Jewelry Photography

Jewelry photography is also a relatively professional direction in commercial photography. In e-commerce, I saw a lot of advertisement pictures of jewelry on the Internet and found that they are all the same pearls and the same diamond ring, but the effect of the pictures makes people look very different! The reason is the difference in the photography team, because jewelry products are not ordinary photography teams and photography equipment that can capture the atmosphere, dignity and luxury of jewelry! Here's a brief introduction to the reasons:

First, because the difficulty of shooting jewelry is inherently high, the complex structure, metal reflection, metal texture, diamond inlay, etc. are relatively fine, and they are not on the same plane, coupled with the difficulty of mirror lighting and placement, all make Jewelry photography has increased a lot of difficulty. Some jewelry has special craftsmanship that needs to be photographed at the best angle to reflect him, such as inlaid jade and diamonds, which are even more difficult to photograph.

The second is jewelry, jewelry, watches and other valuables. Whether it is for network use or album printing, the requirements for image quality and accuracy are relatively high. In the photography studio in Guangzhou during this period of research on the shooting of watches and jewelry, I have summarized some shooting experiences, not jewelry shooting tips, but a little personal experience and tips from constant photography attempts.

1. The first point of jewelry photography: Most jewelry and watches are made of metal texture, and the volume is small, avoid using direct light, straight in and out of the light is very hard, the projection is very obvious and it is easy to expose the object Transition, generally use a soft box as soft light, which can well reflect the texture of the metal, avoid other cluttered environments being reflected into the photographed objects, and can better express the transition of light and shade on the metal.

2.Jewelry shooting and placement is a big problem. Some people say that commercial photography still life photography takes 7 minutes and 3 minutes. In fact, it is not too much. The placement is indeed a big problem. Here we can talk about general The pendulum method, as for some special effects and creations, then try it yourself. For watch shooting, just fasten the strap and find a point of force balance for watches with leather straps and resin straps. Due to the hardness of the belt, it can stand up directly on the table. For steel strap watches, we usually use a The transparent c-ring is usually the kind that watches show, and the strap is put up and placed. There is another kind of metal, which can adjust the size of the c opening. You can also use it to cut it narrower and hold it up Just use the camera angle to avoid it. Jewelry will be simpler. Jewelry photography such as rings and bracelets can be glued with double-sided tape or glass glue, and it can be repaired later.

3.1. Lighting selected when shooting: To shoot a good work, preliminary work is very important, and lighting is the most important part. Jewelry is characterized by its high degree of reflection, they can reflect most or even all of the illuminating light back. The simpler the shape, the harder it is to capture smooth, reflective subjects. Improper lighting will cause uneven light or great contrast between light and dark, and there will be many and chaotic flares. Due to the different texture and reflective characteristics of each type of jewelry, the lighting needs are also different. The tools generally used in lighting include tracing paper, black, white, gold, and silver reflectors, spotlights, and softboxes to match and decorate, so as to meet the shooting needs of different jewelry. A. Lighting of diamond jewelry: The characteristic of diamond jewelry is that diamonds form many cutting surfaces after processing. These cutting surfaces reflect countless rays of light under the irradiation of light, so the diamonds will sparkle. To shoot such a bright effect. In the lighting, the method of fill light should be used to make the brightness of different faces and the highlights of different edges, so that each edge can produce clear light. But if he wants to completely eliminate the reflections on the jewelry, he can use tent-style lighting, using seamless paper to set up a "tent" on top of and around the arranged jewelry. He had to cover not only the perimeter and the top, but the front as well, and then cut a hole in it to put the lens in for the shot, but not too big, just enough to get the lens and light in. Sometimes the light is simply placed outside it. Soft indirect lighting for the "tent". This results in an even light and no unwanted reflections on the jewelry. The "tent" style lighting method, the light is uniform, whether it is the diamond on the front or the diamond on the side, the shining effect can be photographed, and the reflection effect of each cutting surface of the diamond can be fully exerted. B. Lighting of gold and silver jewelry: The color of gold and silver jewelry should be photographed to achieve the effect of golden light. For the photography of gold and silver jewelry, most of them use direct light. For the fill light of jewelry, it is also necessary to use various small reflectors, including gold, silver, black and white reflectors, to fill in light at a specific angle to highlight the firmness or roundness of the surface shape of gold and silver jewelry. C. Lighting of gemstones and crystal jewelry: Gemstones and crystals are similar to diamonds in cutting methods, but their difference is that gemstones and crystals should highlight their crystal clearness, gemstones need to reflect the color of gemstones, and crystals should reflect the color of gemstones. Translucent crystal. For multi-faceted gemstones, direct light should be used in shooting, and the light should be soft. The so-called soft light should be soft. If the light is too hard, you can use a diffuser or tracing paper on the spotlight to soften the light. For the fill light of gemstones, if you want to play the brightness of each surface and the highlights of different edges, you should not only use reflectors, but also reflectors and concave mirrors. Clear and bright. In the process of shooting, you can also use some small stunts, these small stunts will make the jewelry more splendid. For example, use the star filter to produce dazzling light to activate the picture; use multiple exposures to add movement and mystery. For example, when shooting transparent crystals, you can dig a hole slightly smaller than the gemstone in black or colored opaque cardboard. After placing the gemstone, cast light on the bottom surface of the cardboard, and the gemstone will emit a luster of ice and jade.

4. Photography distance and choice of camera and lens: Because most jewelry is small in size, macro photography is the most commonly used technique in jewelry photography, and professional photography equipment with macro function is also essential. It is especially important to choose a suitable camera to photograph a piece of jewelry. As far as cameras go, either a 135, 120 or a 4×5 professional camera can be used for macro photography, but a 4×5 camera has great advantages for jewelry photography. It can change the perspective of the effect and can selectively adjust the focal plane. During the shooting process, you can fully compress the depth of field by rotating the front panel of the lens, and then cooperate with the use of a large aperture, so that the focus falls on the jewelry to be photographed, so as to maximize the subject and emphasize the spatial sense of the picture. These technical adjustments cannot be done by non-professional landline phones. As far as the lens is concerned, since it is macro photography, of course, a macro lens is indispensable. Macro lenses are specially designed for close-up photography, where images are extremely sharp and have good contrast. This alone is beyond the reach of ordinary lenses. Many photographers use ordinary lenses without macro when shooting jewelry, and extend the skin of the camera to achieve the purpose of enlarging the image. The effect is often disappointing, and the resulting photo image is loose and hazy, with extremely low contrast and high fog. This photo does not have the desired effect. One photographer I interviewed said: "I've been using the Knight LS professional camera when shooting jewelry. The camera's fine-tuning function is very easy to focus, and it is easy to find focus in extremely short focal lengths, which is also suitable for jewelry photography. Demanding focus. I use the Schneider 120mm professional macro lens most often, and the sharpness of the image is excellent, especially at f8-f16 aperture settings. When using small apertures , pay attention to control the length of the skin cavity, if the skin cavity is stretched too long, the entire lens will have diffraction phenomenon, which will reduce the image clarity. Other macro lenses and 180mm Schneider lenses are also very practical. The size of the object to choose to use.”

4.Post-production, many people disdain to do post-production, thinking that it is not what photographers should do, but it is necessary to do post-production correction for commercial photography. Doing commercial product photography is to make the product as beautiful as possible. Either ask a professional retoucher to do it, or switch to documentary photography. Want to shoot jewelry. 

5. There are other miscellaneous things, such as the mirror surface of the watch to avoid reflection, you have to slowly find an angle to adjust the light, etc., the metal watch pointer is easy to appear completely black, and the angle and light should be used to avoid it.