How to Photograph Jewelry images : Beginner’s Guide

Discover how to photograph jewelry images for your online business. Optimize your jewelry product photos to increase sales and boost your online engagement.

How to Photograph Jewelry Images?

CHAPTER 1: Setup

Smartphone or camera

The arrangement, not the camera, is the most important aspect of product photography. Both DSLRs and cellphones can shoot beautiful images if you know how to get your setup right.

White Backdrop

Purchase a professional photography ‘sweep’ or make your own using a white sheet of paper or a roll of paper. Of course, you would want the horizontal and vertical surfaces to blend together seamlessly. The white will reflect white onto your product (resulting in a well-lit photo) and aid white balance calibration on your camera.

Tripod

To prevent your camera from shaking, you will need to use a tripod to keep your camera stable. Make use of a tripod, a smartphone mount, or any other hard, stable, and level surface. Having things like this will make your camera stay in place while you take your photos. 

Window

When used in an indirect manner, natural lighting is the most effective source of light when taking photos. Shoot in a light spot near a window, and do it preferably during the day. If you need to soften the shadows, diffuse the light by covering the window with a white sheet.

Reflector or fill light

Purchase a reflector or fold a piece of white card in half to create fill light. Place it on the opposite side of your merchandise from the window. This little photography technique will result in a product that is uniformly illuminated.

CHAPTER 2: Jewelry Tips

Shoot on a white background

This cannot be emphasized enough. White will reflect light on your goods and ensure that the features are well-defined, despite the fact that black may appear more elegant. Covering a black jewelry bust with a white sheet will also work wonders if you can only come up with one!

Keep a ‘photographer’s toolbox’ on hand at all times

It is possible that you will have difficulty propping up rings or earrings exactly the way you want them to. Keep a supply of some clothespins, safety pins, a white or transparent string, sticky tape, and/or glue dots in your toolbox. Also, it is always a good idea to keep batteries on hand!

Keep an eye out for reflections

Because most jewelry is very reflecting, you must be very careful when using light sources. Try changing your jewelry or setup around if you noticed that you are getting a terrible reflection. Another alternative is to diffuse the light by hanging a white sheet over your window.

Make sure that your product is the center of attention

If you are shooting manually, make sure that you are using a small aperture. Jewelry is difficult to photograph since it is often small, and photographing close to it might cause the edges to blur. You would want to make sure that your consumer can view the complete product, including even all of the minor details, so they know exactly what they are getting!

Don’t use your camera flash

Varying light sources have different color temperatures, and mixing them will confuse your camera and will result in strange hues in your photo. Use the most powerful light source available: the sun! The idea is to use indirect lighting, so find a soft light source near a window and start shooting from there.

CHAPTER 3: Do’s and Don’ts

• Don’t shoot on black.
• Do shoot on white.
• Don’t use your camera flash.
• Do use natural light.
• Don’t ignore your focal point.
• Do make sure that your entire product is on focus. 

CHAPTER 4: Mobile Photography Tips

The majority of cell phones are perfectly capable of capturing decent product photos. To get the most out of your camera phone, keep the following suggestions in mind:

– It would be better to use a white backdrop for the shoot.

– As much as possible, don’t use filters.

– Turn off the auto-flash feature.

– Tap your screen to adjust your focus.

– Avoid using the digital zoom feature.

– Use these helpful camera apps to your advantage:

Camera Plus – As an alternative for your regular camera app, this app does wonder by allowing additional control over your focus and exposure.

Pro Camera – An even more intricate alternative camera, Pro Camera will allow you to manually adjust all your settings to get just the right photo.

CHAPTER 5: In Summary

It is all about how you put things up.

Don’t be concerned about purchasing a high-end or a fancy camera. If you will use a white background and some natural light, your images will look like they were taken by a professional, and as if they were taken by a major retailer.

Pay close attention to the details.

When it comes to jewelry, factors like focus, color, and reflections are very crucial. Keep your eyes peeled for details and your equipment close at hand to assist you in the resolution of any issues.

Get rid of the background.

The contrast between having a white background and having no background in your final photo is significant. Your images will be consistent, which will allow potential shoppers to concentrate on your product. Send your images to Pixc if you are running out of time and/or materials. We will clean up the backdrop of your product photos so they would appear all the same. The best part about this offer is that you will surely have your images back in less than a day.

Read next: Best Camera for Jewelry Photography