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HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH JEWELRY

Quick Guide
Written by Amy Grace
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 INTRODUCTION

More than 1.6 billion people are buying products What you’ll learn in this guide:
online. The jewelry industry is one of the top fields
here. A large amount is earned every year from the Here, we will cover the significant aspects of jewelry
jewelry market. photography, and you’ll get an overall idea about the
whole process. These are the areas to be discussed:
Among online sellers, 90% think that photo quality
is the most important factor for sales. With each 1) How to photograph jewelry
passing year, more and more jewelry sales shift to the 2) Equipment you need to shoot jewelry
online platform, and today the jewelry industry is one
of the top fields in e-commerce. 3) Setup for jewelry photography

Jewelry photography is different from other kinds 4) Common mistakes and how to avoid them
of product photography in many ways. There are
specific rules that need to be maintained. Anyone 5) Important jewelry photography ideas and tips
can shoot jewelry if only they’ve prepared themselves Recommended Reading: After learning
properly for the shoot. Knowing even the smallest about camera settings, improve your
details is a must here. photographs by understanding how light works!
Do you know how jewelry photography is different Grab a copy of Photzy’s premium guide:
from others? Here is a complete jewelry photography Understanding Light Book One.
guide, including an equipment list, process, tips, and
ideas.

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 HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH JEWELRY

Photographing jewelry requires patience and Before shooting, you need to plan everything
meticulousness. Every detail is important here, and appropriately so that you can work according to the
this is not an easy job. From lighting to composition, plan and achieve the outcome you want.
every element plays an important role.

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 1. EQUIPMENT

There are some basic types of equipment that you’ll TRIPOD

need to photograph jewelry. While choosing these,
keep in mind how you want to shoot your product. A tripod is essential for product photography,
Here is the list of equipment you’ll need to capture particularly jewelry, to get sharp images. It’s even
great photos of jewelry: better if you can use a remote to press the shutter
to eliminate the camera shake. This will help you to
CAMERA establish the composition, too.

You don’t need any fancy gadgets, and there is LIGHT

no one best camera for jewelry photography. A
mirrorless DSLR camera is enough for a jewelry photo For jewelry photography lighting, three lights in total
shoot. That will cover pretty much every product you are enough. Use two lights for side lighting and one
might need to photograph. for the top. The top light needs to be brighter than
the sidelights. You can use a 500-watt top light and
Kit lenses that come with DSLRs can easily be two 250-watt sidelights.
considered the best lens for jewelry photography.
A 16-50mm or 18-55mm can work fine for jewelry Other than that, you might need a reflector and
photography. You can keep an 85-100mm macro lens softboxes. If you are on a budget, a ring light can be
to capture the smaller rings or nose pins, but you’ll an excellent choice.
need this only if you’re publishing in big sizes. In that
TABLE AND BACKGROUND
case, a macro lens will give better quality.
You’ll need a table to display the product on. If your
product is on the floor, you’ll have to take all the
images from a high angle. Adding paper or cloth
on the table creates a suitable background for the
image.

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 2. SETUP

Jewelry photography setup does take a significant much better. Always think about making creative
amount of concentration. We’re going to break the compositions.
parts down and discuss each one.
SET THE PRODUCT
BACKGROUND
Before shooting jewelry, you need to clean the
Background plays a crucial role in jewelry product correctly. Even the most miniscule dust
photography. You can’t be fixated on one type. particles can show up in images. Use glass cleaner or
You need to change and try different backgrounds other liquid to clean the product first.
depending on your products. Plain white and
black backgrounds are pretty standard in jewelry Now it’s time to put the product in the right place.
photography. But that just doesn’t go with every You can simply lay it on the table, or you can use
product. stands. For example, cardboard can be used for
jewelry photography. You can put a necklace,
PROPS earrings, or even nose pins on cardboard. Other
materials like sticks and boxes can also be used to
Using props is fantastic for small products like jewelry. display the jewelry.
This creates a different ambiance in the image that
makes it more appealing. Rather than finding difficult LIGHT
things, go for easy and straightforward items from
your surroundings or from nature. Set the light after placing your product. Ensure the
light source is precisely where you want it to be. Use
For example, you can place a yellow flower beside softboxes to get rid of hard shadows in your image.
a piece of jewelry that has a yellow stone, or add Place lights on both sides of the product and a third
a pinch of colored powder of that same color. This light shining from the top.
reference to a similar color makes the composition

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 3. LIGHTING

First of all, keep in mind that you need to use soft If you need flash, avoid using the on-camera flash,
light for jewelry photography. Jewelry products are as this is direct and will create brighter light than you
already glossy. Hard light is unacceptable in most need. Use off-camera flash and set it wherever you
cases here because that will create dark shadows and need it. Also, adjust the light intensity while setting
reflections. Try to keep the lighting soft and mild. up.

We already talked about using three lights with To set the light, you might need to experiment and
softboxes. Ring lights also work well for jewelry readjust several times in order to find the point where
photography as they produce soft light. Also try you get the best light.
window lights. There is no rule that you’ll need
expensive lighting equipment. Make use of ambient
light if needed.

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 4. CAMERA SETUP

Set your camera on a tripod and frame your shot. ISO

Shoot in manual mode so that you can adjust the
exposure easily. There are three settings that you As there will be a light setup, you won’t have to think
need to work with: about higher ISO. Keep the ISO low to avoid noise in
your image.
APERTURE
SHUTTER SPEED
Use shallow depth of field if and only if your product
and image demand that. In most cases, you’ll need a You can, and you should, use a fast shutter speed
greater depth of field. Keep the aperture above f/11 here. Keep it around 1/1000 or 1/2000.
or f/15 or even higher if necessary.

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 5. POST-PROCESSING

These are the most basic post-processing edits you · Clone: Use it if you accidentally get any
can apply to your jewelry photography: unwanted spots in your photo. This tool copies
and pastes one part of your image onto another.
· Brightness/Contrast: This is used to adjust the
light and shadow of the image. Contrast means · Spot Healing: Correct small details of the
the difference between light and dark in an product with this tool, like dust, scratches, etc.
image.
Recommended Reading: After learning
· Dodge/Burn: The Dodge tool and the Burn about camera settings, improve your
tool are opposites. The Dodge tool darkens an photographs by understanding how light works!
overly highlighted area. On the other hand, the Grab a copy of Photzy’s premium guide:
Burn tool highlights a particularly dark area. Understanding Light Book One.

· Hue/Saturation: This changes the color tone of

the image. Be careful about not changing your
original product color while using this.

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 COMMON JEWELRY
PHOTOGRAPHY
MISTAKES TO AVOID

Here are some of the most common

mistakes that photographers make while
shooting jewelry:

FOCUS

Many photographers don’t keep in mind

that focus doesn’t work in the same way
for all images. You can’t just use shallow
depth of field where you need to show
an overall view. Greater depth of field is a
must here to give a complete picture.

On the other hand, shallow depth of field

works for details. When you want to show
details of a product, then you can focus
on a particular area and keep the other
areas out of focus to keep your viewers’
concentration on a specific detail.

Photograph by Dima Valkov

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH JEWELRY // © PHOTZY.COM 10

 Photograph by Leah Kelley

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH JEWELRY // © PHOTZY.COM 11

 WHITE BALANCE

White balance determines the color tone

of an image. Be careful about the white
balance while shooting. If you want to
capture the product’s actual color, you’ll
have to adjust it with the white balance.
Otherwise, there is a chance of the
customer returning the product because
of the wrong color.

REFLECTION

Reflection is a frequent struggle of jewelry

photographers. As jewelry itself is a
glossy product, there is a high chance of
reflection while shooting. Even if it is a
small one, this can change the design of
your product. So, try your best to avoid
reflection while shooting.

If you still get that, work on it while doing

Photograph by Carlos Esteves post-processing and adjust the light.
Don’t forget that any kind of unnecessary
reflection will disturb your viewers, which
you surely don’t want.

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 HARD LIGHT

Hard light is annoying for jewelry. This

creates so many other issues like high
contrast and hard shadows, increasing the
chance of getting unnecessary reflections.
Natural light or soft studio light works
much better for jewelry, so don’t bring the
harsh light into your image without good
reason.

INCONSISTENCY

There is importance in pattern. Following

a specific style allows you to create your
own unique identity. But suppose you
are inconsistent and produce different
product images for various products.
In that case, there won’t be any way to
identify that all these are owned by one
brand.

Inconsistency makes it challenging to

relate to the brand. You don’t need to
use the same composition or background
or props. Just maintain a particular
style. You also can make a preset for
post-production to keep the tone of the
images the same.

Photograph by Photos Olit

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 TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING
JEWELRY

Try to keep these essential rules in mind

to produce quality work for your business:

CREATIVE COMPOSITION

Composition is essential for any kind of

product photography. For small products
like jewelry, it’s even more important to
give enough attention to composition.
This can change the mood of an image.
Try interesting and new ideas to make it
work. The more creative you are here, the
more pleasing your image will be.

Photograph by Tessa Wilson

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH JEWELRY // © PHOTZY.COM 14

 USE INTERESTING PROPS

Using props is nothing new in product

photography. Chances are, many
other photographers will use the same
technique. But what makes the difference
is how incomparable your props are. The
more unique and exciting your props are,
the more appealing your image will be.

TRY GIF

GIFs and moving images have become a

big part of digital media. They are cool;
they are trendy as well as lively. Suppose
you’re making an earring image. Just by
swinging the earring and capturing the
movement, it will change the quality of
your image. This kind of image attracts
the customers much more than the typical
static image.

TAKE MULTIPLE SHOTS

One or two shots are never enough for

jewelry photography. For jewelry, you
Photograph by The glorious studio need to show the product from different
perspectives to give an overall idea. If you
have enough shots, you can adjust and
use them in whichever way you want. Take
close-ups, wide shots, and try different
angles.

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH JEWELRY // © PHOTZY.COM 15

 MAINTAIN MINIMALISM

Finally, be minimal with your image. The

‘less is more’ rule works here well. Keep
the background simple so that it doesn’t
distract viewers. Use minimal props and
keep the image simple. Jewelry itself is
a gorgeous product, so you don’t need
to add anything distracting that takes the
lead in the image.

Recommended Reading: After

learning about camera settings,
improve your photographs by
understanding how light works! Grab
a copy of Photzy’s premium guide:
Understanding Light Book One.

Photograph by say straight

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH JEWELRY // © PHOTZY.COM 16

 FINAL THOUGHTS

The jewelry industry is a big market and

has always maintained high standards.
Now, with the growth of the digital
market, jewelry photography has also
made its place. Professional photography
is not enough; keeping pace with
the trends is essential, too, as this is
constantly evolving.

Jewelry photography techniques are

not tough, but they can be challenging.
Photographing jewelry requires a lot of
attention to each detail. Even the smallest
mistake can be a major one in the image.
As this kind of photography is sensitive,
photographers need to have adequate
knowledge of what they’re going to do.

Photograph by Eric Fung

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH JEWELRY // © PHOTZY.COM 17

 Self-Check Quiz:

1) What kind of light sources can you use in jewelry photography?

2) How do you prevent reflections in images?

3) What props can be used in jewelry photography?

4) When doesn’t a shallow depth of field work for jewelry?

5) What quality of light is preferable for jewelry?

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH JEWELRY // © PHOTZY.COM 18

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Hey there!
Let's get real for a minute... Learning photography can be super challenging! But
we're here to help you every step of the way! Here are 3 of our most useful (and
FREE!) photography resources:

3 Free Photography Cheat Sheets What is Your #1 Photography Killer? Free Photography eBooks

Grab 3 free photography cheat Take this 30 second quiz to find out Free access to our library of 250+
sheets that will help you the #1 thing holding your downloadable (pdf) tutorials on
understand the basics. photography back. everything you can imagine.

Download Cheat Sheets → Take Quiz → Download eBooks →

Want quick photography tips?

Check out our friends at DailyPhotoTips.com they'll send you 1 solid photography tip
to your inbox, 5 days a week. So you can start your day right, with actionable tips to
help you on your creative journey. Subscribe now →
(free for a limited time)

SPONSORED Advertise with us

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Congratulations! You’ve completed
this Photzy guide!

If you liked this photography tutorial, check

out this premium lighting guide to help
you master light and produce amazing
photographs: Understanding Light Book One.

Amy Grace, a devotee writer of Clipping Path Studio, has

substantial experience in the commercial photography field.
Merging competency and skill in her profession, she has
helped numerous entrepreneurs create their brands. Aside
from photography, Amy is involved in photo retouching work
as well. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
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