In its entirety, jewelry photography can get scary especially if you’re starting. Capturing these tiny shinies and its vast intricacies can sweat you and the client. And the post-production process of jewelry photography retouching is even more elaborate and kind of challenging.
The shooting part, even though tricky, is quite fun and comparatively easy than shooting big objects with even bigger studio setups. It also requires good eCommerce image retouching skills, especially with the image background removal technique.
If you’re unsure about the post-production, you can politely inform the client that it is currently out of your package before signing the agreement. Or even better you can always outsource it to cost-effective and expert image editing services providers out there.
If you’re beginning your journey in this domain, don’t fret as we got you covered with the perfect tips to kickstart it up a notch. So how about we dive in?
Natural Lighting
Stick to indirect natural lighting coming from the studio window and place your product in a way that it hits neatly. And not too bright sunlight – diffuse it with white papers or to make it fancier, use some light-colored papers for colored lighting. Direct flash can make the jewelry too ‘bling-y’ which can cause a loss in its appeal and especially with the detailing.
White Backdrops
Jewelry is highly reflective and absorbs all colors when light hits it. White backdrops such as a folded paper are more than enough to get it well-lit and maintains the jewelry’s color as well.
Lens
A macro lens with a minimum of 60 mm focal length offers good magnification (up to 0.5x) which is ideal for jewelry photography. For people on a budget go for a macro lens that renders a 1:1 (lifesize) representation of the subject. The zoom function enables customers’ to analyze every product detail up close in the online store.
The Right Aperture
If you go with wider aperture (f 2.8, f 4.0) settings with for your macro lenses it won’t likely focus the subject and produces too much bokeh effect or depth of field.
For achieving the best compositions, set your camera to the Aperture Priority mode and go for aperture levels of f 11 or f 16. These levels can potentially capture the intricate details of the jewelry which is always essential in jewelry photography.
Tripod
A steady tripod that eliminates camera shakes will provide an enhanced focus on your subject and will hugely benefit your jewelry photography shoot. A tripod having a removable tripod ball head, and spirit level indicator will get you that steady level you want for a shoot. Movement fluidity in jewelry photography can be gained using the tripod ball head while you a desirable shooting angle. Upon unlocking the head, the camera movement becomes more freely so that you can secure the desired angle and lock it in position. The spirit level indicator will help you make the tripod at the right level.
Props
Use props such as white mannequin busts to maintain necklace jewelry’s appealing and realistic shape. Black busts can also be used as it produces more elegance to the jewelry and makes it stand out. Although white ones are far better in every way. If you don’t have mannequin busts, you can create one. Pin, tape, or tie the jewelry to cardboard in its desired shape which can also be adjusted, and shoot from the front. The taping technique can be used to make rings stand up for achieving a great shoot angle. Earrings can be hanged with thin strings or threads which will be almost invisible while you shoot the product. If you do get strings or threads in your photo you can always remove it using your jewelry photography retouching skills. Make sure the jewelry doesn’t move when it’s hanged or you might end up with blurred images with awkward angles.
Artificial Lighting
The recommended lighting setup would be to use at least two flash heads or continuous lights so that the left and right sides of the subject become equally lit.
Purchasing a lighting kit from online stores usually contain all the necessary accessories for your shoot. Accessories like flash triggers, umbrellas, diffusers, stands, and more come with it.
Umbrellas will help you diffuse and control the lighting while shooting and won’t require too much effort in your eCommerce image retouching process.
Use Reflectors for Light Balance
Reflectors will help you even out the natural lighting as it tones down shadows by filling light on the opposite side.
Models
Working with seasoned models will help clients to establish their brands and will add much more to your photography portfolio.
Post-production
Your jewelry image editing prowess will come naturally as you keep on experimenting with the right software, and learn from (online) tutorials. For that, you need to do in-depth research from online references and even the physical ones so that you know how well the shades, tones, colors, lighting setup, etc. will have the desired effect that hit it mainstream. Always be sharp with your image background removal technique as this is one of the crucial techniques required in the industry.
GIFs
When you have enough post-production proficiency or is a vivid experimenter, try to incorporate GIF images that will surely capture the shoppers’ attention.
Mistakes to Avoid in Jewelry Photography
- Unpolished and unclean jewelry can affect your images and shows a lack-of-preparation. So, make sure the jewelry you are shooting is in its pristine condition without fingerprints or dust. Doing so will save you the headache or trouble while carrying out the jewelry photography retouching process.
- Inconsistent and uneven lighting setup or else you will end up with subpar photos. This adversely affects the online market presence of the client.
- Jewelry reflections will affect your photographs as well and gives an unprofessional vibe. So try to cut it down to zero, no matter what.
- Inaccurate color representation of jewelry products will confuse online shoppers, as they purely rely on product images for shopping.
- Inconsistent image size makes it difficult to scale it in online store websites during eCommerce image retouching. It also affects product visibility, alignment, gives a bad browsing experience.
- Image inconsistency affects the overall photo quality and of the product line. Inconsistent background, uneven lighting, out of focus, etc. makes it harder for online shoppers. Try to maintain the same image consistency across all your images.
- Lack of ample images makes it harder for shoppers to gain that entire virtual product experience. So, shoot more from different angles, showcasing every jewelry aspect. It improves customer engagement and provides them with the right purchase decisions.
So, consistency is always key with jewelry photography helping with apt brand product showcasing that highly helps online shoppers. Stick to an established guideline for the overall shot and don’t sway from it as it calls for inconsistencies. And if you’re uncertain with the shoot always keep it simple as it doesn’t hurt and will help you shoot right. The consistency should be the same with your image background as well which should be simple and the same with your entire shoot and compliments the visualization aspect when it’s online. And last but not least your jewelry photography retouching skills particularly the image background removal technique has to be honed as your career progresses. With that, you will learn more about the different sides that are applicable in eCommerce image retouching and will help you leap into the territories of more proficient image editing services providers.
