Photographing Jewelry

[Gina Lai]

Jewelry is one of the most difficult objects to photograph. The main
reason is it reflects light and light is what makes the image. One
easy way is with a scanner. If you one or two images for EBay
don't run out and buy a camera. Find someone with a scanner. Cut the
top and bottom out of a 1" high box so the piece can fit in the center
and the box keeps the scanner glass from touching the jewelry and
blocks the light at the same time. Hit the button and you are done.
If you already have a DSLR ( Any digital camera with removable
lens ) then we can go the the next level. I would suggest building a
shooting box. Sure you can purchase one for about $100.00 but you can
get the same effect for $2.00-$4.00. Decide what color you want your
background. Black, brown or white all work depending on what you like.
Many websites want white backgrounds so we will start with that. Find
a large white piece of paper. You can tape two together if needed with
the tape on the back side so it does not reflect. It is best to
overlap a little as the two pages will blend in the photo. Have about
10" for the base and about the same folded 90 degrees as the back.You
may need something stiff to hold up the back. Next step in
finishing the lighting box is controlling the light .Buy a thin almost
see-thru white fabric and make a tent. One side open for the camera
and the rest blocking the light. We are not going to be using
flash.We will be  using continuous light for a simple
WYSIWYG approach.
I would move my table to an large window or open doorway. You want
bright light but not direct light. Place the tent so you have even
light all around. Lay the jewelry down on the white paper or for rings
you could make a holder. Take a heavy piece of cardboard and cut
a thin opening. Place it under the paper and cut the paper for the
ring to fit into the cardboard. I would also add some extra lights to
the sides of my tent. Reading lamps are good as well as bare
bulbs.  It is best to photograph the jewelry at an angle. Move it
around until you see what you think would be a nice shot.
The next step is adjusting the camera settings. You may have to get
the instructions to find the adjustment menu but all are have about
the same adjustments. First find the "M" and set the camera to Manual.
I would also set the photo quality to Large. You may need to
crop later depending on how close your lens will allow you
to focus to make the piece fill more of the frame.This will give
you more file information to work with and a cleaner higher resolution
image.  Next I would adjust the focus screen.
Make sure the center focus point, usually a red square is active. You
are going to lock that square onto the main part of the jewelry you
want in perfect focus. Usually the front edge of the stone. Next I
would adjust the ISO to 400. This will allow the camera to work with
bright room light but but not add a lot of grain to the image. The
next camera adjustment will be aperture. I would lock in at 4.5 or
5.6. This will give you enough Depth of Field to allow most all of the
ring to be in sharp focus. The back edges may be a bit soft if a long
lens is used but it will still look good. The higher the number means
more light is required for the photo and at the same time you get more
depth of field.....more range of focus from front of object to the
back. I would start with the shutter speed at 125. A tripod will be
very helpful or you can rest the camera on top of a chair back. Main
thing is to keep it from moving as you press the shutter. Have the LCD
view set to a small view of the image with a graph next to it.
Take a test shot to check exposure.If the white areas are blinking in
the screen you are over exposed. Try moving the shutter speed faster
or increase the aperture number one step at a time. Do only one since
both will reduce the light in the image. Do this until the blinking
stops. I usually go one step darker just to be sure I am not
over exposed. Now you should be very close to a correct exposure.
If too dark you would need to slow down the shutter or change the ISO
to a higher number. The last adjustment would be White Balance. I
prefer to custom white balance before shooting anything. White balance
is what tells the camera what color the light is so it can reproduced
the correct color being photographed. If you can do this great, if not
then set the camera to Auto W.B. and hope for the best.
Take a few shots adjusting the angle for a different look. Watch for
changes in the light as the sun will be moving during the shoot. Use
small white cards placed next to the jewelry to reflect more light to
areas that are too dark and black cards to block light from bright
areas. Slight shadows are fine and help define the shape of a object
and give it depth. With practice you will learn what look you like and
can repeat it every time you shoot.