I have found that using a light box to take pictures of my polymer clay pieces create a more true-to-life picture. My husband made me a wonderful one. He used plywood, a pipe, three light sockets, and a light switch and wire. Here are pictures of it with out the shade and color background.
The lights are placed in a circle around where the piece will be placed. I have use full-spectrum light bulbs.
Here is the light box with the “shade”. To make the shape I used clear velum that I found in the scrap booking area at the local craft store. It diffuses the light so that the objects don’t have large shadows. I used a gray piece of paper for the background. I tried many different shapes of gray to figure out which one worked the best with the majority of my pieces. The only one that I have had problems with is my Purple Dragonfly Barrette. The clear purple beads show up looking tanish.
To take pictures I mount the camera to the swing arm and place the piece in the center of the circle. I use the auto-focus but not the flash. The flash on the camera tends to change the color of the background and the piece.