Wedding rings

[ctgirl]

So I got my rings and my pillow together and decided to practice some shots, this was the best out of the couple I took, let me know what you think and which version is better, if any at all. I'm looking to learn so I can take what you dish out, don't be scared to hurt my feelings. Thanks for looking.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h308/kdncarroll/rings.jpg


http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h308/kdncarroll/ringscolorselect.jpg

[cristoleyz]

Nice photo! I like the color better. At first I thought the selective color but the more I kept looking at it, the rings started to look like they were added seperately. Maybe I just kept going back and forth too many times :-). Anyway, I can only say what my eyes like no critique as I don't know what the hell I'm doing....been playing for quite some time :-) Need to get serious.

Chris

[Radtech1]

I like the composition.

There are a couple of minor things: I wish that the background was not so black - something more neutral. Perhaps if you vignetted the shot, that might help. I wish that the reflection off the gold band did not show off it's imperfections - perhaps polishing it, or noise reduction, or Gaussian blur, or a combination. I also wish that you had used a bit tighter aperture. Again the problem is on the band. It is just thaaaaaaaaaat much out of focus, both proximally and distally. Only the middle of the band is sharp.

As far as the conversion goes. It is not as bad as some I have seen. "Selective coloring" feels old, trite, clichéd, overused, common and boring. (OOPS! Did I say that out loud? :o Well, you did say to not sugar-coat it.). Besides, the selection on the back side of the band, just to the left of where the material comes over the band, could use some work.

Again, really, these are minor things, overall, I like it and I am sure the clients will too.

But, since you already have a converted shot, try layering the Selective one on top of the Color one, Normal blend, 50% opacity. That way you would still have the rings standing out without it being such a generic post-process. In fact, while you are there, experiment with different blend modes and opacity. I wonder how it would look in Overlay, or Soft Light.

[ctgirl]

Thanks for the advice, no clients here, just my ring (and fiance's) and a little playing around. I agree about the imperfections on the ring, it was bothering me too, but since they are mine, I can always play around with lighting more. I will try the over-laying and see how it looks, thanks again!

[Broncobear]

I like the second one. Puts more emphassis on the rings themselves...like it's the only thing that matters.

[calicokat]

Good looking shots, i am liking #1 more, nice work :)

[Radtech1]

Just for fun, mono on top of color, blend mode "soft light" then a little dodging and burning.

Again, nothing more than another thought.

Rad

[PAFC2004]

Nicely done.

[studiobj]

I do like the first one with the colour. I dont mind the black background. It gives it a bit of contrast and makes the rings stick out more. But Im only starting out myself, but I love that pic. :)

[justin-branam]

i think a little less depth of field would help the rings stand out more.

[NewbieXT]

If you are going for a jewelry add I can see why the rings should be polished and the dof would and background would be a big deal. But, if this was done for most people as a part of a wedding package, I am fairly certain they would be happy with the results. As far as selective color goes, I think it makes some shots better, works great in this one. And some shots it doesn't add anything too. Most people (not Photographers) still seem to like this effect. Just my two cents. I like both. Selective color looks good too.

[moshe3242]

Here is my advice (Im a jeweler and we do proffesional digital imaging for Jewelery).
If you want the picture to look right go to a jewlery shop and have your rings polished.
then wrap them with soft (with no lint) paper and put them in a little plastic bag.
when you put them on the pillow for composing the picture, use gloves so you dont put fingerprints on them and take the picture.
if the rings will be polished and have no scratches nothing else in the picture will matter.