshop which is what most jewelry companies do. Then I went to the camera shop and they sold me on the colorchecker **bleep** because I would love to be able to get an image that just looks great and doesn't require being cut out. I literally spent 6 hours today trying to figure it out and because i'm also new to lightroom I was having a hard time.

But I digress, white balance aside I am still having a hard time getting everything in focus. I also tried f32 iso 100 for a 0"6 exposure and the photo looks the same as this.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

Waddizzle — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 20:56:13 GMT

@Metalsmith wrote:
UPDATE

First and foremost I wanted to thank everyone who took the time to respond to my post.

I purchased a ProMaster 7100 Tripod and it seems to suite my needs just fine.

So now that I have the tripod I attempted to shoot in AV mode with my macro lens. This is f16, iso 100 and I could not figure out how to change the exposure from 0. The dial near the view finder didn't change it nor was i able to pick it in the digital display while in AV mode. It is way, way too dark.

I completely agree about using software to edit. I have photoshop and lightroom. I even purchased a colorchecker **bleep** which I am struggling to use. I feel way in over my head.

I really need simple, begininer advice. My understandling of photoshop is a begininers understanding. The reason I initially posted was because I need the entire jewelry in focus before I can cut it out and paste it onto a pure white background in photoshop which is what most jewelry companies do. Then I went to the camera shop and they sold me on the colorchecker **bleep** because I would love to be able to get an image that just looks great and doesn't require being cut out. I literally spent 6 hours today trying to figure it out and because i'm also new to lightroom I was having a hard time.

But I digress, white balance aside I am still having a hard time getting everything in focus. I also tried f32 iso 100 for a 0"6 exposure and the photo looks the same as this.

Hopefully, the tripod will work out for you. I have grave reservations and doubts about it. The head isn't interdhangeable. Be careful of extending the center column, as that greatly increases the instability of a tripod. Use the weight hook on the bottom of the center column to stabilize it with a weighted bag. It is rated at just over 10 pounds, which doesn't mean much.

You cannot change the exposure in Av mode because in that mode the camera sets the exposure. Make a note of what shutter speed the camera decides to use, and then switch to "M", Manual, mode and use the same exposure...or adjust it if you wish.

You can stack images in Photoshop CC and CS6 by using the "Auto Blend Layers" command. Instructions on how to do it can be found in the online Help. Try typing "focus stacking" into the search box of the Help screen.

You may want to rethink on your lighting. I think you need more than one source, brighter sources, and possibly diffusers. You want it to be lit up as bright as daylight.

Don't look for shortcuts. There is no substitute for careful, meticulous work.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

diverhank — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 21:21:59 GMT

@Metalsmith wrote:
UPDATE

I really need simple, begininer advice. My understandling of photoshop is a begininers understanding. The reason I initially posted was because I need the entire jewelry in focus before I can cut it out and paste it onto a pure white background in photoshop which is what most jewelry companies do. Then I went to the camera shop and they sold me on the colorchecker **bleep** because I would love to be able to get an image that just looks great and doesn't require being cut out. I literally spent 6 hours today trying to figure it out and because i'm also new to lightroom I was having a hard time.

Since you are fixing the aperture to f/16 and the ISO to 100, the only thing you can change is the time. Therefore you should use either Tv or M and not Av. In Tv or M mode just change the time value (Tv) to something that would proper expose. In your picture, looks like it might need to be around 1.5 seconds or so. Properly exposed, I think your background will look white. In light room you can use the dropper, click on the background and it will adjust the color to white for you.

For this kind of shooting, it is best to use live view so you can see exactly what the picture will look like exposure-wise...it won't show you the depth of field, unfortunately. Here is how to get to live view.

In Av and Tv mode, you can also use exposure compensation to change the way the picture look (i.e. brighten it). The dial next to the viewfinder is not the one to use. Here is an excerpt from your manual

I must tell you to read up more on how to use your camera before you can get the kind of professional looking pictures that you desire.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

Waddizzle — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 21:32:11 GMT

"I must tell you to read up more on how to use your camera before you can get the kind of professional looking pictures that you desire."

I would have to agree with that sentiment. If you have never heard of "exposure triangle", do a web search for it.

http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2015/understanding-exposure-triangle.shtml

Ernie said that great pictures are made in post. He's right. It took more clicks to load the image, than it did to edit.

I brightened up your photo by 1 stop, did a click white balance on the background.

BTW, those spots are a dirty sensor. You need a BLOWER to clean it off. Get a professional to do it for you at this point.

Re: Need Help With Jewelry Photography! Canon Rebel t5

ScottyP — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 23:29:14 GMT

@Waddizzle wrote:
"I must tell you to read up more on how to use your camera before you can get the kind of professional looking pictures that you desire."

I would have to agree with that sentiment. If you have never heard of "exposure triangle", do a web search for it.

http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2015/understanding-exposure-triangle.shtml

Ernie said that great pictures are made in post. He's right. It took more clicks to load the image, than it did to edit.

I brightened up your photo by 1 stop, did a click white balance on the background.

BTW, those spots are a dirty sensor. You need a BLOWER to clean it off. Get a professional to do it for you at this point.

Yes a Rocket blower bulb or a knockoff of the same.

You you can also use the "clone" function in Lightroom to make a little spot disappear in about 2 seconds in the develop module. You do want to get the dust off the sensor though, so you don't have to do the same spots over and over again in every shot.