5 tips on how to take better digital jewelry photography

If you're a jewelry designer and blogger, chances are that you've been asked to take photos for various products at some point. It can be difficult to get the right angle, balance lighting, and generally take a quality shot without using expensive photography gear. Luckily, there are a few simple tips that can help you take great jewelry photos.

Below I'm going to go through some of my favorite tips for taking better photos, and if you'd like to learn more about any of the steps, just click on the link in blue to find out more.

2. Getting the Right Angles

The angle you take your photo from is important for two reasons: first, you need to be able to show the side that is most important for the piece (for example, if it has a custom clasp, or something else that needs explanation).  Second, you want to show the piece at its best angle: you don't want to get an image of it from a bad angle.  Here are the two perspectives I would recommend:

3. Lighting

Jewelry photography is all about lighting, both natural and artificial. With natural light, you have to consider both the light source itself and the shadows that it produces.  For example, direct sunlight can produce harsh shadows that reveal imperfections in your design work. Here's how I handle different types of lighting on different days (sunny days are great for outdoor shots!):

4. Editing Your Photos

One of the best things about modern technology is that you don't need expensive equipment to take a quality photo.  That doesn't mean, however, that you shouldn't do some editing.  There are plenty of free apps out there that can help you tweak your images.  I recommend taking your image into a program like Photoshop, Lightroom or GIMP and playing around with these different options to get the photo just right:

5. Show Your Work!

Finally, it's important to show your work! A great jewelry photo will get people talking about what you're doing online and make them curious about purchasing more work from your shop.  This is what I would recommend:

So there you have it - those are my 5 best tips for taking better jewelry photos.  Be sure to check out the rest of the series here!

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Conclusion

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