Lights? What works as well as sunlight?

[mandyjw]

I love my pictures when they are taken outside in the sunlight. I just put my necklace on a display in a photo box, instant great pictures. But it is winter and I live in Maine and I need to learn to take good pictures inside before it snows or I freeze outside trying to hold the camera still long enough to take a good picture!

I tired using two desk lamps and got yellow icky pictures. Tried my Dad's hallogen spotlight, better... but still too yellow and nothing like sunlight. Is there a kind of light or lightbulb I can buy that will give me light as nice as natural light? I don't want to waste a lot of money and find its no better than something I already had.

Thanks.

[Kevan]

Nobody gets perfect white light when they take pictures with indoor lighting. Incandescent bulbs are the worst. Everyone adjusts their picture's color to some extent.

If you like the bright light of outside, I suggest you try the Amy Trescott way of taking pictures. She has a tutorial on her webpage.

[mandyjw]

O.k, I searched for Amy Trescott, and can't find a tutorial. Could you post a link, pretty please?

Could this also be due to the settings on my camera?

[boro maniac]

Try photo flood lights. But do not get the blue daylight bulb. there is a tut in the june july edition of glass line that shows how to mke a cheap light box.

[Kevan]

What kind of camera? Does it have a white balance setting?

Here's Amy's tutorial. It's very high tech. lol I just have always loved the way her beads are lit. I know most people think there should be no reflections, but they ARE glass, damnit!

http://www.amytrescott.com/phototutorial.html

[tomsfoolery]

I just happen to bumped into this site. I am a fuser and I think I did a search on womans life style show and got to this forum. Anywho doing jewelry I take a lot of pictures and this is a big challenge for all of this. i use a Canon A95 not a real expensive but a nice 5 mega pixel. I have light tents I have special daylight lights copy stand to shoot straight down and a tripod. One thing as someone mention if you do shoot manually is to always adjust your white balance every time you shoot and if you changes room adjust it again. It will help keep out blue tints or red tints. I hardly ever use lights anymore and I have the flash turned off on the camera. I keep out of glares of window and the tv screen and make sure all lights are off. Camera and the software are very powerful giving you great shoots

You probably need to read your camera manual (how boring) all are probably a little different I put a white sheet of paper in front of the lens and there is a set button and it likes takes a picture of the white and tells the camera this is white and helps it determine other colors. If you shoot in auto you can't use it the camera sets the white balance itself.

I use a macro lens always use a tripod or a copy stand i never hold the camera in hands while taking pictures. Copy stands are for shooting straight down. I like to use manual setting where I do adjust white balance I shoot on a neutral background usually gray sort of dull but excellent for a background. I take several shots of each item changing the exposure setting which adjusting the lighting or the distance from the item. You can go to your library and fine a book on digital photography. Its deep but you can find enough basic info to help you out a lot..
Tom @ tomsfoolery
www.picturetrail.com/tomsfoolery

[navarre]

Personally I like the compact flourescent bulbs that are rated with a colour temp of 5500 to 6000K

The light from them is fairly well balanced - more then intense enough - and you can use standard fixtures etc.

Tomsfoolery's points about setting white balance "Every time" and making sure other sources of light like the TV etc are minimised are really valid.

I like throwing a lot of light onto the subject and minimising what I need to do via software - buts thats just me.

[Emily]

Personally I like the compact flourescent bulbs that are rated with a colour temp of 5500 to 6000K

Just a little more detail on these. I've gotten them, but don't know whether to recommend them because I haven't had a chance to try them yet.

They're fluorescent but have a base like a regular light bulb so you can use them in a regular lamp. They're roughly the same size as a lightbulb, but are a weird sort of coil. You can get them at Home Depot or Lowe's. Make sure you get the ones that say daylight or natural light. There will probably be a "color temperature" on there, and you want the ones that are 5500K (that's 5500 degrees Kelvin) or thereabouts. Don't just grab the first twisty bulbs you see, because this type of bulb is also made to simulate the same type of light that you get from regular lightbulbs (soft white or whatever) so it will give you the yellowish look that you don't want. Price varies by wattage, but they're not horribly expensive -- not like real photo lights. I think the 27W fluorescents are equivalent to 100W incandescent bulbs.

[navarre]

Thats the ones.

Actually - I have some that are the "Dinky di - ridgy didge" photo lights - and some that i picked up at 1/3 the price from a hardware shop (Philips brand but thats not really important)

There is minimal difference (if any) in the light output (Lumens - colour temp - etc.)

Now there "may" be a difference somewhere in the output spectrum - but if there is, its not apparent in any testing to date.

Personally I think they are the "bees knees" - bright - white - and cool running.

[SuzyQ]

I'm with you Kevan, I like to see a little highlight on beads. If they aren't etched it gives a great clue to the viewer that the beads are shiny.

[Cosmo]

I use regular incandescent bulbs for my photography. I use GE Reveal 100 watt bulbs. They work fine. It's all about setting your camera to take advantage of the light you have.

[Emily]

Reveal bulbs aren't "regular" incandescent bulbs. They're daylight bulbs. They just won't last as long as the fluorescents.

[Cosmo]

Reveal bulbs aren't "regular" incandescent bulbs. They're daylight bulbs. They just won't last as long as the fluorescents.

True, but at $4 each, and considering they are only on for a few minutes at a time, I'm happy with them...

[Tanner Studios]

Flash, yes I said it. Most of you only know flash as the little light on your camera. And that flash is worthless ! But if you spend the money and take the time to learn an independent strobe system. Then the world will have a new oyster.
Scott