Focus

I love this focal bead, but in no way, shape, or form does this picture do it justice. My photography leaves something to be desired.

This might be why. This is a picture of my set-up. These pictures were the result of that set-up:

So I spent all kinds of time and very little money creating this beauty

Yes, it's a box. I cut out the sides and top, duct taped plastic drop cloth sheeting over the sides (as an aside, did you know that duct tape is one of the worst things that you can use on duct work? I learned that on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.) and draped a kind of sticky drawer liner on the back and down the floor of the box. It's my attempt at creating something like this

a light tent, an item that I didn't realize cost only $19.99. I probably spent that much on drawer liner paper and the plastic drop cloth. Although I do have left overs of both items and you can't line a drawer with a light tent.

I don't think.

This arrangement plus Sam's camera

resulted in pictures like these:

Which aren't bad, but then I used the same darn set-up

and ended up with pictures like these:

I went outside a took pictures both with Sam's "real" camera and my point-and-shoot:

my little point-and-shoot

Sam's "fancy" camera

Sam's camera because my point-and-shoot couldn't even focus on this bead.

I took a long time setting up these shots:

The irony to all of this is that I think the best jewelry photos I've taken are of these beads:

Want to know my secret? My little camera on a tripod, two sheets of typing paper over top of my open computer, and a light shining down.

That's it.

So, for today, I give up on the photos. And next post I'll cover some photos of jewelry that some day I'll be able to replicate.

In my next life.