Gem Dandy!

I do have a day job, and so when the boss asks you to take photos of a 3.00ct sapphire what do you do? Well you have a reason to play with off camera lighting! I kept this real simple on purpose. However, I did come to the realization that I need a dedicated macro lens. Anyone want to chip in to the 105mm VR fund?

So this shot I used a piece of 8x10 glossy photo paper for the sweep. I decided to use just one light. A SB800 directly over the gem. I like the light fall of on the background, it adds a little interest and balances out the dark gem. So I shot at f/22 with not such a great lens for macro work. The flash was about 4 inches or so directly above the gem with the diffuser cap on. At f/22 ISO100 I had to set the SB800 to 1/32. Triggered with the D90's pop-up flash in commander mode set to "--". That easy. I could have added some white fill cards (More photo paper) on each side to bring up the edges. But I decided not to as the gem is actually very dark when you look at it in person, and it is going on E-bay. I just want it accurately represented.

So if you need a 3.00ct sapphire, keep an eye on E-bay over the next day or so!