Photographing a small item close up

[erin21]

Hello my friends
I know that some one is going to help me .This is the site I always turn to in time  of technical trouble !!!
I am trying to photograph a small old brooch so that it is shown at its best.
My digital camera book does not explain how I should do this in the best way, so I am getting a blurred image when I use zoom, and when I do get a clear image on screen  (without the zoom ) the item is too small and far away and I mostly see the background.
Does any one know my best solution to this problem ? so far I have taken about 50 photos and none are good
Help please!!
thanks
erin

[Little Nell]

Most digital cameras have a minimum focus distance.  If you get closer, you will always get a blurred picture.  It may be about 30 cms/12 inches.

Does your camera have a macro/close-up setting?  If so, set the camera to that and try again. 

Otherwise take the picture on very high resolution and then crop it so that the brooch fills most of the picture.  By using a high resolution, you may be able to enlarge the photo without losing definition or the image becoming pixellated.

Just my suggestions.

Nell

[les_looking]

without knowing which camera you have, but MOST diggy cameras now let you point at subject,
press the button half way down, it then will select best picture it can and then continue to press fully,
you will know if your camera does it as you will hear lense operating when half way down,
IF that works also try with and without flash

[Gaille]

Hi Erin,

Try switching on the 'Macro' on your camera, this is what allows us to zoom in closer on small items, it will then zoom in & be clearer.

Usualy the Macro icon looks like a small styalised flower

Gaille

[supernova]

Hello my friends
I know that some one is going to help me .This is the site I always turn to in time  of technical trouble !!!
I am trying to photograph a small old brooch so that it is shown at its best.

Hope you've had some success with tips on your macro setting. Have you tried scanning the brooch? This is sometimes a good option.

[Les de B]

I have basic digital camera, but it does take good closeups without fancy gimmicks. It has 3 focus settings; closeup, distant and automatic. I just select closeup.

I think the trick is, not to zoom in on your subject to make it closer, but to move the camera closer to the subject. That's what I did with the photo I took of this fly. I then cropped it on Picasa, which makes it appear closer again.

Les

[Woody32]

Also try and place the brooch on a cloth background

light coloured brooch - dark coloured cloth
dark coloured brooch -light coloured cloth

[Les de B]

Regarding my "fly photograph" - yes, it was a BIG bush fly. So to get back to the topic of this thread, I've attached a photo of jewellery using the same technique.

Set the camera on close-up (which is flower icon on my camera), and go as close to subject as possible without the subject becoming blurry. I do this by half despressing the shutter button for automatic focusing.

This photo wasn't cropped, however, if it was it would appear even bigger again.

I find natural light better than flash, and as Woody32 mentioned, backgrounds do play a part.

Les

[erin21]

Many thanks for all these helpful tips .
Really appreciated
Erin