Five easy and quick tips for jewellery and product photography are coming up. Of course you love your creation and want it to be presented at its best but it is small and it is reflective and therefore not the easiest thing to photograph. I know every guide out there for selling your products online is telling us - how we present the product in our photos is going to make or break our shops. Sure, right, but how? Right?! Since I have been creating my modular concrete display blocks I have been writing about how to style them, stacking and aligning, backgrounds and props but a lot more goes into taking a good picture before all of that.
First you need to decide on light. In general it is best to photograph with natural light, a cloudy day gives a natural light. I would say this is the rule of thumb, full stop.
But of course if you are having a boho fairy tale jewellery shop maybe white light is not the best for you to sell. It will do for the product image which you should always have to provide the details but the selling image most likely will be in a styled environment with warm shall we say soft sunlight. So to start with the product image set up with the white light [cloudy day light] but as soon as you have settled on an overall vibe / theme of your jewellery find the light for the atmospheric, 'feel' of how it is to wear your jewellery, light. Which brings us straight to the second tip.
Second, gather us much inspiration as you can.
Often you can use things which inspired you to make that piece of jewellery in your photography as well. Sometimes you can reuse backgrounds or props to give an overall feeling also known as cohesive look to your collection or shop.
Third - go for it - take loads of pictures and even if you think you have things figured out take at least 10. [psst ... I take even more] You can delete later but better you have the option to do so as having to start all over again. Taking pictures and setting up as well as having the creative mindset for it is quite an undertaking, don't underestimate it.
Fourth, think of your customer! Think of what you know about the piece you created and show that as well as what the customer might want to see. This is called providing perspective. Different angles, details, combinations and styling.
Fifth, learn about your camera, maintain your and experiment with different equipment. Of course, we always hear, you need a better camera. That could be true but once you know your camera don't be hasty. This knowledge is key, at a certain stage you will love your camera, you will set up with your camera and can concentrate on styling as you learned with your camera what settings give you the desired outcome. And this is true for phone cameras as well as for an SLRs.
Little extra tip - if you are thinking of new gear, make sure it is easy for you to understand and is purposefully chosen. New is not always best for you.
Indeed, if you like, we can call it the sixth tip, never stop tweaking! Your feedback will be coming from your customers and from the best resonating images to your brand vision, it is never a good idea to stop. Learn from the feedback and go from there. On top of all that the more images you take the better you'll get. Learn from others, meet a fellow maker for a photoshoot or exchange designs and take pictures of each others works. You will see how they see your works and even more inspiration will come from that conversation. This is most likely the best tip I can give today. Anyhow, I think you will find that these tips do not just apply to jewellery photography but to product photography altogether. More tips on Geometric Concrete Photography Props and Jewellery Styling Inspiration and feel invited to browse my blog sections above and even more can you find over here!
Have a fabulous photoshoot, Antje
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