Sorry, if this is odd, but where would I find artificial light to take pictures?

[divwido]

I have a Neodymium Alexandrite perfume bottle that is purple.  When placed in artificial light, it turns light teal.   I don't have any artificial light.   I have a house full of windows and light bulbs that do not help.

Do I have to sneak it over to Lowes or something to take pictures?

[chapeau-noir]

---

@divwido wrote:

I have a Neodymium Alexandrite perfume bottle that is purple.  When placed in artificial light, it turns light teal.   I don't have any artificial light.   I have a house full of windows and light bulbs that do not help.

Do I have to sneak it over to Lowes or something to take pictures?

---

@divwido  Purples coming up blue is a common problem when photo'ing and has to do with white balance.  I use a gray card, but if you don't have one, my suggestion would be to either adjust the light balance on your camera, or (and this is what I do if it's still not accurate), just adjust it in post (photoshop express, microsoft has photo programs, etc.) - you want to adjust the tint.

[divwido]

No, this changes color.  But the pictures vanished with a virus.

[alcoforever]

In lieu of artificial light, you can use open shade to light your item, i.e. outside but not in the direct sun.

[redmodelt]

" vanished with a virus" What do you mean by that?

[chapeau-noir]

---

@divwido wrote:

No, this changes color.  But the pictures vanished with a virus.

---

OK, maybe I misunderstood - does your purple perfume bottle come up blue in the photos?  Or does it look blue in certain lights to begin with?  I looked up Neodymium Alexandrite and it looks purple in the photos (beautiful pieces!). I have almost constant problems with purple items coming up blue (depending on how much the blue saturation is in the purple item to begin with) in natural and artificial light.*

*Hence the gray card.

If the item looks teal in certain light, seems you'd want to change the colour balance in some photos and leave it along in others to illustrate the colour change.

Or maybe I've got the entire thing all wrong.

[slippinjimmy]

Three things to try....

White Balance in the camera (already well covered on this thread)

Take the picture using natural outdoor light

Try different light bulbs with a high Kelvin Rating (4700k or higher) (standard incandescent bulbs are usually 3000-3500k). (you can probably find these bulbs at a Dollar Store (but cost more than a Dollar!).

[divwido]

I had pictures in both colors and I got hit with a virus that stole several thousand pictures plus some data.  What did you think it meant?

[alcoforever]

---

@slippinjimmy wrote:

Try different light bulbs with a high Kelvin Rating (4700k or higher) (standard incandescent bulbs are usually 3000-3500k). (you can probably find these bulbs at a Dollar Store (but cost more than a Dollar!).

You can get LED bulbs at or above 4700K at Home Depot, Lowes and other good hardware stores.  Look for the ones marked 'daylight.'   Get the 100W equivalents.  You can get inexpensive aluminum reflectors at many hardware stores also.   Now all you need is some tripods to hold the lights or some clips  that allow you to place them in other ways.

---

[divwido · Accepted solution]

OK, I give up.

I admit, I've had this for a long long time.   It changes color based on the light.  I know it does, it's not a photography trick.    But  I quit.

[divwido]

Thank you.  That I will try.

[chapeau-noir]

---

@divwido wrote:

OK, I give up.

I admit, I've had this for a long long time.   It changes color based on the light.  I know it does, it's not a photography trick.    But  I quit.

---

OK, I understand now - if it changes colour based on the light, it will do this in natural lighting AND artificial lighting.  Iridescence is tough to photo - just do your  best and see how your photos come out - you can adjust the balance in the photo itself - you'll want to show various changes in colour, anyway. 

[wastingtime101]

The first search result on Google says:

Neodymium glass (also known as Alexandrite glass), changes colour according to different lighting conditions. The glass appears lilac (or sometimes pink) in natural sunlight or yellow artificial light, and smoky blue in fluorescent/white light. This is due to the presence of Neodymium oxide (Nd²O³) in the glass. Glassware containing Neodymium was produced in several countries, including Scandinavia, Italy, and the Czech Republic. The shades of lilac, pink and blue can vary greatly depending on the glass mixture.

Did you try a fluorescent or daylight white bulb? You can get one anywhere.

[dogchow747]

Simply photograph it in the sunlight and then a room with flouresent lighting?

You do not need a black light like for green radium or depression glass.