Showing posts with label jewellery photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jewellery photography. Show all posts

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Jewellery Photography Needs a Vision of Perfection

The important keys to wholesome jewellery photography are keenness, lighting and sparkle. And of course with perfection vision the mission can be accomplished well!




Reputable jewellery photography needs sharp and concise focus to achieve the finest effects. Accurate high-resolution cameras like Nikon and Cannon Digital Rebel with 100 mm macro lens will look at a wide area of jewellery that needs to be photographed and position it accurately. This is known as "spot focus" mode that allows precisely what the camera will be focusing on.  Sometimes many digital cameras cannot capture the small shiny gemstones.  For close-up, a camera with good manual focus ability is needed.


Soft Lighting effects work best for jewellery photography.  When a series of lighting is used the final image can be visualized. On-camera flash does not always lead to good photos. Occasionally the camera’s flash will be too bright at a close distance when taking pictures and will not light up the jewellery properly. They may also create harsh and distracting shadows, which are harmful when showing to the customers.


Fluorescent bulbs that are well compressed provide pleasant, natural-colour light and produce very little heat serving as an advantage during long photo sessions. A light white satin tent as a diffuser is used that makes it easy to reduce glares and control shadows for jewellery photography.  He will decide on what lights he wants when he is shooting jewellery items like gems, sapphires, rubies and how to add sparkle to diamonds.  The bulbs can be ‘daylight’ or ‘sepia toned’.


LED bulbs are considered as a diamond sparkler producing sharp quality images of the jewels. Camera must preferably be kept on spot mode where the close up photos of diamond, emerald or intricate stones are targeted.  While the photographer is shooting, the lens or the hand movement can get unsteady at times.  A tripod is absolutely essential to use as support enabling sharp images to be clicked effortlessly.


A professional photographer has to portray every precious diamond’s unique sparkle intricately in its metalwork.  Each piece of jewellery is patterned differently concerning its design, shape, finish and its opacity. The use of controlled lights will give brilliance to a particular piece of jewellery.  Implicit focus to capture the detail is very important.  Eventually the professional’s skill to regulate the components ensures that the mission is accomplished with patience.


The age of computers has enormously helped jewellery photography.  Many clients can browse online, choose and decide which jewellery they would like to adorn and purchase the same.  The shutterbug is also an expert at color balancing, converting white gold to yellow gold, changing the color of gemstones and can provide extensive retouching to make sure the products appear in their best light.  The photograph of the product will display the finesse; sparkle and design when different lights source bulb colors are blended during the shoot.  Preferably use 5000K daylight-balanced bulbs to produce a proper image.  Be sure that the entire lights match in color as the exact exposure brings out the best results.


Saturday, February 2, 2013

Mastering the Art of Jewellery Photography


Nothing can be more challenging than shooting tiny pieces of gemstones or delicate pieces of accessories that women wear. And it is equally a stimulus to master the art of jewellery photography with studio infrastructure.

The art of the shooting jewellery items involves a series of techniques, lighting and a systematic method to achieve the finest effects. To start with, the accurate camera with slr is needed to capture the objects. A 35 mm camera with TTL (through the lens) is ideal and most professionals have it in their kitty. Well-known brands like Nikon and Canon have sophisticated models, which are perfect for shooting jewellery photography. The digital cameras for product photography have evolved towards more complex versions for detailing. Since the items are small and exquisite the delicacy needs to be captured in style. To make dangling earrings look attractive to the buyers, the photographs will feature focused lighting. For diamond (solitaires) and pearls (necklaces), soft reflections can do the trick. In the same manner, rubies and emeralds are highlighted with the right sharpness and exposure. Getting the act right will ensure that the shoot does not remain a mystery or a perpetual failure.

Dramatic lighting is essential in this special breed of jewelry product photography. It will take some effort to set up the equipment and get the items displayed. And it requires no super model to prop up its glamour quotient. One undisclosed tip that can really be helpful is that after the shoot, image editing can create the lengthy or short drop shadows for added effects. Before that let’s concentrate on the shoot itself. With the lights, camera action in place the studio will ensure that a clean clutter free table is used. A white satin cloth is draped around for the setting. The photographer decides the sources of lights. It could be a single source or a series of multiple angles. The look can be ‘daylight’ or it could be ‘sepia toned’. These are done with the addition of fluorescent bulbs. Special shutterbugs also use the LED bulb, which is considered a fine diamond sparkler. These are remarkable in getting sharp pictures. The camera can be put into ‘spot mode’ where the focus is directly targeted on the main item-diamond, emerald or pearl stones. The photographer is able to restrict the surrounding jurisdiction of the item. The spot mode is applicable when the close up of the items are targeted. While a user can close in towards the item while shooting, the lens or the hand movement can be unsteady while shooting. A tripod can be a savior. Sharp images can then be clicked.

Some jewels shine when soft lighting is thrown on them. The use of the diffuser on the lens is the key to such shots. In the studio shots there is no need for flash for close up shots. It may overexpose the picture and ruin the hard work. It may also create shadows that may be distractive. Therefore, controlled lights around the jewellery are the best option. These days the trend is to use the compact florescent bulbs is a great balancer. The right exposure brings best results. Mastering the art eventually will take some years and employment of creative skill also.