.....which is actually prettly damn close to the Japanese pronunciation David!

Sorry to come late to this thread but only just seen it.

My (Japanese) wife has just informed me it should really be spelt 'boke', and pronounced with the 'o' the same as that in 'hot', and the 'e' the same as that in 'help'.

S'pose spelling it with the 'h' on the end stops us saying it to rhyme with 'poke'.

Apparently it's also a verb 'bokeru' or 'bokemas' - to blur - ,just as an added bit of trivia.

Hope that helps clarify.

Hi Benoit,

I've been using the Pentax 35mm Macro Limited for a few months now, mainly for shooting jewellery, but some other general stuff as well. It really is a lovely lens and I've been delighted with the results I've had.

When choosing a macro, I also looked at the Sigma 50mm and 70mm, but plumped for the Pentax 35 because I liked the perspective it gave, and being much smaller and lighter than the other two, the handling was much better. Not having to switch between manual focus and AF is great too.

However, as others have mentioned, this is not a lens I would reccomend for things like insects etc. To fill the frame with, eg. a bee, you have to get frighteningly close. So close in fact that the camera / lens affect the lighting! In which case I use a 2X converter, but this makes it slower and changes the prespective.

Possibly a satelite with a geostationary orbit?

Thanks again everyone,

I'll try my 2X converter to get further away and see what results I get. At least the black dots will look smaller. I've got a polarising filter so I will give that a go too. The glass plate sounds interesting also.


I had thought about dulling spray, but having never used it I worry about how well it would come off from between the tiny pearls. Since these items are made for customers, I might end up spending hours with a toothpick and soapy water! I'd be a dead man if it permanently marred a piece Maybe best to stick to the PP route. Ah well, as was said, long winter evenings are here.......

Thanks everyone for the useful comments.

Grateful for the comments on the depth of field. Using a narrow DOF was a (misguided) idea I had to try to make the images more "stylish", so back to the drawing board I go on that one!

I like Don's idea of using the scanner, especially for the "straight" example images - I shall have a go and see what happens.

Giving Tree - I will pass on your kind words to my other half. I know how long and hard she works on the pieces and she will appreciate the praise.

I got a light cube / tent thingy a few weeks ago and have been playing around with it with varying amounts of success. Image 1 is the best I've managed so far.

I have a problem though which I'm hoping someone on here might be able to offer a handy tip to solve...... The image below was shot in the light cube, but all the pearls look like eyes! The black 'pupil' bit is the reflection of the lens poking through the tent. Short of painting my lens white, can anyone think of a way round it, or will I just have to accept lots of time dedicated to post production is needed?


[IMG]http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo78/chikagel/Jewellery045.jpg[/IMG]


Cheers

Hi everyone.

I was recently encouraged by my wife to take up photography again after many years of abstinence. She is a designer and maker of jewellery and has a very small business. She wants (me!) to make a website to show her range to potential clients.

The plan is to have descriptions of the products and "straight" shots showing proportions of the items on mannequins and false hands etc.

I would also like to shoot some more eye-catching / creative images to lure in the casual browser.

Below are some examples of what I've done so far. I would value any comments/ critisims / advice for improvement anyone could give.

Basically I would like to know if I am barking up the right tree with these!



[IMG]http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo78/chikagel/pendantblueleather.jpg[/IMG]




[IMG]http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo78/chikagel/IMGP6640.jpg[/IMG]



[IMG]http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo78/chikagel/crystalnecklace.jpg[/IMG]


[IMG]http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo78/chikagel/necklaceberrypurple.jpg[/IMG]


[IMG]http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo78/chikagel/IMGP6712.jpg[/IMG]


Thanks

Congratulations R o b, a truly deserving winner, and well done Galoot on 2nd.

I'm delighted with my 3rd place, I didn't think I would get anywhere near with the wishy-washy depth of field in my shot!

hefty1 :Cheers for the spot on judging and a really entertaining read it was too.

Thanks for the help everyone.

When I posted earlier I was seeing it on a PC at work, but on my home machine , like you all said, it wasn't there.

I've done as you advised and I can see it now. All this Photobucket and linking images is new to me and I don't really know what I'm doing, hence the thing dissapearing in the first place.

So once again, Thanks everyone.

Cheers for the info John.

It seems to have re-appeared by itself without me having to do anything, Phew!