I hate to even ask, but.....

good advice so far.

i'd probably try out lighting with 3 or 4 of the work light set ups, keeping in mind their distance from the subject has a dramatic effect on how much light eventually reaches the camera. Depending on the material the bracelets are made from, you might even be able to get decent results with no softbox. Shadows are good sometimes.

Also, skip shooting a gray card. Set the custom white balance in your camera for best resluts.

hes gone wrote in post #15616062
=he's gone;15616062] Depending on the material the bracelets are made from, you might even be able to get decent results with no softbox. Shadows are good sometimes.

^^^

True product photography professionals do not simply rely upon a 'light box' for everything. A light box helps provide 'uniform, shadowless illumination' and that does NOT always show off something in the best manner.

Selective shadowing, and selective highlighting of edges help the viewer to better appreciate the form and texture of something, and a light box does none of that. But that entails some very sophisticated lighting skills, far above your current state of knowledge.

This job calls for

• A window on a shaded side of the building
  
• A table
  
• A white tablecloth (sheet, pillowcase, whatever)
  
• Camera, lens
  
• Tripod
  
• Cable release (preferred) or self-timer mode with mirror lockup.

Curtis N wrote in post #15616544
This job calls for

• A window on a shaded side of the building
  
• A table
  
• A white tablecloth (sheet, pillowcase, whatever)
  
• Camera, lens
  
• Tripod
  
• Cable release (preferred) or self-timer mode with mirror lockup.

Given the number of products to be photographed, I would NOT suggest using natural light, but rather artificial light as your primary light source. Why? Because the sun is in motion, and even indirect light is changing throughout the day. If you want consistent results in all the photos, then it is best to go with an option that you have control over. (It also means you get to work on the project when YOU choose, not just when the sun is in a good position for the project. Kind of hard to do such a project with natural light after work when the sun is setting/set.)

Wilt wrote in post #15616432
^^^

True product photography professionals do not simply rely upon a 'light box' for everything. A light box helps provide 'uniform, shadowless illumination' and that does NOT always show off something in the best manner.

Selective shadowing, and selective highlighting of edges help the viewer to better appreciate the form and texture of something, and a light box does none of that. But that entails some very sophisticated lighting skills, far above your current state of knowledge.

The original post clearly states that he is only interested in acceptable
results, not "true product photography".

I'm just trying to encourage experimentation and learning.

hes gone wrote in post #15617232
=he's gone;15617232]The original post clearly states that he is only interested in acceptable
results, not "true product photography".

I'm just trying to encourage experimentation and learning.

Understood. I am merely presenting the reality that a light box is not snake oil which fixes all problems in this type of photography. Fully understand that OP cannot run before he can stand.

Luckless wrote in post #15616600
Given the number of products to be photographed, I would NOT suggest using natural light, but rather artificial light as your primary light source. Why? Because the sun is in motion, and even indirect light is changing throughout the day. If you want consistent results in all the photos, then it is best to go with an option that you have control over. (It also means you get to work on the project when YOU choose, not just when the sun is in a good position for the project. Kind of hard to do such a project with natural light after work when the sun is setting/set.)

Actually, the advice Curtis has given is very good. If you notice, he suggests using a window on the SHADED side of a building. This will guarantee that the light coming through the window is indirect/diffused, and is therefore less likely to be affected by apparent motion of the sun. If shooting mid-day, one can easily get several hours of rather consistent light, experiencing far less than a 1-stop difference from start to finish.

Luckless wrote in post #15616600
I would NOT suggest using natural light, but rather artificial light as your primary light source.

I would use flash myself, but only because it would be faster for me. For the OP here it would be a frustrating exercise.

The WYSIWYG environment of window light will help the OP learn a lot, and that knowledge can be applied to artificial lighting down the road.

Richard Cranium wrote in post #15617260
Actually, the advice Curtis has given is very good. If you notice, he suggests using a window on the SHADED side of a building. This will guarantee that the light coming through the window is indirect/diffused, and is therefore less likely to be affected by apparent motion of the sun. If shooting mid-day, one can easily get several hours of rather consistent light, experiencing far less than a 1-stop difference from start to finish.

And how long will it take to do 300+ photos? Even on the shaded side you are going to get a bit of variance from the first image you take to the last. And if something needs a reshoot? Then you will have to redo them in similar weather at a similar time of day, or futz around trying to match with a light you have no direct control over. Plus you Have to work in day light.

Yes, the sun is a beautiful and amazing light source to work with, but a real pain in the backside when it comes to bulk work. Setting up a usable work space using constant lights or flashes isn't that much harder, plus you can do it at any time, and have full control to recreate the exact same lighting conditions as you did a month ago if you are trying to achieve a constant look across an entire photo collection by simply putting everything where it was. Easy to diagram and jot down a few notes.

Well, I ended up fashioning a little homemade light box for myself and I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Thank you all for the advice and I was extremely glad that I did not try to do this using natural light.

I think those came out very nice, a little hot in some spots but I would be happy with them (I am not a prodcut photographer).

These came out nice.

Those look good.

I really like the second image. I would have likely given the first image a bit more angle, rather than straight on. But it was well lit and looks pretty good. I can definitely see this being a good option for displaying his product and I can see him being happy with it.