When it comes to product photography, few items can be as frustrating as jewelry. Reflective surfaces, tiny details, and amorphous shapes are just a few of the challenges confronting photographers brave enough to tackle this subject. Luckily, with the right tools and a little planning, many of the headaches associated with jewelry photography can be greatly reduced.
Choosing the Right Camera Setup
Most cameras fitted with normal-length to telephoto lenses can produce passable results photographing jewelry. However, if you want the best-quality images, you should invest in a macro lens. This will allow you to get closer to your subject and relay maximum detail. For tips on choosing a macro lens, check out Todd Vorenkamp’s article. If a new lens isn’t in your budget, close-up filters are a cost-efficient workaround that will allow you to reduce the minimum focusing distance of your existing lenses.
A tripod and shutter release are equally important tools for any photographer working on macro-scale products in order to maintain consistent framing and mitigate camera shake. This is especially true if you plan to focus stack your images. Focus stacking, which works by combining multiple images taken at incremental camera-to-subject distances, requires a tripod and either a camera capable of this feature internally or a focusing rail to make manual adjustments. For more on focus stacking, check out the B&H video team’s demonstration of the process.
Lighting
One of the nice things about photographing jewelry is that you can achieve excellent results in a relatively modest space. Lighting tents, lighting tables, tabletop cycloramas, and seamless background paper all provide suitable backdrops for jewelry. Tents can be especially useful in order to control environmental reflections. One thing to be cautious of, if you choose to branch outside of black or white backgrounds, is the possibility of color casts and reflections on shiny pieces distorting your images. Check out this video for a creative (yet simple) setup B&H’s video team uses to photograph a watch.
Lighting is arguably the most frustrating aspect of jewelry photography. Many all-in-one tabletop kits include continuous lights designed to provide neutral, even lighting for e-commerce photographs. While this may be adequate for some applications, you will likely want to incorporate additional lights that can be more easily repositioned and provide accent lighting. The placement of light sources will vary depending on the reflectivity of your item. Glare can be lessened by positioning lights perpendicular to your camera. Bounce cards can be lifesavers when it comes to managing reflections and avoiding inadvertently including yourself in a shot. Don’t be afraid to experiment with camera and light positions until you land on an image that works best for the piece you are shooting.
Finally, if you are using multiple light sources, make sure to match their color temperatures. It is always good practice to use a color card when photographing for commercial projects to ensure accurate white balance and color rendering. No client wants photographs of their products that misrepresent their color.
Staging
Since jewelry pieces are designed to complement the contours of bodies, presenting a piece by itself can be difficult without the right tools. MyStudio’s 12-Piece Prop Kit includes everything you need to achieve conventional images of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, watches, and similar items. If you are looking for more options, jewelry supply stores often sell staging props designed for commercial displays that are just as useful for photography. Acrylic boards and risers are useful for creating clean, pristine environments and producing crisp reflections. On the other end of the spectrum, more natural settings can be created using driftwood, rocks, or even plants. Moderation is key. Be sure any props that you introduce do not end up competing for attention with the jewelry.
Tacky wax can hold pieces in dynamic positions for creative compositions. Fishing line or thin string can be used to give the appearance of floating items—just be sure to remove the string at the editing stage. If you are trying to capture a 360-degree view of an item, product turntables can be used to make videos. Some turntables are also capable of precise, repeatable movements for still photos, so you can capture multiple items from exactly the same points of view.
Jewelry Prep
If you are photographing a new piece of jewelry, you shouldn’t have to worry much about tarnishing or serious dirt and grime. Nevertheless, you should invest in a polishing cloth if you are working with gold, silver, or platinum in order to achieve maximum shine. Macro photographs are unforgiving. Five minutes of prep can save you hours in post. You can prevent fingerprints by wearing lint-less or anti-static gloves when handling jewelry. Compressed air is helpful for removing loose dust or particles without having to touch an item.
Post-Processing
If you are working on a collection, it is important that your images share consistent white balance, cropping, and exposure. Batch processing using Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, Phase One Capture One, or similar editing software can save time and streamline your workflow. If you are focus stacking your images, software such as Helicon Focus Pro will allow the greatest degree of control over your final images.
Do you photograph jewelry? What tips can you share with our readers? Add your comments below.