How to Take Pictures of Jewelry

Jewelry Photography 101


If you think photographing a toddler is difficult, try capturing quality images of jewelry. All of the little details and ornate pieces can make it difficult for a camera to figure out what to put into focus. Here are some tips to help you photograph your jewelry with the camera on your phone:


The first thing you need is appropriate light. This may or may not be direct sunlight. In some instances, the best lighting conditions include diffused light. In many cases, cloudy days are better for photographing jewelry than sunny days. You will need to experiment with conditions for the different pieces you want to capture. In direct sunlight, jewelry looks fantastic to the naked eye. The facets sparkle and the gold glimmers, but cameras do not often capture what the human eye does. Often, that direct light or flash will reflect off of the jewelry and cause it to washout or disappear from the frame. One of the most helpful things to do is buy a special light box that is created especially for photographing jewelry.


It is also helpful to play with focus. Because many phone cameras are better designed to capture human faces, they have difficulty capturing things without faces. Therefore, if your phone gives you the option of picking what you want it focus on, be sure to use that feature. This will prevent your phone from focusing on the background instead of the jewels. Phone cameras are not very good at zooming in on objects that are too close, so you should hold the phone farther away from the jewels than you think. Then, you can crop it to the desired look. It is also helpful to take a bunch of pictures so you can pick the one that turns out the best.


Capturing amazing photographs requires a still hand. For just a few dollars, you can buy a small adjustable tripod for your phone. These are easy to set on a stack of books, so you can get enough height to capture your jewelry from above. You should also be able to find phone cases that come with hideaway stands. These will keep your phone still so you can worry about lighting and focus rather than motion blur.


If you have ever wondered how photographers are able to use their phones to capture tiny, detailed objects, the answer is a tiny, phone-camera zoom lens. These little lenses, called macro lenses attach to your phone directly over the lens. Some attach with clips and other attach with magnets. They are inexpensive and provide just enough magnification to showcase the details in jewelry with tiny stones or engravings.


Once you have all of the accessories, you simply need to shoot photos over and over. The best parts of using a phone to take pictures are that you no longer have to worry about buying film and you do not have to worry about the battery life like you do a digital SLR camera. The more pictures you take, the more you have to select from.