6 Tips to Photographing Jewelry

Are you thinking about starting a homemade jewelry business? If so, here are a few things to consider when photographing jewelry.

1) Diffused Lighting
Jewelry is highly reflexive so it's a good idea to stay out of the direct sunlight. Avoid blown out highlights by using diffused lighting or natural soft light from a window.

2) High Aperture

Customers want to see as much of the jewelry as possible. Use the highest f-stop possible in order to have sharp focus edge-to-edge. We're aiming for a wide depth of field so think high (big numbers) apertures.

3) Tripod
You might find that using a high aperture / f-stop forces the camera into a slower shutter speed. With slow shutter speeds, the camera is susceptible to camera shake from your body. Since jewelry is an inanimate object, you can set everything up with the help of a tripod to make sure neither the object nor the camera moves.

4) Get Close
If you have a macro lens or even a macro function on your camera, this is a perfect time to use it. Get as close as possible to fill the frame. Crop out the extra background to keep the focus on the jewelry.

5) Use Plain & Clean Background
Remember, plain does not mean white. If you have a bold website, don't be afraid of using a blue or red background. The background should compliment the look and feel of your website. The focus should be on the jewelry so make sure there's nothing in the background that shouldn't be there.

6) If you are not happy with it, don't use it
Photographing jewelry is not easy; it's small, highly reflexive, and awkwardly shaped. Take your time. I would recommend setting up a temporary space that you can go back to until you are completely satisfied with how each piece looks on your site.

Best of Luck and Happy Shooting!