Photographing Jewelry

I have tried many different ways to photograph my jewelry. What I am looking for is crisp, clear images and a good representation of the colors in the piece. And to not have to do so much editing. That is so important. I have spent a lot of time editing to try to get the right colors and brightness in my photos.

I have a light box. I still have to edit when I use it. I have tried photographing without the light box, with my lights, without lights. Ugh. It has been a learning experience.

I decided to read about how other people photograph their jewelry. The latest suggestion I read was to photograph indoors near a window, with a simple background like a colored sheet of paper under the jewelry. What you want is natural light to give you the most accurate color.

Here are a few suggestions:

- The camera you use does not have to be expensive. I have a simple digital that has a close-up feature. My camera has a button with a mountain setting for regular distance shots, and a macro setting (tulip icon) for your close-ups. I take lots of photos and then choose the best from all of them.

- You can, but do not need to use a mini tripod. The tripod keeps the camera steady so the photos are not out of focus. If you can hold the camera steady in your hands, forget the tripod.

- You can take your photos near a window for the natural lighting or outdoors, but you want the lighting to be indirect. An overcast day is good. On a sunny day, photograph in the shade. Too much light will bleach out the colors of your jewelry piece. That I have found difficult to fix with editing. After you take a photo, check the image and see if the colors look right. If not, shoot again.

- Once you upload the photos to your computer, you can always edit them. But the goal is, in my mind, to have to do as little editing as possible.

Her are a few I took today with natural light.





This was the second time I photographed these pieces and they came out so much better than the first attempt.

Hope this is helpful to anyone else trying to take great photos.