As a jewellery seller, it is vital you know how to take eye-catching, professional photographs of your jewellery products.
However, jewellery is notoriously difficult to photograph. Whether silver, gold, diamond, or crystal, jewellery is well known for being shiny and reflective. This means it can be difficult to capture the perfect image – and to a professional standard.
Not to worry though, we’re here to help. In this article, we will share our top tips and tricks for photographing jewellery, so that you can advertise your products professionally.
Let’s get started.
Photography Equipment You Need
When it comes to taking great photos the first thing you need is to invest in some quality photography equipment. Of course, how much you invest will depend on your budget. However, a high-quality camera is vital as the quality of your pictures will be vastly superior to those taken from your phone.
A few other pieces of equipment worth buying include:
- Tripod
- Lighting
- Jewellery displays
- Backgrounds
- Foam boards
- Clamps or tape
- Blackout blinds
It is important to note that lighting and weather conditions can have a big impact on picture quality. And you want to be able to work whether it’s raining outside or not. That’s why you should invest in photography gear that can achieve great results no matter the light levels.
Indoor lighting set-ups are a great solution, as well as plain backgrounds and blackout blinds. All these things can help you achieve a certain look/mood that elevates your products and helps you sell more effectively.
Tips and Tricks: How to Photograph Jewellery Like a Pro
Once you’ve got the gear and you’ve had a bit of practice with your new camera, it’s time to get started. The following photography tips will help you showcase your jewellery in the best light (quite literally) so that you can sell more than ever before.
Create the Scene
Do you have a theme for your jewellery? Are you promoting Christmas products or perhaps jewellery pieces for a glamorous night out with the girls? Working within a theme is a fun and easy way to showcase your jewellery so that it stands out.
Start by creating a scene. You can use your display table, chosen background, and jewellery stands for this, as well as any accessories you’d like to help enhance the image. Creating a scene inline with your chosen theme is a great way to draw the eye, add points of interest, and help your jewellery stand out from the competition.
Find the Right Light
Finding the right light is vital for achieving a great photograph. According to expert photographers Adobe, “all photos have a balance of light and shadow that contribute to how we each see and perceive an image […] Light makes an image seem brighter while shadow can draw drama to a certain part of an image’s composition.”
Depending on the look and feel you’re trying to achieve, there are two main ways you can position your jewellery display to achieve the best effect:
Near the Window: the closer you display your jewellery to the window, the softer the light will be – this is ideal for photoshoots of engagement rings and other bridal jewellery as it will help capture a sense of beauty and elegance. Think of old movies. Directors would often use ‘soft light’ when focussing on the heroine as it would soften her features, making her look even more beautiful. The same can be applied to photographing jewellery. The softer the light, the more beautiful it looks.
Artificial Lighting: if it is a dull day and the natural lighting simply isn’t working for you, consider utilising the benefits of artificial lighting. Artificial lighting can create stunning and dramatic images, depending on what you’re hoping to achieve.
To create a softer light, position your camera directly in front of the item with one artificial light source at a 45-degree angle. This will soften the picture beautifully.
To achieve a more dramatic effect, place the item further away from your light source. This will create shadow and allow you to manipulate the light levels more dramatically. Play with different angles to add some drama to the final image and achieve the effect you’re looking for.
Invest in a Professional Hand Model
If you want to take your jewellery photography to the next level, consider investing in a hand model. A professional hand model will elevate your image and help your marketing efforts come across as more authentic. This is important for the development of trust between your customers and your brand and is a great way to stand apart from the competition.
Using hand models is a great way to show your audience what your jewellery looks like on a real person. It helps your customers see and understand each piece more clearly and have a better understanding of an item’s size, texture, colour, and functionality.
While investing in a professional hand model isn’t necessarily cheap, it is definitely a worthwhile investment. Hiring a professional demonstrates to your audience that you offer a higher quality than your competitors, that you care about their user experience, and that you put time and effort into every aspect of your brand. And it definitely pays off in more sales. So, it’s worth a try.
Thoroughly Clean Jewellery
This might seem like an obvious point, but you’d be surprised how many people forget to clean and prepare jewellery for photographing.
Your jewellery should be thoroughly cleaned and polished before photographing. Any high quality photograph will capture marks, smudges, and imperfections that could ruin the final image.
So, be sure to thoroughly clean your jewellery and wipe it down every time you touch it. Many professionals opt to wear cotton or silk gloves during photoshoots as this saves time cleaning items between takes.
Retouch and Edit Your Final Pictures
Once you have taken your photographs, it’s important to prepare them for displaying in your online store. After all of your hard work setting up the photoshoots, preparing the jewellery, and snapping the pictures, it’s important to make the images look as high-quality and professional as possible.
We recommend either hiring a professional editor or retouching the final images yourself in Photoshop or similar. Even the most basic photo editing techniques can be enough to enhance your photos and make them pop.
Final Words
So, there you have it – our tips and tricks for photographing jewellery. Remember, you don’t need to be a professional. As long as you have the right equipment, plenty of patience, and an eye for detail, you can achieve professional images that enhance your online efforts and sell your jewellery faster.
