Jewelry Photography Basics
Jewelry photography is a specialty style of photography. Most people will use a lightbox, or tent which is simply a cube that is build up of translucent material shaped in a cube. The translucent material is used to diffuse hard light to avoid harsh shadows. But usually what you end up with is super low contrast flat lighting. This style is most popular with catalog style photography. But if you are looking to create a stunning photo of a piece of jewelry you are going to have use a different method to create a "beauty" shot as they call it in the industry. Chose a background color, or texture to enhance the photo. For the color you can use a contrasting color from the stones. Avoid similar colors and tones as the stone or color of the gems. For texture, a granite tile works pretty good. Or some stones, bamboo, and even some props can help enhance the photo to create a scene and something more visually appealing than your boring white background. Instead of using all softbox light, throw in some hard light to hit stones and make them really pop. A photographic bling if you will. Mirrors or silver reflectors can be used as your hard light source as well. The second most important part of jewelry photography is depth of field. You want to get the most focus out of the shot as possible. Usually using a small
aperture will do the trick. Remember not to zoom too far in as that will also kill your depth of field. More than likely you want a lens that has macro capabilities. This way you can get as close as possible to the object with your camera, keeping you from having to zoom in and lose your deep of field (dof). White balance is another big concern when it comes to jewelry photography, especially with gold. If you don't have your white balance set correctly your gold will more than likely come out a brownish color and tone. If you come across this issue you know that you have too much blue or green in your color, and should adjust accordingly. Usually setting up a white card in the beginning of the shoot is a good idea. And you can reference that for you source of white point. Exposure is also important to keep your gold jewelry from turning brown. Check your histogram to make sure you are at proper exposure. You might think photography of women's watches and related items is relatively easy work because watches are inanimate objects. There is no danger that they will move when you get the shot just the way that you want it, and they don't get attitudes or throw temper tantrums. This is true, but jewelry photography is still very challenging depending on the desired outcome. All professional photographers want to achieve just the right lighting and exposure for watches, rings, necklaces, and other jewelry items. The four main tools needed for photography are a good digital camera, a sturdy tripod, proper lighting, and an experienced photographer. The experience comes with time, but you can make excellent photos while you are learning with dedication and an eye for detail. Because women's watches are typically small and detail in the photos is the key goal, the camera must be capable of defining every aspect and feature. Obviously, the better lens you have for the camera, the better it is for your shoot. Always use a macro f2.8 these lens are great quality lenses. Exposure time for pictures of women's watches could be longer than you would use for portrait photography. A tripod should be sturdy and heavy enough that it does not shake at the simple pressure of your finger on the shutter. Lightweight tripods are good for shooting when they must be moved around constantly for live action photographs, but they are not the best for fixed position shots. Lighting enhances any picture and can make a poor subject look either brilliant or very drab. The art of lighting is one that comes with success and failure, and it takes time to develop that talent. No matter what kind of camera you own, if the lighting is wrong, you can't expect to have the best possible finished photo. Light filters are additional tools that every jewelry photographer needs. Without them, it is almost impossible to get just the right amount of light for any photo. They help to disperse the light and give a more balanced coverage of the
photographed item. They can also be used to add hues into the spectrum should there be a need. Another tool that has become almost a necessity in all digital photography is software for photo touchups. The touchups required should be minor, but they are important for all women's watches and other jewelry. Small defects can make the difference in a successful picture and a poor quality one. The most important tool needed for your jewelry and women's watches photographs is one that can't be quantified or bought. You must have the intuition to know what the user of the pictures actually wants. This requires some basic insight into what the potential consumer is seeking. Any photograph you take should be the best quality possible. Having the right tools and dedication is what leads to great jewelry images. Knowing the basic essentials of good quality photography is important to producing quality jewelry photos that sell.