# You light up my life



## WavMixer (Jan 5, 2016)

Greetings all! I am relatively new to photography and have much to learn. My background is more with graphics (Photoshop) and web programming. I work for a jewelry manufacturing company where I take photos of jewelry and place them on the web. I have been shooting with a Canon Rebel T1i using EF100mm f/2.8 macro USM and EFS60mm f/2.8 macro USM lenses with 3 compact florescent lights (left, right and top). I have seen other jewelry photographers using strobes, usually 3 (left, right and top) and I see how their pictures are so much better than what I can produce. These photographers are very tight lipped on sharing information on what kind of strobes and camera settings they use and I do understand that this is how they make their living. I'm hoping that someone here can recommend a strobe lighting setup that can help take my photography to the next level. I have looked at Samy's web site and found the Elinchrome D-Lite RX 2  and the Westcott 3-Light Strobelite Kit  that are within the price range that my boss will allow.  With me being a novice at photography and knowing how a lot of sales people may want to lead me to a product that makes them the larger commission, I feel like a deer caught in the head lights trying to figure out what I need to get. The jewelry that I shoot is white, yellow and rose gold with white, brown and blue diamonds. I'll also be shooting jewelry with ruby, emerald, sapphire, tanzanite and tsavorite. So there is a wide variety of stone colors and they really need to pop with as little Photoshop retouching as possible.

So that's my story, can anyone here shed a little light on the subject?


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## Designer (Jan 5, 2016)

WavMixer said:


> So that's my story, can anyone here shed a little light on the subject?


We've been blessed by having some experienced jewelers who are excellent photographers as members.

There have also been threads posted by newbies asking pretty much the same things.

You can search the threads by topic/title that will give you plenty to read.


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## tirediron (Jan 5, 2016)

The D-Lite kit would be a good one, although really, speedlights are probably sufficient, given that you aren't lighting large subjects.  Before you buy ANY lighting gear however, i would strongly suggest that you buy, read, and then re-read the lighting bible.  Make no mistake however, that just because these are small subjects, and the kit need not be expensive, there is a LOT of skill & technique required, and you will have to spend a LOT of time practicing.


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## WavMixer (Jan 5, 2016)

Thank you all for the fast responses! I do understand that skill is everything. I use to be an auto mechanic for a living and know so well that just because you have a big box of tools does not make you a good mechanic. I also play guitar for a hobby and know that you can give a skilled guitar player a cheap guitar and they will make beautiful music, but when you place an expensive guitar in the hands of a novice player you get mediocre sound depending on the skill of the player. I find no reason for this to be any different for photography. I do know enough to know that light is a very crucial factor as photography is all about capturing the light being reflected from the subject. Although I have been shooting with the 3 CF lights, I'm sure it will be a whole new game with strobes as I have never used them before. My boss is already asking me how many shots can I take in a day. I told him that I would need at least a couple of days to test it out and try to figure out how to set the camera, set the lights, position the jewelry etc. I know that I won't be able to shoot like an experienced photographer without any experience. I just need to start where every photographer started... At the beginning.


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## tirediron (Jan 5, 2016)

In addition to 3 lights, make sure you have lots of stands, clamps and BIG stock of black & white card stock to use as flags & gobos.  Subtracting light is just as important as adding it.  A polarizing filter may be useful as well.  Search member bitterjewler for really great jewellery shots.  Unfortunately, he's not been too active of late, but he has left a few tips here & there.


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## jcdeboever (Jan 5, 2016)

tirediron said:


> The D-Lite kit would be a good one, although really, speedlights are probably sufficient, given that you aren't lighting large subjects.  Before you buy ANY lighting gear however, i would strongly suggest that you buy, read, and then re-read the lighting bible.  Make no mistake however, that just because these are small subjects, and the kit need not be expensive, there is a LOT of skill & technique required, and you will have to spend a LOT of time practicing.


I can vouch for it takes a lot of skill and technique. I am totally lost at this moment in regards to lighting with speedlight. 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


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## WavMixer (Jan 6, 2016)

I just ordered my lighting bible, thank you for the recommendation! Would my CF lighting be considered speedlights? I currently have three 300W 5500K lights with a Photek tent that I have been using. Here is a shot of my set up taken from my cellphone.


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## Derrel (Jan 6, 2016)

Your current CF lighting would be considered _continuous lighting.
_
If I were using a lightbox setup like yours, I honestly would elect to go for three identical,low-priced monolights, most likely what are called economy monolights, of the type that Adorama sells for about $49 each. Why monolights? Just to have the modeling lamps in the flashes, for easier focusing, and to see what the lighting and the shadows look like. Also, the modeling lights give you a two-light option AND a video lighting potential as well. Flash for stills, modeling lights for video, plus the ability to do basic WYSIWYG previewing of the lighting effects. Having _three identical_ lighting units makes the WYSIWYG so wizzy-wig.

With three flash units set as close as the CF's are shown in your photo, you'll most likely want LOW-power monolights, and will likely be using them at 1/16 power flash output most of the time.


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## WavMixer (Jan 6, 2016)

I was just looking at the monolights from Adroma. Would I just need the 3 lights alone or with the umbrellas too? I don't think that these come with any kind of stand or tripod so I guess that I will need these also. I like the idea of having a modeling light to get an idea of how the light is hitting the object and yes I also do video. I just checked Samy's web site and they don't carry this brand :-(


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## Designer (Jan 6, 2016)

Umbrellas diffuse the light and make it effectively larger in relation to the subject.


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## Derrel (Jan 6, 2016)

WavMixer said:
			
		

> I was just looking at the monolights from Adroma. Would I just need the 3 lights alone or with the umbrellas too? I don't think that these come with any kind of stand or tripod so I guess that I will need these also. I like the idea of having a modeling light to get an idea of how the light is hitting the object and yes I also do video. I just checked Samy's web site and they don't carry this brand :-(



As mentioned above, there's not a need for an umbrella with these, since your light tent is doing the diffusing of the light. This brand is sold by Adorama; I suspect these are made by the Mettle company, the bought by Adorama and rebranded as their "house" brand. These would most likely be used on light stands that have the current, standard system which is a male, 5/8 inch diameter "*stud*" on top, OR, by using a 5/8 diameter male "*spigot*" threaded onto the top of a standard tripod head.

There are other types of low-cost economy monolights for sale from other vendors.


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## WavMixer (Jan 7, 2016)

That's cool if I don't need umbrellas. What about reflector dish? Would just the monolights on stands be all that I need to go with the tent? I will get black & white card stock too.


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## WavMixer (Jan 19, 2016)

Well I have read Lights, Science & Magic. Thank you tirediron for recommending this too me. I've heard photographers saying "I need to get the right angle" many times in the past, but now I know what they were talking about. I know that reading a book and getting some strobes with modeling lights will not make me a seasoned pro photographer, but at least now I'll have the right tools to get me started in the right direction. I found out that one of my guitar playing friends is a professional photographer and he shared some of his knowledge with me and offered some advise on the techniques of using black and white foam board to use in the reflections of the white gold rings. I will be picking up some new lighting tomorrow night after work and I'm really looking forward to experimenting with a whole new world. THANK YOU ONE AND ALL FOR YOUR HELP!!!!


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## WavMixer (Jan 22, 2016)

The boss gave me a check to go buy some gear and here is what I came back with. Two 400W lights one the sides and a 200w in the softbox. Now it's a matter of trying to apply what I read in the lighting bible. I don't have a studio or office space to work in, just a little section of the shared work area. Please excuse the crappy cell phone picture.


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## tirediron (Jan 23, 2016)

That's a LOT of light, but it looks like you're on the right track.  You may even want to consider diffusing the two fill lights just with some simple white rip-stop or similar over the reflectors.


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## WavMixer (Jan 23, 2016)

I'm going to try using the snoot for the back light and the soft box for the fill. I just barely unpacked the kit and have yet to experiment. I also picked up some foam board. I like the results I get moving the white and black pieces around inside the small tent with constant lighting. From the very limited time I have with the strobes, I like the constant lighting much better for ease of setting up the shot and seeing what it will look like in my computer monitor before actually shooting the picture. My boss wanted the strobes because he thinks they will make the diamonds look better.


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## WavMixer (Jan 26, 2016)

I'm using the old tent with the new lights which seems to be working much better than the old set up. Here is a watch that I shot this morning. I still have a long way to go, but I think I'm on the right road. thanks for the directions on my journey to capture light!


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## WavMixer (Jan 26, 2016)

The boss just let me know that he is happy with the shots I have taken so far and he will be clearing out an office that is being used for storage so that I'll have a studio now!!!


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