Jewellery Window Shoot

Contact Sheet:

The sunlight through the window highlights the necklace and the glass cut jewel is accentuated by the sunlight reflecting off of the necklace.  The background is of the window but this is a test shoot for lighting.  I will have a black piece of cloth to cover the white backdrop up.

I used a black jumper as the backdrop for taking photographs of the jewels and think it worked quite well as a rough test shot.  The sunlight worked perfectly with glinting off of the necklace creating an almost photoshop look to the image.

The depth of field here works really well by drawing your eye into the key area of the necklace and then slowly blending out towards the black background which adds contrast against the pale look of the necklace.

The depth of field within this image highlights the colours and shape of the necklace.

This is a close-up of the pearls which really highlights the necklace and I think will look a lot better when I photograph this with a piece of pure black material.

The pearls add an elegant feel to the photograph and the depth of field really brings focus to the necklace.

I will crop the background as much out of this image as possible and re-shoot this with a better backdrop, but I love the natural lighting and the glint coming off of the top of the bracelet.  The ambient lighting looks almsot like flash being bounced off of something but I will compare that once I shoot with a flashgun.

This almost looks as though it were shot in the studio, and I love the curve of the necklace in the background as it adds depth along with the contrasting black of the material.

I like this image as the necklace is more centered than the previous image but the contrast is alot stronger on the above image.  I will edit some of these photographs and see how they come out in black and white and with contrast.

Edits:

The black and white version of this photograph adds more atmosphere to the image rather than the colour version, but I also like the colour version because of the amount of colours within the glass necklace which are reflected by the light.

Shoot Plan for Next Shoot:

Aim:  I want to buy a plain black piece of cloth to use next to window light and get really natural looking photographs.

Still Life Studio Shoot - 12th of October 2012

Contact Sheet:

 

Lighting example

 

 

 

 

This is the setup that I had within the studio when taking photographs of the jewelerry.

 

Finals

 

The backdrop isn't perfectly black which with use of the white diffuser shows it up and creates a messy look to the photograph.

 

Edits

 

Evaluation:  The studio lighting and the backdrop I felt didn't compliment the jewelerry at all or highlight it in the attractive way that it is usually marketed.  The shoot didn't go the way I planned and the images came out quite dull and boring overall with no atmosphere, composition or a good backdrop.  I feel this shoot didn't go the way I liked and that I will be re-doing this.

Processes I have tried so far:

I added blue hues and tones to this image to give it a depth and added contrast.

I added grain and sepia tones to this image to add a old fashioned portrait look to the image.  I really love the overall outcome as it highlights the model's features.

Print screens:

two:

Next Shoot Plan and Where I'm at Now

Aim:  I have decided to, instead of photographing jewellery on a model to just photograph the vintage jewellery as still life in the studio and using natural light.  I still want to continue doing the window light idea after researching Vermeer and also because that the first window light shoot went really well and I really liked some of the images from that shoot which I would like to continue with but using the new idea with just the jewellery and not using a model anymore.

Lighting:  I will use low key lighting, high key lighting in the studio and also natural light indoors to continue my idea of using window light to my advantage.

shot types:  eye level shots and aerial angle shots

What I'll be experimenting with:  I will be trying a black piece of card under a piece of glass or a piece of resin.


                                                                   Research:

 

I will also try white background as it highlights the jewellery and shows the buyer exactly what you're paying for.

 

 

I think jewellery looks alot better with a black background so I really want to experiment with using a black background to photograph jewellery. 

 

I will be trying this effect to get a mirrored look to the photograph.

Studio Shoot - 3rd of October 2012

                                           Studio Shoot:

                                           Contact Sheet:

Experimentation:

This is my favourite image with using a white background, but I still feel that using a black backdrop gives more effect.

This is an image where I tried using spotlight but I felt it just wasn't working this time around, it worked in the previous shoot.

                                            Favourites:

The movement accentuates the pose of the model and the pose defines her form.  The lighting, which I have purposely done only on one side of the model, highlights the shape and form of her body.  I think I like this image in black and white and colour because the black and white highlights the models body more but the colour version really brings out the model's pale skin tone and hair colour.

The colour's within this image complement the model's skin tone.  The lighting highlights the shape of the model's form.  The lines of the model's arm leads out of the shadow and down to the edge of the frame which then leads up to the model's face where the lighting highlights the model's cheek and outlines her hair.

I love the framing of this photograph.  The way the model's back is showing also and the lighting highlighting her shoulders.  The colour of the lipstick really highlights the colour of the dress and accentuates the model's pale skin tone which adds contrast to the image. 

I actually think I may prefer this image in colour as the colour of her eyes really come out in this photograph whereas the black and white image is slightly dull.

The model's eyes and pale skin tone along with the lipstick create a contrast along with the colour of her hair.  The pale skin tone adds depth to all the other colours in the photograph.  The colour of the model's eyes creates a fierce contrast between her skin tone.

Edits:

I love this photograph.  The movement and head tilted back which create a strong, defined pose.  The black and white editing really accentuates the form of my model and leaves half of her in shadow which I have done on purpose to add mystery and look as though she is coming out of the shadows towards you. 

I love the shapes in this image.  The lighting highlights the form of my model and the use of the hand around my model's face really defines her body and features.

I love this looking over the shoulder shot.  The model looks defined and confident which adds drama and atmosphere to the photograph. 

These two photographs are similar but I think my favourite is the bottom one as she has alot more expression in her face.  Here she looks a little moody and too fierce which I think doesn't complement the image even in colour.

I love this almost cheeky, smile pose I have caught here.  The lighting is also complementing to the model's features and highlights her eyes.  The contrast also highlights the model's eyes and highlights the humour in her eyes.  The model's eyes in black and white gives an intense look to them.

 

Evaluation:

I absolutely love a few of the images I have gotten out of this shoot.  I experimented with the white background but really felt it wasn't working and I wasn't happy using it so I quickly changed to using a black background as I feel alot more comfortable with it.  I also tried using spotlight again like the previous shoot, just to try and get more advertising shots, but felt this didn't work either, so I just stuck with using the large white diffuser on different powers.  I'm not quite sure where to go next with these ideas but I will be planning the next shoot soon. 

Window Shoot 2nd of October

                                     Window Light Shoot:


                                          Contact Sheet:

                                               Favourites:

I love the window light here, I think this is my favourite one out of all four images.  The blue background adds a slight bit of colour to the image which enhances the contrast.  The lighting outlines my face and highlights the form and structure also.

The sun came out slightly for this image and I feel the sun gave a nice hue to the photograph.  The warm tones with dark hair create a really nice contrast.

I like the darker background here.  The tone matches more to the skin tone which creates an added effect of balance between colours.

I'm not too keen on the backdrop here but the lighting is nice and soft.  

Edits:

I feel these images in black and white don't work as well as they are in colour.  The images in colour work because of the warm hues and tones in the photographs where as the black and white images take all these nice tones away.

Evaluation:

I really enjoyed this shoot as I liked some of the lighting I got from different windows.  I liked experimenting with different windows and seeing the different effect each window light gave.  I want to continue with this idea but perhaps with my mum or one of my models.