Focusing issue... help??

[erinr27]

I'm trying to get some photos of some jewelry my mom makes for a website for her... I am new to dslr, trying to learn as much as possible - can anyone help me with why this photo (and lots more... with the jewelry in particular) has the blurring on the top and bottom and seems to only focus on the center? I know there are different settings to correct this but I'm not sure what to use? I'm sure this is very basic as well - bear with me I'm headed to school very soon! Thanks for any help! (Oh yeah.. I'm using the 350D...)
Erin

 

[nokem]

http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Optical/Depth_of_Field_01.htm

You have to stop down, buy a tilt/shift lens or rearrange to get the parts closer to the plane of sharp focus.
--
Shoot.

 

[dylanbarnhart]

Using larger Fstops will increase the depth of field (DoF), putting more things into focus. DoF is very small when you take close up pictures.

An easy way to fix is to hang up the necklace vertically and shoot straight into it (rather than at an angle the way it is right now), so that the entire thing fits into the DoF.

Or, if you must lay it out like that, you might have to use powerful studio lights in order to increase the fstops.

 

[The Mad Kiwi]

What's wrong with the photo you have now. I think it make the jewelery look really nice. Much better than if it was all in focus.

 

[GoldenSpark]

Aside from the previous advice about using a smaller aperture and more light, also use a tripod to allow longer exposure time.

But, why not have the jewelry modelled, rather than just draped on a rock? Not only does the background colour of the skin change the way the items look, but also prospective buyers are more likely to buy if the items are shown this way.

 

[erinr27]

Thank you for the comment! I took a lot of photos before of her jewelry in a more artistic manner, just with a p&s and they turned out really cool! She liked them because that's her style too, all of her jewelry is handmade and extremely aftful as well. I do agree about how skin tone will reflect the jewelry better - it's hard for me to just take "boring, plain" photos lol! I will change my aperature and use a tripod and see what I can do. I appreciate everyone's help greatly - thank you so much for taking the time.

-erin