A
Workable Photo Studio for Jewelry Artists
(Please nnote: most of this article first appeared
without any accompanying images on Friday, April 9th, 2004, as
a posting to the Orchid List.)
Given the recent advances in digital imagery, many artists have
purchased digital cameras in hopes of better communicating their
works to larger audiences. While these amazing devices do
reduce the number of steps needed to get great images, compared
to film cameras, some of the most important ones remain -- like
lighting, for example -- so a great deal of experimentation usually
stands in between the artist's creation and the reproducible image
of it.
To help simplify this, an American inventor came up with a gadget
called the "Cloud Dome" -- essentially, a hemisphere
of translucent white plastic with a hole on top of it and an attached
bracket for mounting a camera bolted above that), which comes
with a few accessories and simplifies the task of lighting and
shooting small items, such as jewelry, but costs several hundred
dollars. Although this device can work well for small individual
items or pairs, it would be hard to fit a suite of even three
or four pieces in it, and there are those who may not have access
to the disposable income its pricetag requires. offer a broad
enoughIn my experiments with similar "pseudo-Cloud Dome"
filters, I wound up with the same kinds of yellow glare, especially
when using the plastic that trashcans are poured from. After a
bit more searching, I settled on another method, entirely and,
if you’re using even a halfway-decent digital camera, are
willing to be a bit creative, can follow these directions (and
can afford to part with a whopping $30-40.00), I can pretty well
guarantee you of some truly outstanding results!
First, head over to your local supermarket or hardware store and
invest $4.99 in a white, rectangular Styrofoam cooler; the one
I use measures roughly 22x13". Next, stop off at the local
K-Mart or equivalent and splurge for a pair of cheap lamps (a
clamp-on gooseneck-type and an articulated/spring-loaded draftsman’s
lamp)
and a cheap penlight. On your way home, stop by the local fabric
shop and invest the rest of your money in a
box of chrome or white T-pins, three yards of lightweight cotton
muslin, a yard each of thin and medium-weights
of pellon, and some 3x1' remnants of black leatherette vinyl,
and black, dark blue and "grey card grey"
fabrics, preferably not shiny. When you arrive back at your home
or studio, take a matte knife, X-acto or box
cutter and cut a 9x6" rectangular area out of one of the
long sides of the cooler, using the underside of the
top edge's rim as the top of that cutout. (Make sure the cutout's
direction matches that of the cooler.)
Next, use the muslin to line the inside of the three uncut sides
of the cooler, using the T-pins to hold
it in place. On these three sides, make sure the fabric conforms
to the walls fairly closely. For the side
you've just relieved with the knife, cut a separate piece of muslin
about 8-10” wider than the widest point of
the wall and use T-pins to mount it in such a way that it both
overlaps the ends of the previous sheet of
muslin and hangs down like a sail, about 3’4” from
that side, when the cooler is laid on its opposite side.
Next to last, place the cooler on its longest uncut side on a
tabletop or desk, position the draftsman’s lamp
over the cooler, shining through the opening and muslin, and clamp
the remaining lamp onto the front edge of
your desk or tabletop, making sure to bend it down and rotate
the reflector back upwards, to illuminate the
fabric above and to one side of the object you intend to shoot.
You will be creating a beautiful wash of
ambient lighting, this way, without much in the way of “hard”
light to overwhelm the lens.
And, for the “pizza of resistance” (sorry –
just couldn’t help myself) lay the fabric of your choice
beneath and behind your subject and, placing the camera on a tripod,
use the penlight to add a spark of
intensity to your gems from 6” to a foot behind the camera.
Depending on the results I’m seeking, I also use an
8.5x11” sheet of 1/8” Lexan polycarbonate as a background,
with its narrow ends supported by 8” lengths of 2x2”
lumber; I aim the camera at a spot about ½” in from
the front edge, and pan back. On shots in which the white
background is overwhelming to the image, or if I’m shooting
Opals (which can otherwise be a nightmare to light
properly), I’ll pin up that black sheet of fabric I’d
mentioned, and run it from the top rear edge of the
cooler to the bottom front edge, under the plastic sheet. By playing
with light placement, I can usually get
results equal to or better than the commercial photographers I
used when I lived in the NY area. Another
lighting trick I’ve used is done with a matched pair of
8x10” Kodak grey cards. I place one under the suspended
Lexan and the other behind it, and leaning against the back wall.
When you focus in on the ring, pin or gem
subject of your shot, the seam between these two cards vanishes,
and you’re left with this stunning effect of
your item “floating” on this subtle, glassy background,
which “washes” into shadow… Gorgeous! Well,
gang, I
think that about covers it. If you’re on a budget (and/or
if you’re not, but can stand having a cheap Styrofoam
foam cooler lying around your shop), give it a try. I think you’ll
be as surprised at the quality of the images
you’ll be able to generate as you will with the versatility
of this setup.
All the best,
Doug
Douglas Turet, G.J.
Lapidary Artist & Designer
Turet Design
P.O. Box 242
Avon, MA 02322-0242
Tel. (508) 586-5690
doug@turetdesign.com
