One suggestion - photos would probably be better with the pen on a white background. I have found that using black is really tricky unless you have a good light setup.
Cheers
Happy Holidays and thank you for your service
Another photo tip: Don't have/wear bright colors in the background. If you have a remote on your camera, use it, or use the timer. Make sure you are to the side of the pen when the shot is taken. I still make this mistake from time to time. And I have a remote shutter, but I forget to move to the side.
Simple yet elegant. Not the usual cluttered look. The angled copper strips and what appears to be a cross on a light background (white?) really enhance the overall appearance. Beautiful job.
Wow Michelle! Very nice pen. Also agree with the suggestion of using a lighter background. Seems some of the details are getting lost in pic. Here's an example of a light background I'm trying...
As noted by others the pen is very nice but does loose some of its detail to the background.
A lot of pen makers(non pro-photographers):wink: use a graduated gray background like this one. The smallest one they have is typically large enough for what we do. I have one that I have had for several years so they last a long time. They are made from Vinyl and PVC and can be easily kept clean even in a wood shop setup.
This is an example of a pen photo taken in front of one. It is installed in a small light booth. There may be info in the library on how to build one if you don't already have one.
Note how the background is lighter at the bottom then at the top, the pen is position at about the middle of the background and it is too short to really show the amount of graduation. The gray color on the whole background goes from medium gray at the top to almost white at the bottom.
Michelle that is a beautiful pen. May I ask did you make the cross yourself? Or did you get a pendant? Might be a silly question, but I really think it looks fantastic, and so apt for this season!
I purchased the cross as a charm at Joann Craft stores...I had others but they were too thick...(a seashell, a seahorse, etc.) The cross was perfect and bending it was a breeze!
Thank you to all who commented and offered better backgrounds. I should know better being a 'professional' photographer and all (no really, I am) but I was sooooo excited as to the way this one turned out, I was hasty in posting