Fine art metals studio shoot

[TheJackyl]

This was my first attempt at a studio shoot. At the time I was working for a local ABC station and late one night I borrowed the studio and a few soft boxes to shoot some of my fiance's pieces. These are the same pieces from my last thread of the installation shoot. http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=634749

Also got to borrow that Nikon D40 (EXIF data is incorrect) again. I really wish I had a DSLR. The couple of times I've gotten to borrow it just haven't been enough to really learn how to use it properly.

1.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/TheJackyl/Jewelry%20Shoot/DSC_2388.jpg
Camera Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D40
Image Date: 2008:06:29 00:54:21
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 70.0mm (35mm equivalent: 105mm)
Exposure Time: 0.017 s (1/60)
Aperture: f/14.0
ISO equiv: 640
White Balance: Manual
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual


2.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/TheJackyl/Jewelry%20Shoot/DSC_2325.jpg
Camera Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D40
Image Date: 2008:06:28 23:34:39
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 52.0mm (35mm equivalent: 78mm)
Exposure Time: 0.017 s (1/60)
Aperture: f/8.0
ISO equiv: 400
White Balance: Manual
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual

3.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/TheJackyl/Jewelry%20Shoot/DSC_2369.jpg
Camera Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D40
Image Date: 2008:06:29 00:39:35
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 50.0mm (35mm equivalent: 75mm)
Exposure Time: 0.013 s (1/80)
Aperture: f/14.0
ISO equiv: 640
White Balance: Manual
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual


4.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/TheJackyl/Jewelry%20Shoot/DSC_2371.jpg
Camera Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D40
Image Date: 2008:06:29 00:39:55
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 65.0mm (35mm equivalent: 97mm)
Exposure Time: 0.013 s (1/80)
Aperture: f/14.0
ISO equiv: 640
White Balance: Manual
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual

5.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/TheJackyl/Jewelry%20Shoot/1bDSC_1943.jpg
Camera Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D40
Image Date: 2008:06:29 00:39:55
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 65.0mm (35mm equivalent: 97mm)
Exposure Time: 0.013 s (1/80)
Aperture: f/14.0
ISO equiv: 640
White Balance: Manual
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual

This final shot (#5) is being used for the NICHE Awards (http://www.americancraft.com/NICHE_Awards/2009/f_student/jewelry.html) the piece will be featured at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia February 15th. If the piece wins my photo will get published in NICHE Magazine (http://www.nichemag.com).:mrgreen:

C&C it to death if you please :p

[AlphaChicken]

They lack "pop" and contrast on my monitor, which is correctly calibrated. They also look a little soft to me.

[TheJackyl]

thanks for the input, was starting to worry that I wouldn't get any... I'll see what I can do with them in post to see if I can improve upon the originals

I'm assuming your feedback applies to all the shots

[AlphaChicken]

Yea. :) All of em. They would be easy to "fix" with a tiny bit of editing. Just a sharpen filter and a curves adjustment would do the trick super nicely. :)

[Mason Galindo]

I agree with AlphaChicken, a bit of a pop (boost in saturation) and perhaps a light USM (unsharpen mask) could help these out quite a bit. That being said, I think you've done a wonderful job with these considering your experience level. You haven't run wild with post-processing techniques (filters, presets, actions, etc), the composition is good and the lighting isn't bad either (I'm no expert on lighting but nothing here bothers my eye really).

I think you would do well to invest in a DSLR and pursue photography. Good job.

[TheJackyl]

tried a bit of tinkering with the levels, saturation, and an unsharpen mask on this one

Altered
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/TheJackyl/Jewelry%20Shoot/DSC_2388edit.jpg

Original
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/TheJackyl/Jewelry%20Shoot/DSC_2388.jpg

[Mason Galindo]

Nice work again. The adjustments are subtle but they do improve the image.

[Cobra351]

The adjusted image does look better, but I think it could still greatly benefit from some more dark. Try pushing the levels up a bit, this should provide more natural looking contrast.