Photography of natural Emerald

Hi
Everyone.
I try to photograph my emeralds with Nikon 5300 DSLR and macro 105 mm lens, but get very poor colour of those emeralds.
Rubies and sapphires give good colour as it is.can anyone guide me.I keep flash light off.
Thanks in advance.


Hi,

This is long, sorry. I’m a novice at photography. Other than my iPhone I have never owned a camera until two months ago. The attached unedited photos are taken with a Canon DSLR Rebel Xsi, a 31mm extension tube, EF-S 18-55MM F/3.5-5.6 IS STM, and a Nikon macro lens. I made huge strides because others shared what they knew. So I will pass this on.

Lights:
The best low cost solution is bright sunlight. Shadows are the enemy, so it’s best to use two lights of equal strength. Meaning the same lumens, kelvins, watts, etc. place them either opposite each other with the gem in the middle, or you can put a weaker light under a piece of clear acrylic and one light straight down over the lower one.

White background:
Looks like your okay on the background So, get a white sheet of paper or any other white stiff object (I use the pressed styrofoam stuff that covered my iPad during shipping). Now cut a hole in it large enough, so when you look through your camera’s viewfinder you can see your gem. Now focus and take your picture.

The idea is for the two opposing lights to eliminate the shadows under the stones and the paper you’re holding in front of your camera pushes the light back towards the gem. With open fronts light escapes, or if your camera is black it will absorb the light.

Your angle looks okay, but it’s best to shoot the gem at a 45 degree angle to the gem’s table. Since the degree can change for every gem, you may need to focus squarely on the center then move up/down to find the best shot.

It’s worked for me every time. If you need photos of my setup let me know.



Hi
thank you very much sir.Will it also work for emeralds and all colour stones.


Yes, it works for everything I’ve tried it on. It also helps if you photo in macro 1:1 or plan on significantly enlarging the image. You have less chance of seeing yourself or your camera reflected on the specimen.

Peace,
Hayden

PS,

Maybe you would post the new image when you’ve tried it.

Dear Sir
please show me photoraph of your set up to take pictures of emeralds.
thank you
regards
raghu

Hi Raghu,

Will do, but I’m waiting on a lighting socket that broke last week. A short boring story about why dogs should not be around lighting equipment. Should be here in a few days.

Peace,
Hayden1

Dear Sir
thank you
Regards

So sorry for the delay. We are back home now. We’ve had three deaths in our family and one friend in the last month. Crazy how things go sometimes. I will get you a photo of my setup and list of very cheap supplies (like aluminum foil and a box) in the next few days. Again, I’m sorry for the delays.

It’s better to photograph gems outside, the colors become natural. And if sunny, I little place where it is shade. Inside photography isn’t always the best. No matter what light you use. You want to present the right color, so therefor natural light is best, my opinion.
Regards Fredrik

1 Like

Thank you for your reply.