This Is Only A Test...

Had this been an actual emergency…

I am sure that many of you remember those words, and the ear-splitting sound that accompanied the testing of the Emergency Alert System. In today’s broadcast network, everything is digital, there is nothing analogue. I am old enough to remember when each radio station had a thick book, with procedures and special contact codes, useable only if an approved law enforcement agency got in contact with you, to request interruption of the broadcast for emergency use.

I have no interest in talking about the EAS, I was just thinking about the old ways because of these “test” shots that I took at work.

I was looking for new props to use for jewelry. I had time on my hands.

I grow bored with certain set-ups and certain props, after I have used them for a few months, and I look around other ways to pose the jewelry that I shoot. These glass candle sticks came in a few weeks ago, and I liked the way the light came through the cut facets, so I took some costume jewelry that was lying around and tried a new approach.

This was not a bad idea, but I think that the candle stick is a bit too visually busy, and it takes attention away from the necklace, which is saying something, this necklace is Over-The-Top!

I next tried this glass brick. The first thing that passed through my mind, as I was editing this pictures was, Clean The Damned Glass (dumbass)! I wasn’t really thinking about the details here, I was engaged in broad strokes, big picture thinking. I almost like this option better, but it lacks a certain, je nais se quoi. The bubble in the glass does not make me like this option. I might be able to pose the necklace at a different angle to avoid the bubble.

I always like to show bracelets in an expanded view, when possible. This light-colored stone was in the shop, so I used its length to give the bracelet enough room to hang. I rather like the look. From the long shot, I would typically give some detail shots for the online listing.

I think that I will keep this set-up in mind, for future use.

This shot, was actually used in a recent auction. This was another test, with an eye toward using different colored stones beneath the rings at I shoot. On the whole, I liked the stone (lots of quartz, and a few other minerals in a composite), but in the future, I will crop out the leading edge of the stone. I find that little flash of dark brown (down front), a bit distracting. Otherwise, I like this look for darker stones in the rings.

Here is a set-up that I would love to use again, but the bronze form has been sold, and will be shipped out.

Long-time readers will remember that I am fond of using the feminine form to showcase necklaces.

The sculpture is titled, “‘Etoile Du Berger”, by the French sculptor, Anatole J. Guillot (1865-1911). She is lovely, with only a small amount of boob showing. I do love to pose jewelry on bronze boobs…

If the first shot is my, establishing shot, what follows are my medium shot and my close up.

As with the bracelet above, I always usually try to show the full length the necklace somehow; here is what I came up with.

Let me tell you what I was after, with these two shots.

The shot on the left was purposely left under-exposed. I took a brush, and masked just the necklace, so that I could adjust the exposure to make (just the necklace) brighter. I rather like the effect. Overall, it’s a bit moody, but I think that it fits the necklace.

The second shot is how I would normally edit a picture like this. Brighter overall, I realize now that I probably could have used a bit of diffusion to dim the hotspot under her neck, but I could live with this shot.

The detail shot looked good.

With a little down time at the shop, t was fun to be able to try something different, without have to be rushed to keep up with the schedule.