I set out to write this post the other day (after a few delays with my camera) only to realize that lighting conditions weren’t exactly optimal. However, I tried anyway and it turned out to be a great way to demonstrate how well a lightbox can work. See?
The first photo demonstrates the lighting conditions that I had to work with while I was taking the second photo. Its pretty cool how nice of a shot you can get in such poor conditions, eh?. It was rainy and incredibly windy outside and I have the overhead lights on as well as the little lamp (which is standing on two six packs of beer stacked on top of each other, not the most elegant solution but it worked.)
If you’re been following our photography guide up until now, you have already made your own light box and know how to use your camera to achieve the look you want. The final step is composition; setting up your piece with a background that really sets it off and makes the photo interesting and pleasing to look at, not just a clear photograph. This will help you stick out from your competitors, but be careful – you don’t want the background to be too much and overpower your jewelry. For example, the photo below is from the Ring Lord forums.
The snake is beautiful but pretty distracting, eh? Its hard to even notice there is jewelry in there. As the original poster said, and we all agreed, it makes a pretty picture but its not the best way to sell your creations.
Not everyone likes a plain white background tho, so, what to do? Personally, I am an avid reader so I chose to use one of my favorite books to break up the monotony of the dreaded empty white space.
I like the look of this background but some people might find it a bit distracting because they can still make out the words and try to read them. In that case, you might want to try sheet music, it has a similar appeal to a book in that it is also black and white, but its slightly less distracting than words.
One of the most important compositional tool is the Rule of Thirds. Basically, your picture will look better if you divide your space, vertically and horizontally, into thirds rather than in half. This diagram helps to illustrate what I mean:
By positioning your picture so that the focal points are aligned with where the lines cross, you can create a more interesting and pleasing photograph. For example, examine the above photo with the book.
Notice how the necklace is off-center? This splits the space into one third with lots going on in it and two thirds with not much, this is asymmetrical balance and is a great way to use the Rule of Thirds.
Also notice how the necklace itself divides the photo into three sections vertically, the chain is one third, the wire diamond the second, and the bead flowers hanging off the bottom make up the third section. By placing the blue flower right on the cross-section of the two dividing lines, it really pops out of the picture and draws attention down, from the eye-catching silver pendant, to the more subtle pink beads below.
I hope this had helped you in photographing your awesome jewelry creations! Coming soon we will have tips for those interested in selling their work including packaging ideas as well as how to write interesting descriptions and decide on prices.
