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Jewelry Photography question
Hi there MM'ers I'm trying to build my portfolio to be more commercial. I want to shoot jewelry on plexiglass table. I'm making it myself. I don't think it has to be a huge piece of plexiglass. Does anyone have any tips on building this set up & how much a piece of plexiglass costs. Thanks so much, Joelle Jul 29 08 07:31 pm Link Plexi is sold in large sheets- it would be hard to find just a small piece for something like that. Most places will cut for you, not always for free. As far as building the thing, what look are you going for? Is this a white background? Make sure the plexi is long enough so when you have the white paper underneath it and curving up behind it the edge will be feathered out. Or are you trying to build boxes/stands? If that's the case- better leave that to more experienced craftsmen. Otherwise, any imperfection in the cut or structure will show in macro jewlery shots. Jul 29 08 07:35 pm Link I've done this...here's some tips.. 1. Make the Plexi twice as big as you think it needs to be. Angles do funny things about eating up backgrounds. 2. Plexiglass is fairly cheap..like 40.00 for a 4x8 sheet..and Home Depot probably has much smaller ones..so get a frosted one AND a clear one for the same rig. I think you'd like the option for different kinds of jewelry. 3. Again, depending on the jewelry, it's all about the reflections. So you may want some frosted plexi..or some other kind of 'tent' to even out all the camera, you, the room stuff that reflects in the silver/gold finishes. If it's tiny and intricate, not such a problem.  4. If there's stones that you want to 'pop' that's the hard part. Lots of tiny spot sources and very bright usually gives you that. But photoshop is your friend. 5. Go to the jewelry store and see how everything's presented. They've been doing this a LOT..and they know how jewelry looks good. Not to say you can't be creative...but look to their expertise for the basics...light...direction, etc. Random thoughts..my first one was hard..maybe this'll save you some time. Good luck B Jul 29 08 07:42 pm Link I would like the jewelry to reflect into the plexiglass. I want it to curve a little and I want to start slow so I think I will only use white first. Jul 29 08 07:47 pm Link martinimages wrote: To add to this, also get some black flagging material. I think jewelry always looks more dynamic when there are both highlights and shadows reflecting in a well thought out manner. You don't want distracting levels of light and dark reflections, but to only have highlights sometimes does not add as much depth as there could otherwise be. Jul 29 08 07:50 pm Link I'm trying to show u an example of what i want to try to do, but I still don't know how to post an image. Thank u so much for all of your help. http://www.karlaticas.com/home.html = advertising Jul 29 08 07:52 pm Link Often times, the plexiglass shop has remnants, which the may give you free or at a discount. Negotiate. There is different color, thickness, and density of plexiglass, not to mention, what it is made of. Polycarbonate, for example. I would guess shooting different types of plexiglass would give different effects. You can light from below and use gel on the light for different effects. Oh, they will even bevel the edges, if you desire. Lots of options. Hope this helps. Jul 29 08 07:59 pm Link We have a plastics supply house in town, and I got a 2x4 sheet of clear plexi for 10.00. They have scaps in different sizes. I shoot product on it a lot, and found that is looks nice to place the plexi over material, for example a black cloth. You get the black, but you also gain depth from the reflection in the plexi. I recently shot a white canon lens on it, and used a blk/white racing flag underneath. The results were very cool. I also use a ring light for the small product shoots Jul 29 08 08:00 pm Link Pilot-ographer wrote: This helps a lot! Thanks so much Jul 29 08 08:01 pm Link Did a bit of spelling correction and added another thought or two, Moon Head Jul 29 08 08:03 pm Link Why is plexi the material of choice for this type of shoot? **I honestly don't know, so I am not trying to start anything!** Jul 29 08 08:04 pm Link Enrapture Photography wrote: It's ok, I think it looks great when shooting jewelry. It gives the light an extra kick. Jul 29 08 08:07 pm Link Keith Slagerman's blog has detailed instructions on building a product/shooting table. It might be more elaborate than what you had in mind, but it's worth reviewing. Enrapture Photography wrote: It's flexible and translucent. That permits a seamless set, with the background sweeping into the 'floor', and permits lighting from underneath to remove or reduce the depth of shadows. Jul 29 08 08:09 pm Link Enrapture Photography wrote: this is actually a GREAT question and really comes down to what i was going to reply with. plexiglass scratches very easily and if you're going to be doing this style of close-up photography, even the smallest scratches will show up in the photos. actual glass scratches much less easily and for something like jewelry, it would probably be benefcial to use it for its scratch resistance. Jul 29 08 08:09 pm Link  this is the look I'm going for. I finally got it!! YEA!! Jul 29 08 08:14 pm Link silverystars wrote: That was my thought. I have scratched and destroyed so much plexi... Jul 29 08 08:20 pm Link Moon Head Photo wrote: Wouldn't you get the same effect shooting glass? Jul 29 08 08:22 pm Link While we are talking about this topic. I have used white board but i was not 100% happy with the turn out. however i also was useing hot lights. is there a better way of doing this i have strobes so smaller soft box perhaps? (sorry if i made a small hijack) -Joe Jul 29 08 09:54 pm Link I've shot a ton of jewelry on a 2x2 (3/8 thick) and 2x4 ft (1/8th thick) sheet of white plex most big plastic companies sell remnants. The thinner plex sweeps easier. Joe Branske www.branske.com Jul 29 08 10:07 pm Link Jul 29 08 10:27 pm Link Jul 30 08 02:44 am Link If you need further help, PM me on it, and I'll send what I can when I get home. Jul 30 08 09:03 am Link Forget plastic, shoot on glass, you won't need a very big piece, jewelry is small,30x30 double pane should do it, glass lasts forever, plastic gets scratched up quickly! Jul 30 08 09:26 am Link Plex wants to melt and marr as well when cutting, or glaze over, which is as bad. I have a large circle of glass that was used for an end table top. Works well over seamless paper. 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