As the owner of a jewellery brand or a business in which you make or sell jewellery, you no doubt understand how crucial it is to present your products in the best possible way. One of the most effective ways to attract and convince potential customers is by displaying high-quality photos of your jewellery. In this blog, I share professional tips for photographing jewellery for your webshop, so you can catch the attention of your target audience and boost sales.
View this post on Instagram
Photographing jewellery starts with the right equipment
Of course, you can choose to outsource the photography of your jewellery to a product photographer. There are a lot of good product photographers, including some that have already been at Atelier Oost Amsterdam We wrote a blog about them earlier. By reading this blog, you'll find out in no time whether one of the product photographers in terms of style suits you. A big advantage of this is that the photographers in the blog already know our studios, which saves a lot of time.
Are you going to capture the jewellery yourself? Even then, I have tips. Before you get started photographing your jewellery, it is important to select the right equipment. A digital SLR (DSLR) camera is ideal because of its control over settings and image quality. If you have a limited budget, a high-quality smartphone with a good camera can also produce good results. However, it is always advisable to go for a good camera, so consider borrowing or renting one.
Getting started with jewellery photography for webshop
A tripod is essential for stable and sharp photos. This minimises motion blur and ensures that your jewellery is captured clearly and in detail. Preferably use a tripod with a tilting head so you can adjust the angle of your camera.Good lighting is the key to successful jewellery photography. Natural light is best, so try to place your jewellery close to a window. Both The Loft and The Playground at Atelier Oost Amsterdam feature beautiful, high windows. You'll also enjoy plenty of natural light in autumn. Be careful with direct sunlight, as it can sometimes create harsh shadows. You can also remedy this by lowering the contrast of your photos. If you use artificial light, choose daylight lamps to render colours accurately.
Always work with one or more, plain backgrounds: this directs attention to your jewellery. (Off-white), beige or black are often obvious choices and can be found at The Loft. Here you can shoot your jewellery against a New York City loft-inspired background. Instead, opt for The Playground if you want something different from 'the neutrals'. In this creative playground for adults, you'll find a dreamy, pastel-coloured palette in which to realise your photographic dreams.
Photographing the right composition for jewellery
Experiment with different compositions to determine which works best for your jewellery. Consider close-ups of individual pieces and images of multiple pieces of jewellery to offer variety. Always make sure they are in sharp and clear focus. I also recommend having a model wear the jewellery as well as shooting flatlays with it. After all, this way your clients can also immediately see how they look against a certain skin tone or with a specific outfit.
Make sure the photography of your products is personal: you do this by adding detail. Is your latest collection inspired by a particular subject? Then let this subject return to images in the form of decoration. You can enrich your imagery with elements from nature, beautiful fabrics, gemstones, books and more. In both The Loft, The Playground, and The Living Room you'll discover stunning elements, furniture, and home accessories that offer endless opportunities for creativity. This prevents a boring and static look.
Use macro photography: this allows you to capture small details of your jewellery. Work with a macro lens or the macro setting on your camera to highlight the texture, patterns and stones of the jewellery. It is always a good idea to experiment with depth of field to bring focus to specific parts of your jewellery. A limited depth of field can blur the background and draw attention to the jewellery.
Photographing jewellery for webshop: edit your photos
After you have taken your photos, editing is often necessary. Adjust brightness, contrast and colour balance and remove any imperfections. There are plenty of editing programmes available, from Adobe Photoshop to free online tools like GIMP.
Before placing your photos on your webshop, make sure they are optimised for the web. This means scaling them to the right dimensions and reducing the file size to minimise the loading time of your website.
Also not entirely unimportant when uploading product pictures: potential buyers want to see your jewellery from different angles. Make sure you offer photos from various perspectives and with different styling options.
By following these professional jewellery photography tips, you can improve the visual appeal of your webshop and convince potential customers to buy your beautiful jewellery. Don't forget to regularly update and optimise your photos to keep your webshop up to date and attractive. We look forward to seeing the end result!
