Jewelry can be one of the most difficult subjects in the field of product photography. Intricate details, multi-faceted, reflective surfaces and a wide range of textures to capture present challenges that leave many photographers frustrated with their results. The good news is that, for photographers with the skills and tools to get the job done right, there's plenty of business to go around.
From online auction sites, to personal websites, to high-end retail catalogs, the demand for expert jewelry photographers is growing. Let's look at a few simple steps you can take to increase your odds of getting your share of the profits.
- Avoid using models. While it's nice to see a flashy necklace around the neck of a pretty woman, models increase the margin for error in your shots, because they move, they cast more shadows to be dealt with, and the model him/herself can be a distraction. Use stands designed for displaying jewelry for items you need to show “as worn”.
- Use a strong, diffuse light source. While sparkles are nice, the high contrast lighting that creates them isn't ideal for capturing overall detail. Your main light source should be strong, close to daylight balanced and well-diffused.
- Bounce the main light to fill shadows. Extra light sources can be difficult and can induce colors casts in some situations. You're working with small subjects, which means you can move plain, white reflectors in close and adjust them to eliminate distracting shadows and bring out details.
- Avoid distracting backgrounds. Patterns, heavy textures and other distractions in your backgrounds aren't a good idea. Simple, matte black or white backgrounds will let the products take center stage and can give you that nice, floating effect that works so well in catalogs. Placing a piece directly on a mirror-like surface may work well in some cases.
- Shoot multiple setups. To increase your chances of giving the client what he or she wants, don't hesitate to shoot the same item on different backgrounds, or at a slightly different angle. Don't overdo this; remember, you're the expert and you're going to showcase the items in the best setting.
- Avoid using models. While it's nice to see a flashy necklace around the neck of a pretty woman, models increase the margin for error in your shots, because they move, they cast more shadows to be dealt with, and the model him/herself can be a distraction. Use stands designed for displaying jewelry for items you need to show “as worn”.
Now, I know you're saying, “It can't be that simple.” You're absolutely right. Learning to shoot jewelry effectively will take some time and likely some trial and error. Keeping these 5 tips in mind will, however, help get you on track in less time.
The other advantage I mentioned early in this article was having the right tools. One of the best tool kits we know of for jewelry photography is the MyStudio MS20J Tabletop Studio, which includes everything you need to shoot just as I've outlined in the tips above, all in one portable, inexpensive package. If you want to get up and running with jewelry photography in a hurry, this is the investment you're going to want to make.
Take a look at this quick video from MyStudio that demonstrates how easy is is to put some of these techniques to work with the right product:
As you can see, it doesn't get much easier to create the kind of jewelry photos sellers are looking for!