Platinum Diamond Ring On Black

Hi folks. Just got a chance to shoot this beautiful platinum diamond ring for a client last week. Used my 30D and Sigma 50mm macro 2.8 lens. 1/4s f16. Full spectrum lighting with LED jewelers light. Backgrounds were velvet and acrylic riser. This is my favorite type of professional work I enjoy the most.

Thanks katt

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The highlights on the velvet are kind of distracting to me. I am drawn to them, thinking they're something spilled like a powder. Otherwise, they are impressive shots of an impressive (and I imagine expensive) ring.
Reed

Sorry about that!

Please remember only to do edits and reposts if OP have IMAGE EDITING OK on.

nitekatt2006 if you are ok with AirBrontosaurus edit then goto your USERCP, click edit options. Scroll down to additional information and click Yes to Image edit and repost permission. If you choose not then AirBrontosaurus need to remove his edit.

You've done an excellent job with the sparkle. The first one is definitely my favorite. Your blacks aren't quite black, but you can easily fix that with levels or curves. Also be careful about the hot reflection you are getting from the back curve of the (gorgeous) ring.

Hi folks. Thanks for your critiques. The first ring was my own "director's cut", not to be used by the client. Other people I have shown the image too commented on any distracting reflection and most people seem to say they don't want anything to distract from the beautiful ring. The client wanted velvet, which wasn't my first choice to do, but I decided to give it a go.

I have a couple more ring views to post if you have time to check out, and yes it is certainly ok to try out your edits and such. That's why we come here, to get other ideas, advice and examples of other interpretations.

From Athena's comment about blacks, I can't tell you how many tweaks I tried with levels and curves to decide what would remain black and contrast with highlights. Shooting the ring on black, clear acrylic and white present each set of challenges.

Another issue is whether or not to keep the band in sharp focus or blur it because the band has these very prominent impressions. There are so many possibilities in shooting jewelry and it is a tough, patient process to pull off successfully.

Thanks katt

nitekatt2006 wrote in post #2575935
From Athena's comment about blacks, I can't tell you how many tweaks I tried with levels and curves to decide what would remain black and contrast with highlights. Shooting the ring on black, clear acrylic and white present each set of challenges.

Jewelry photography is indeed very difficult.
To set the speckles in your black to black, Open a Levels Adjustment Layer, click on the eyedropper with black ink in it and then click on the lightest of your speckles that you'd like to be black. It will set that point as black and adjust accordingly. If the effect is a bit over the top, use a mask on the adjustment layer to limit where it's applied.