How I Capture My Nails

Not gonna lie, this is exactly how I felt when I got my Nikon D3200 DSLR for Christmas. Before I got this powerful, confusing thing, I had been using a point and shoot and my phone. 

First off, let me make it clear I did not ask for this camera just for nail pics. I know some of you might think "omg look at her thinking she needs a big fancy camera for NAILS!" No. I have wanted one for years! Trying to figure this thing out has been fun and challenging. I have yet to post any nail photos on my blog that were taken with this, as I'm still trying to find that sweet spot. 

As you can see from this pic, I hadn't found it yet. It was after this pic that I made a post in Hobby Polish Bloggers asking for help!

I've been practicing a lot lately, and I think I'll be ready to post nail pics taken with my DSLR next week!

Before I got my Nikon D3200, I was using a Nikon Coolpix S3300 16MP.

This is actually my mom's camera that I got her for Christmas in 2013, and this is what the majority of my pictures have been taken with. It's a great point and shoot camera and right now it's $165. I only paid $99 on Cyber Monday! It's the perfect camera for someone who wants color accurate nail photos. Easy to use, and takes beautiful photos. 

This neat little gadget is a clip on macro lens that I clip onto my phone (Samsung Galaxy S5), and get photos like this:

This one is only about $10, and it's a good investment for any nail blogger. I actually prefer my phone to take macro shots vs a digital camera. 

I do all of this in a light box that you can purchase on Amazon, or if you prefer, it's easy to make a light box at home.

I have 2 Cowboy Studio table top lights. They can be purchased HERE. I found an old desk lamp to add more light. I stacked my Twilight books for height, so I could get the desk lamp to shine from the top. Yay..I found use for my old Twilight books!! The bulbs I use are 45W CFL daylight 5500k. I purchased mine on Amazon.

After speaking with my friend Karolyn over at Nails of Aquarius, I think I will be changing my set up soon. I just ordered a smaller 12" box (mine is 16") to see if the smaller box helps the brightness of my photos. If not, I may ditch the box all together and just use a white or black backdrop with my lamps!

What camera do you use to take your pics? Do you use a light box?