Great product photos are required in today’s age of online stores and social media. But, trying to capture your jewelry in flattering images can be difficult. Thankfully phone cameras can now take amazing photos. It is no longer necessary to invest in a DSLR as one of your first business purchases; however, you may still want to plan for that step down the road. Here are some steps you can take to improve the quality of your photography with minimal equipment- and draw in more customers!
Getting Started



Prep Your Jewelry

Clean and polish to remove dirt, oil, and fingerprints (try not to get any more on the piece after you do this!)

Tip: If you do decide to use props, go with a theme. The theme can be based on the brand, the jewelry collection, or could be seasonal. A theme helps make your marketing more visually appealing and helps customers associate the images to your brand.
Setting up Lighting
A lightbox is always your best friend, but in the event that you do not have one here are some lighting basics:

Outdoor shoots in the shade generally work best. You’ll get a nice natural light without the glare and sharp contrast of direct sunlight.

Another way is to set up the shoot by a window out of direct sunlight. Use a lamp, white sheet/paper, or foil opposite of the window to bounce light back onto the piece.

Tip: If you are getting harsh black shadows on your piece, set up a white sheet or piece of aluminum to reflect light in the area that is creating the shadow.
Taking Clear Shots


iPhone users can use the headphones that came with their phones as a remote shutter release – just tap the volume controls to take the shot.

On Androids, you can also use the volume control on the phone as a shutter control. Do not use your thumb, your pointer finger will probably work best.

Use the burst mode – your phone will take multiple shots at once. This way you can choose the best photo from the bunch.
Tip: Do a couple of test shots and review before moving forward. Zoom in on the pictures in editing mode to see if you need to make any adjustments to the setup or the lighting. If you have one, look at the photos on a computer or tablet, the larger screen will help you to detect any issues with the photos.
End Game

Review all of your shots and select the best ones. Make a new folder dedicated to the shoot and move the photos to it. Zoom in again on each to double check for flaws.

Going Further
There are many other things you can do to improve your photography.
- Watch videos on phone photography – they don’t have to be dedicated to jewelry photography, many can give you great tips on the features of your phone, composition, lighting, and more.
- Find editing tutorials. You can take great shots but if you want them to be amazing you usually need to edit them. Apps generally have videos and tips on how to use them, but any tutorial on how to do basic editing will be a great help.
- Read up on your phone’s features – there are many differences in taking photos not just between brands (such as Apple and Samsung) but between the models too.
- Look into photography and editing apps. There are many great free ones, but even $2.99 is a small price to pay for greater control and more functions. Just make sure to do your research before you buy – some even have free options where you can try out the app first.
- Get inspired. Cut out ads from magazines, look through jewelry tags on Instagram, create Pinterest boards. Study these photos – why are you drawn to them? What do you like about them? Does the style go with your jewelry collection?
- Finally – take photos! Experiment with styles and lighting, have fun with it! The more you practice the better you’ll get.
We also have a couple of videos that show how we photograph stock and the equipment that we use in the Halstead photo studio: Photo Studio Tips Part 1 – Tripods and Photo Studio Tips Part 2 – Lighting.