This project was actually part of my interview at Amanda Blu to be their 2022 Summer Intern. They said that jewelry photography and Photoshop would be one of my main duties as an intern. So as I left they handed me a random pair of earrings off their fixture and told me to take it home. I was supposed to remove the background and add a reflection underneath. That was the only instruction they gave me (to test my skills) and told me to email them my final image.

I took this picture in the parking lot right after I left my interview. (I sent it to my mom because she was so excited for me and wanted to know how it went)

I took this image using my Nikon D3400 camera using really small table top lights I have. I felt that the earring on the right accurately showed the pearl texture in the middle and didn’t have an obnoxious glare. 

I spent quite a while taking images of the PAIR for earrings, adjusting them slightly trying to get a perfect shot of both earrings together. Then I had an epiphany: I only need one good one. Then just duplicate it!

And that’s exactly what I did! I used the earring on the right, duplicated and reflected it. Then softened the edges and created a reflection on the bottom using the knowledge I had.

Here’s the process I came up with to try and create the reflection: 

1) Grouped the 2 earrings

2) Duplicated them and did a Horizontal Reflection of the image

3) I lowered the Opacity significantly

4) Applied a gentle Gaussian Blur 

5) Finally I added a rectangle shape on top of the reflected image with a Gradient fill that went from White to None

 

(While doing this, I genuinely thought I was cheating or taking the “easy way out” by using the same earring twice. But within a few weeks I would begin my internship and learn that was the “norm” when it came to photographing “pairs” of earrings.)

(I was also shown some super cool and handy “Actions” on Photoshop that basically did my whole 5 step process up there ^ in one click to easily create reflections!!!)