How to photograph jewelry

Lately you've been trying to photograph jewelry with the intention of offering them on your e-commerce site, but you soon realized that it is by no means a very simple undertaking. In fact, when it comes to small objects that often are also particularly bright and reflective, special precautions must be taken.

I therefore decided to make this tutorial specifically to show you the most suitable techniques to create good quality shots for bracelets, rings, necklaces, earrings or any other type of ornament, also providing you with all the information on the equipment suitable for the purpose.

Just spend a few minutes of your precious time reading the next few paragraphs to learn how to photograph jewelry: you will see that, at the end of this tutorial, you will be able to obtain the desired result and you will also feel particularly proud when you display the selected images in the virtual windows of your online store. So, are you ready? Perfect, I just have to wish you good reading and good work!

How to photograph worn jewelry

Equipment

Have theequipment correct is essential to be able to take clear and well-defined photographs of the jewels. Obviously, a lot will depend on the camera you have: in this respect I highly recommend that you get one reflex that, thanks to the ability to manually adjust a wide range of settings and the availability of interchangeable lenses able to meet different needs, it allows you to create high quality and extremely professional shots.

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Models too mirrorlessHowever, they offer different settings that can support you in this specific activity and at the same time guarantee an optimal quality level. If, on the other hand, you want to try and take shots with the smartphone, later you will find a dedicated chapter in which I will show you how to optimize shooting with the mobile phone camera, as long as it is a smartphone with a good camera.

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The goal must necessarily be macro, able, that is, to grasp the details even in the smallest objects thanks to a optimal reproduction ratio: their lenses are specially designed to offer high-level optical performance on low focusing distances e shallow depth of field.

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Secondly, even though all cameras are equipped with highly efficient image stabilizers, it is advisable to find a easel: the tripod, in fact, is a fundamental ally to completely eliminate those inevitable disturbances due to the imperceptible hand shake, which is naturally picked up by the device during shooting.

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It is essential that the images of the jewels are as sharp as possible and in this respect the element of brightness. Probably the most evocative photos are those in which the natural light is the master, but unfortunately in this area there are many variables and it is not at all easy to grasp the right environmental situation.

With artificial light, however, everything is easier. If, moreover, you are particularly oriented to the realization of shots still life (literally translated "still life"), ie images in which only theinanimate object, I strongly recommend that you buy a cheap and functional one light box. It is a small photographic box (there are also in mini format) in which the articles to be immortalized are introduced, and is composed of monochrome walls illuminated by LED lights supplied.

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Through a special opening in one of the walls it is possible to shoot the object, which will be positioned in a harmonious way with the background (usually for the jewels a white, gray or black panel is used): you can, therefore, easily set the brightness through regulator connected to LED lamps to bring out their qualities and create suggestive plays of light and shadow: the photographer's skill will then do the rest.

How to photograph still life jewelry

Would you like to be able to take photos that can make your jewels the absolute protagonists of the scene and in which all their peculiarities are highlighted? One of the best ways to take shots that enhance their beauty and brightness is to place the object on one monochrome background, in order to focus the observer's attention solely on it. Let's see, therefore, how to photograph still life jewelry to be displayed on the windows of the main e-commerce such as Amazon, eBay o Etsy or on a owned e-commerce.

The simplest and most advantageous method to apply the still life photography technique, as indicated above, is to make a small one photographic set composed of light box, easel e camera with macro lens: the jewels, in this way, will seem exposed in a real one virtual display case.

The first rule, very important, concerns the background: the latter must be extremely clean e free from imperfections. Secondly, it is wise to choose one monochrome (any textures could divert attention from the real protagonist of the shot), which contrasts with the colors of the article and at the same time gives further elegance image.

The most popular background is certainly white, which also allows you to play more with lights and shadows. In this case, however, some difficulties are introduced related to the materials which, by their nature, are extremely reflective. To understand how to photograph jewelry white background, you can try to take some essential additional countermeasures in order to illuminate the object evenly and bring out all the colors of the different elements that compose it.

If, for example, you are wondering like photographing jewels without reflections, you should know that it is possible to dampen and filter the direct light of LED lamps by installing a curtain in translucent material, able to create a diffused and homogeneous lighting. If, then, the object also includes one gemma, you can also insert a direct light with a suitable angle of incidence to enhance the colored reflections.

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As an alternative to the white background, you can use color panels black o Grey, for example, or experimenting with creative color solutions based on the characteristics of the object.

If necessary, enrich the scene with an external element, for example with a Expositor, in particular where the object is difficult to photograph due to the presence of a pin (as in earrings) which prevents them from being positioned in a composed manner on a flat surface: the important thing is that it is not intrusive with respect to the characteristics of the jewel.

reflex

Let's now move on to the more technical side: if you have opted for the camera reflex, first check that it is set to export images in RAW, essential to avoid quality losses with respect to the signals captured by the sensor: this precaution will greatly facilitate the task in the subsequent phase of touch-up.

You can also count on a series of extremely useful settings. Specifically, I suggest you manually compensate the exposure, increasing the light and at the same time of lower the ISO sensitivity: the intense brightness of the LEDs, the high exposure and the stillness of the object will allow you to take particularly clear shots without any noise.

All these adjustments are easily found in the image quality settings of your SLR camera. Alternatively, many templates provide wizards that make it easier to define settings based on predetermined scenarios.

As regards the diaphragmfinally, the focal length will be adjusted according to the proximity of the object and the type of shot you want to create: if, for example, you want to shoot a detail of the jewel, you will have to resort to a larger aperture and contextually, to obtain a good definition, adjust the brightness by acting on the LEDs of the light box if necessary.

Once the images have been exported, they can be retouched using post-production software. In this guide you will find several tips on the best PC programs that can make your shots even more flashy.

Smartphone

You would like to try taking shots directly from yours smartphone, but are you afraid that the result is not satisfactory? Surely you will not get the same result as a Reflex, but there are valid tricks you can refer to if, for example, you want to create how to photograph Instagram jewelry and then post them on the virtual windows of the famous social platform taking advantage of its features dedicated to sales.

It being understood that the indications provided in relation to the realization of shots in still life mode are always valid, you must know that there are special supports for tripods that allow you to stabilize the smartphone on the tripod: it is essential, in fact, that the photo is taken with the device perfectly still. In this sense it could also be very useful to activate a delay in self-timer via the settings of timer of the camera integrated in the mobile phone.

Another important trick is to clean the camera lens with accuracy: the latter, in fact, for objective reasons related to the use of the device, is more easily subject to dirt, dust, or the presence of fingerprints. Furthermore, to photograph small objects, it is possible to apply additional lenses for smartphones that allow you to better define the details, avoiding blurring or visual disturbances of various kinds.

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Also on the mobile phone it is possible to use manual settings that allow you to adjust the ISO sensitivity shutter speed,aperture opening and white balance: on devices Android, once the camera is started, just tap on the gear symbol to access it. If you have a device Apple and, therefore, you want to learn how to photograph iPhone jewelry, you will find the possibility to manually adjust these parameters by tapping on the icon Settings and, subsequently, on the voice Camera.

If your smartphone does not have many settings, there are some very useful apps for taking photos that integrate additional features that can be applied in real time. Even if the temptation can be strong, I advise you, finally, to absolutely avoid using the digital zoom, which irremediably breaks down the images.

The phase of post production becomes essential for the processing of images acquired with the smartphone and fortunately it is possible to refer to a wide range of applications useful for the purpose: in this article you will find several valid app suggestions that can, with a few taps, improve the quality of your shots. The advice I want to give you, however, especially if it is jewelry intended for online sale, and of don't overdo it with filters and effects and to intervene as much as possible only on brightness and contrast, keeping the colors faithful to reality.

How to photograph worn jewelry

If you prefer to use a template for your photographs, allow yourself to give greater expressiveness to the image and arouse in the observer feelings of desire, identification and positivity, I have created this section specifically to help you understand how to photograph worn jewelry.

The main difficulty, which is also largely linked to the photographer's creativity, is to be able to associate the object with a context, through the use of a model and creating a situation, making sure that the jewel emerges and remains the protagonist. Simplicity is often the best solution: first of all, it is essential to give the idea of ​​their wearability, showing only the detail of the part of the body that wears them, perhaps represented with the intent of perform a natural movement.

In this respect it might be useful to apply settings that improve the sharpness of the moving subjects: i system di autofocus implemented in many camera models can come to the rescue for this type of situation. When the movement is predictable you can use the mode directly AF singola, which focuses only once on the subject at the identified point, while for small objects I do not recommend automatic AF which, especially in combination with a macro lens, needs more time to identify the focal point.

The best condition for making quality shots is undoubtedly the one offered by natural light: in this respect the main difficulty is given by the unpredictability of the atmospheric conditions and, consequently, by the brightness. In any case, the best moments are early morning and late afternoon, in which the light is suffused and its intensity is the ideal one to highlight the peculiarities of the article.

As with artificial light, it is important that the jewel is not directly hit by the sun's rays, but is only touched by it: in this way you will avoid dangerous reflections and limit the use of artificial solutions in post production.

Alternatively, if you wish to photograph the jewelry worn with the artificial light, you can consider buying a photographic set consisting of a lighting kit and by one or more backgrounds equipped with special adjustable supports which, then, are interchangeable according to needs. For this type of shots, from a technical point of view, the same indications provided for the mode apply still life.

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I sincerely hope to have been of help in the realization of the photographs of your jewels and to have contributed to improve the qualitative rendering of your shots. If this has involved you in a particular way and you wish, therefore, to deepen your photographic technique to apply it to different areas, I think you will also find this guide very useful, in which I provide you with useful information on how to take professional photos.

How to photograph jewelry