There is no denying it. It doesn't matter how fabulous your jewelry masterpiece is. If the photos aren't good, it won't bring lookers and potential buyers. It is also no secret that photographing jewelry is one of the most hardest subjects to capture. However, there are a few secrets to making your jewelry photographs look like they came fresh from a catalog. It may be worth noting that these secrets can be used for photographing any small item. Let's face it, capturing small items on film that look enticing in the photo is much harder than landscapes and "fun-with-your-friends" photos. In this series, I will walk you through everything I have learned in the last two years of trial and failure in the hopes that it will help fine tune your photography.1. Light
Please don't waste your money on one of those light tents that is available for jewelry photography UNLESS you live in an area that experiences months without sun. I happen to live in New York by Lake Erie, therefore, we go through spells of lake effect snow and cloudiness from December to February. In this case, a light tent is paramount if I am going to need to photograph during those months. Now that spring is here, however, I am retiring my light tent until next year. In the future, I will have a tutorial on using a light tent.
With that being said, every one's house has light. Take a few days to scope the way the light comes in your house through the south-facing windows on sunny days. Every window will have a daily period of diffused lighting, then bright light, then diffused lighting. You want to try to pinpoint the time of day that the light goes through it's first diffused period. To describe diffused, look at the light that is cast on the carpet. If the light is about a 45 degree angle, that is perfect!
Notice how the sun hitting the floor is at an angle. This means that sun is on its way up but is not up all the way. This lighting will be much softer. This time of day for me is about 11am depending on the time of the year. In the months of winter, I have to revert back to the tent because the sun is so low in the sky even in it's highest position that this time of day doesn't render enough light for me. (In actuality, this window is either north facing or the sun is on it's way down...however, it's the angle of the light cast I wanted to point out).
If the light shining on the carpet is straight ahead, the sun is in it's highest position in the sky as in this photograph. (BTW, these photos are sourced...click the pictures to get to the source of origin.). By this time of day, the sun will be too harsh, not to mention, in your way.Now that you have found your time (and it will fluctuate, so pay attention to it), choose a room with a table large enough to spread things out on, making sure it is pretty close to the window. You don't want to photograph on the floor as you are greatly limiting the angle options of your photos. You definitely don't want it too close to the window and you certainly don't want the item you are photographing to be in the direct sunlight cast from the window. You only want to take the luminance from the light coming in to aid in the lighting of your photo session. This will eliminate any need for artificial light with will add either pink, yellow or blue tones to your image.
The specs of my area are as follows: my light source window is 36" x 45" and I use my dining room table which is about 3 1/2' from the window. I do have a light source that I use over my table while I'm photographing to add extra luminance if it is needed. It is a chandelier using 5 daylight colored bulbs. Here is a picture of my "photo shooting area". You don't need a fancy-schmancy area, all you need are a window and a table. The table is important because if you shoot on the floor, you are seriously limiting potential camera angles. I learned this the hard way.
As you see, the window is really not all that large, but at about 11am, the light filters in angled towards the back wall (you can kind of see the luminescence already and it is only 9:30am). You can also see the artificial light source I use to boost the luminance for the pictures. I recommend that if you are going to use artificial light sources that you install day time lamps. They do have a blue tinge to them which may show up in the photographs, so only use them if you really, really need them.Oh, one more really important piece of advice. Wear white while you are taking the pictures. I don't care if it is your favorite bathrobe or an old out-of-style white sweater you picked up from a thrift shop. Wear white. Whatever tone of the clothes you are wearing while taking the pictures will effect the light in the actual photograph image. Since I wear mostly black and neutral colors, my clothes tend to steal the light from my shots. One day last summer I did an experiment and took a white sweater from my daughter's closet, put it on and shot a few photos. I was amazed at how much brighter the pictures were.
So, for the next couple of days, keep a log of where the light falls in your windows over the course of the day so you can pinpoint when the best time to take your pictures falls. The point of this is so that as your inventory builds up, you can have them all ready to take at the proper time on the next sunny day.
Here's what to expect in the coming weeks:
Part II: Composition and Background, What best compliments
Part III: Your Camera and Angles, Don't be that photo-shooter
Part IV: Photo Editing, You can make something of nothing
