Product photography is a tricky task for jewellery specialists, as you will probably want to capture a high level of detail as well as showing off a combination of different materials in a realistic way. You must also consider that jewellery items tend to be relatively expensive, so there is extra pressure to make sure your product photographer is able to capture the attractiveness of each piece in your images. You may also want to exercise some creativity and show a little dramatic flair in your photographs, which again complicates the process.

Here are some of the main areas any good product photographer will be focusing on when it comes to jewellery.

Setting – The surface you place your jewellery on will make a noticeable difference to your finished photographs. Using a diffuser to disperse the light will soften the effect significantly and remove shadows, which also helps a lot. Alternatively you may choose to use glass or acrylic surfaces to embrace the inevitable reflections in an elegant and classy way, especially with black surfaces.

Equipment – Of course we are assuming that a jewellery product photographer will be using a high quality, professional standard SLR camera with an appropriate lens that can correctly focus on the entire piece of jewellery up close. You will also require a good tripod if you want to capture a sharp image; camera stability is vital when photographing small items, as the slightest movement can ruin the focus.

Finishing touches – When it comes to jewellery, what you really want to do is add that extra sparkle and make your pieces stand out in print or on a screen just as beautifully as they would in real life. The best tricks for achieving this depend on the particular materials involved. For example, LED or halogen lighting can bring out the colours in certain stones or create a sparkling effect on precious metals and crystals, when used sparingly.

As always, we do highly recommend professional product photography conducted in a studio like our very own at Freshpack Photo. With so many aspects to consider when trying to get your jewellery photography right, you’re much more likely to get good results with professional involvement. Just contact us to discuss your needs and we can work out a plan for your jewellery photography.