[Jewelry making - Article 00029] - Re: [Orchid] Scanner recommendations

[Rena Klingenberg]

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    Tips for Photographing Jewelry with a Scanner
    by Rena Klingenberg 

    Scanners are an easy and excellent piece of equipment to use for
    photographing jewelry. For years I took all my jewelry photos this
    way. Scanners are fast, simple to learn your way around, and can
    yield beautifully artistic photos. 

    I started out trying to photograph my jewelry with a cheapie digital
    camera, and after a lot of time and frustration I realized that my
    camera was just not capable of getting close, clear jewelry photos. 
    So following the suggestion of a shop owner where I consigned some
    of my jewelry, I put a necklace on my scanner glass, shut the lid,
    and scanned it. 

    Wow! Even though the only backdrop the necklace had was the white
    inside of the scanner lid, I saw right away that the shot was much
    more clear than anything I'd ever achieved with my cheap digi-cam. 

    So I really began pushing the envelope of scanning jewelry, and
    worked on developing different tricks to make my scanner shots
    better and better. I decided that, except for the occasional very
    3-dimensional piece of jewelry like a cuff bracelet, I'm sticking
    with using my scanner.  It's really hard to beat the fast, fabulous
    results it gives for photographing mainly flat jewelry (which
    includes most necklaces, pendants, bracelets, earrings, anklets,
    etc.). 

    Try a jewelry photo with the scanner you already have. If you're not
    thrilled with your results, you might want to invest in a cheap 3-D
    scanner - available for well under US$99. If you decide to buy a
    scanner that's designed for scanning 3-dimensional objects, be sure
    it's not just a scanner with a lid that's engineered to close around
    a thick book on the glass (which is what some manufacturers will
    tell you is a 3-D scanner).  It doesn't matter what the lid can do;
    you're looking for a scanner that's designed to photograph a depth
    of field. 

    Now that you've got your scanner, here are a few hints that will
    help you achieve excellent results when you photograph beads and
    jewelry with it.  These tips will eliminate 99% of the problems
    involved in using scanners for shooting photos of beads and jewelry:
    

    1. Wipe the scanner glass clean. Even tiny specks of lint or dust
    come out looking enormous, dirty, and tacky in a jewelry photo. 

    2. Place a clean, clear sheet of plastic (such as a page protector
    from an office supply store) on top of the scanner glass so the
    glass won=E2=80=99t be scratched by your jewelry or beads. When the
    plastic sheet starts to get a bit scratched from use, discard it and
    start a new one. 

    3. Clean and polish your beads or jewelry to a jewelry-store shine,
    and wipe with a lint-free jewelry polishing cloth. 

    4. Arrange your beads or jewelry on the scanner glass that's already
    covered by the plastic sheet protector. 

    5. Place a background for your photo against the back of your
    jewelry or beads. There are all kinds of wonderful things you can
    use for backgrounds in your jewelry scans. Different colored or
    textured papers, lace, fabric scraps, flowers, leaves - look around
    and find something neat that would make a pleasing background for
    your photo. Just be sure it enhances the jewelry and doesn't
    distract the eye away from it. And if you have trouble with over- or
    under-exposed jewelry scans, try using a neutral gray or blue
    background. 

    6. Place a small box on the scanner glass, somewhere out of the
    jewelry shot. The box is not part of your photo; its only purpose is
    to hold the scanner lid off of the back of your jewelry or beads, so
    that the lid doesn't knock them askew from the way you've just
    arranged them on the glass.  Close the lid of the scanner so that it
    rests on the small box, safely off of your arranged jewelry. 

    7. Cover the entire scanner with a dark cloth so no outside light
    can seep in around the edges of the scanner lid, since it's propped
    partly open by the small box. 

    Design Your Jewelry Photo for a Scanner 

    Okay, now the fun begins! First, look through some clothing /
    jewelry catalogs to see how the most effective jewelry photos are
    designed. What do designers do to make persuasive shots when
    photographing jewelry? What=E2=80=99s in the photo, and what=E2=80=99s=
 not? What
    feeling does the photo give you about the jewelry, and why? You can
    also click around some jewelry websites, enjoying the eye candy
    there, studying the same things. 

    NOTE: Don't copy other people's photo designs. Just learn from what
    you see, and get inspired so you can take off in your own direction
    that's best for your own jewelry. 

    Now take a good look at the piece of jewelry you're going to
    photograph. What mood or feel does it have? What kind of style? Keep
    the piece's personality in mind when you design the photo. If you
    have a neat photo design idea but it's not really right for that
    particular piece of jewelry, save the design idea for a different
    piece. Keep a notebook or file of photo design ideas for
    photographing jewelry, so you can pull it out and design a shot
    quickly. 

    Set the piece of jewelry face-down on the clean scanner glass that's
    covered by the clean plastic sheet protector. Turn the jewelry a
    bit, this way or that, till you get an appealing angle that=E2's
    appropriate for the piece. 

    For earrings, I've found that it's a nightmare to try to make both
    of them perfectly vertical and perfectly parallel to each other, and
    anyway I think placing them at artsy angles to each other is much
    more visually intriguing and dynamic, and romanticizes the piece. So
    don't kill yourself trying to achieve a perfectly vertical earring
    shot, especially if the earrings have round beads that make them
    roll around. 

    For necklaces or chains, try different cool ways of swirling or
    coiling the strands or chain on the scanner glass for the photo. Be
    sure the clasp shows clearly. If the necklace has an extender, that
    should be clearly visible too. Make sure chains don't look angled or
    awkwardly kinked. Again, don't try for perfectly vertical shots.
    tilt the piece till you get a neat angle. 

    When the jewelry is arranged to your satisfaction, it's time for the
    background of the shot. Choose a plain piece of
    interestingly-textured fabric, some natural or silk leaves or
    flowers, or a sheet of special paper to place over the back of the
    jewelry for the photo background. Cheesecloth, gauze, denim, lace,
    linen, fur, etc. make good fabric choices for photographing jewelry.
    Paper in a light, interesting pattern or printed with scenery is
    good to try. Your background shouldn't contrast too fiercely with
    your jewelry in terms of color or style. And remember that the
    jewelry and not the background is the star of the photo. 

    If you have trouble with too much contrast in your jewelry scans -
    like pearls being invisible or onyx looking like a dark blop - try a
    neutral-toned background. Experiment with medium grays and blues and
    see if that helps. 

    If you're photographing jewelry for your website, I recommend using
    the same background for all shots. If each piece on your site has a
    different color and style of background it can look like a
    disjointed hodge-podge and distract attention from your jewelry. I
    think it's best to choose a single background to use in all photos
    for your site so your jewelry will be the focus of shoppers'
    attention! 

    I don't recommend using a coin in the same photo as your jewelry as
    a way of showing the size of the piece. For one thing, the glare on
    the coin can make for a difficult lighting contrast in the photo.
    But more important, it doesn't seem like a good comparison to put a
    piece of well handcrafted jewelry right next to 25 cents! You don't
    want people subconsciously thinking the coin represents the value of
    your jewelry. If you must show the scale of the piece, I recommend
    using your hand or even a ruler instead for photographing jewelry. 

    Your hand is best because it adds the bonus of lending the jewelry a
    very personal touch. Put your palm or fingers against the back of
    the jewelry so the piece will look like it's resting in your hand. 

    When your photo design is all set up on the scanner glass, close the
    lid against the small box (as in step 5 above) and press your
    pre-scan button. 

    When your scanner software shows you the pre-scan image, scrutinize
    the photo. Does the jewelry appear to its best advantage? Is a
    necklace clasp hidden by beads, or is one earring at too wacky of an
    angle? Is there a distracting wrinkle in the background fabric?
    Adjust whatever needs to be fixed, if anything, and pre-scan again
    till you get a good photo design. 

    When you like the pre-scan shot, use your scanner software's
    cropping feature to make a nice, tight, closeup shot of your
    jewelry. Bring the edges of the crop as close to the jewelry as
    possible without cutting out any part of the jewelry or the slight
    shadow it has cast against the background. Most of the background
    will be cropped out, but check that what background remains looks
    good. 

    Now make your final scan at no less than 100% scale and 100%
    resolution. The larger your scale and resolution percentages, the
    more detail it will have, but the bigger and slower the photo file
    will be, so experiment and use your discretion! My scanner does best
    with 100% scale and 300% resolution. I then make the pictures
    smaller in my photo editor. 

    Send this final scan to disk or hard drive. Don't remove your
    jewelry or background from the scanner glass yet. Wait till you see
    the picture in your photo editing software first, because you might
    want to make small adjustments to the photo design and scan it
    again. 

    Here are some artistic ideas to try when you design your jewelry
    photo: 

    - Thread a ribbon, piece of lace, strip of velvet, or neat twig
    through pendant bails. 

    - If you'll be using more than one shot of this piece, consider a
    photograph showing the back of the piece instead of a second view of
    the front (also with a different background), especially on items
    where the back showcases your craftsmanship. 

    - Experiment with small props such as tumbled stones, crystals,
    bamboo stalks, dried flowers, a lady's fan, driftwood, a pine bough
    or pine cone, crocheted doily, leather or suede, autumn leaves, fake
    fur, seashells. 

    Again remember to keep the jewelry the focus of the photo, and have
    only a small part of the prop in the photo=E2=80=94for example, just t=
he
    ruffled edge of a seashell. 

    With just a little experimenting, you'll quickly find out the best
    way to get very professional-looking jewelry shots with your
    scanner. 

About the Author: 
Rena Klingenberg publishes 
http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com 
A collection of  of tips on marketing handcrafted jewelry.

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