Your Photos and Your Brand
It has taken me a long time to understand how important my Jewelry Photos really are to my business.
Sure, we know we need decent photos of our work in order to sell our pieces online.
But I’ve finally come to realize that they are also a Vital Piece to the Brand Building puzzle.
Not only do I to take pictures of my Jewelry, but I also for my Jewelry Patterns, Blog Posts, and Videos on my YouTube and Skillshare Channels.
If you look back on my Jeweler’s Life, you will see that this year is the first year that I have been able to bring it all together into a coherent and consistent Brand.
To give you an idea of how things have progressed over the years, let me share some of my older photos with you as a back story. Try not to LAUGH too much.
Let me breakdown for you what is WRONG with these photos.
- Ugly Backgrounds
- Terrible Lighting
- Bad Props
- Inconsistency
- Poor Styling
- Focus or Lack thereof
Just to name a few….
Now take a look at some of my more recent photos.
I admit freely and openly that I am not a professional photographer but let’s talk about why these are much better.
- Consistency
- Better Lighting
- Interesting Styling
- Interesting Angles
- Focus
- Non-distracting Background
I have tried many many things to improve my photos and I have deleted 1000’s of them from my computer in the last three years too.
I looked at those fancy light box things you can order online, I tried building my own based on a few YouTube Videos I found.
I have taken pictures inside, outside and with and without all kinds of backgrounds and props.
In the last few months, I have developed my own strategy for getting great photos every time and eliminating a tone of photo editing in the process.
The best part is that I didn’t have to spend a lot of money to accomplish my goals, I just had to rethink how to use items I already had on hand.
Let’s take a Look at the Set-Up
The Camera
No matter how creative or how good of a photographer you are, the quality of your photos will only match the quality of your camera.
Fortunately for me, I have a great camera available on my Phone.
My phone is the Samsung Galaxy S7 and it has a fantastic Camera with a ton of features.
Having said that, I really don’t know all that much about all the settings on my Camera. But I have explored them and am still learning how to manipulate them.
Take the time to get to know your Camera and what the settings mean on your device. lear how to focus the lens, how to zoom in and out and how to adjust the flash and other key settings.
Luckily for me, I can usually leave my Camera set to Auto and manipulate the environment to get some really great shots of my Jewelry.
Other than your Camera, there are several Key Environmental Factors you can learn to Control so that you get consistently good photos every time.
- Lighting
- Space
- Background
- Props
- Scale
- Camera Stability
Lighting Life Changers
Over time you are going to find out that a lot of what I have learned about my business has been learned the hard way or by sheer luck.
This is especially true when it comes to proper lighting.
I struggle with severe lighting issues in my home.
You will now doubt here me mention this fact in a ton of my video Tutorials.
Early last year, I bought two Mainstays Gooseneck Lamps at Walmart to use with my crappy makeshift Light Box.
They are really well made for the $7.97 each price tag.
But I have only recently discovered how valuable they are to me.
And that was only after I finally found the perfect Light Bulbs to use in them… another total fluke of fate.
My struggle with lighting has bordered on the insane nightmare level since the beginning of my Jewelry Designing career.
I honestly believe that I would be in the Asylum now if I had not stumbled upon these Sylvania LED Daylight Bulbs last Fall.
They have literally made all the difference in the world to me and not only for photographing and filming, but also for just plain Vision Enhancement.
The cost of $5.00 each is well worth every single cent.
In my house, the lights are these god-awful Fluorescent Bulbs suspended int the center of the ceiling of each room. We lovingly refer to them as “The Shop Lights”.
The problem is that they are really only good for casting shadows and giving off this horrible yellow hued light.
My new found lamps and bulbs have been life-changing for my desk and work area but I was still having a really hard time with Jewelry Pictures. As luck would have it, I finally realized that I could set up and take my photos here on my desk.
All I really needed was a way to hide all the tools and mess so that it wouldn’t be a huge Chore each time.
Workspace
This is my Workspace and my new Photography Station.
Notice the position of the two lamps. The one on the left sits up on the shelf at the back of my desk while the one on the right is positioned towards the front of the desk with the bulb facing towards the mat.
With this setup, I can move the work around and take photos from different angles without any shadows.
What you don’t see is that there is a window with blinds above the shelf.
Those blinds set limits to the time of day for getting good clean photo.
My workaround is simple. I take my Jewelry Pictures first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon when the sun has gone around the house.
Backgrounds
Let me tell you about that makeshift Light Box I made last year.
I bought a cardboard box, some poster paper and some lightweight interfacing at Walmart and followed a YouTube video online to make that crazy contraption. I don’t really have a photo of it to show you because it began to fall apart over time. But at the time, the photos were light years better than the ones I was getting beforehand.
If I could get the box in the right light, I could get some decent pictures. I do not regret time and expense of this experimental approach at all.
Because of the whole experience, I was able to grasp the basic Lighting Concepts in much more detail.
Also the box was lined with the white poster paper which made me realize that the consistent white backdrop was awesome.
This is where my Cardstock comes into the mix.
I have a packs of Cardstock that I bought many years ago for entirely different purposes.
Recently I have repurposed this pack for use as my backgrounds in my Jewelry photos.
Though I mainly use White, it is good to have a few other options available.
Props
I do not really use a lot of props in my photos these days.
But I do have two I use pretty consistently.
Now don’t laugh but one is a rolled up piece of poster paper and the other is a square of card stock with 2 tiny holes punched in it.
I like to keep these props the same color as the background for a crisp clean look.
Scale
Scale is a very important factor when listing items for sale on Etsy and Ebay. I highly recommend that you get in the habit of taking a few scale shots in your photo sessions but make sure to include the size information in your Jewelry descriptions too.
I keep a few small prop items handy but I really only use them to help show sale.
I tend to use prop items more for Social Media postings than I do for listing items for sale.
If you decide to use props:
Keep them simple in color and design so you do not detract your viewer from the item itself.
Coins make great Scale Props.
I also like these little sewing kit rulers because they have a little slider to help indicate size.
Camera Stability
I saved this factor for last but it is really Vital for taking good pictures in any situation.
I have a lot of nerve damage in my back that causes my hands to shake and limits my ability to hold one position for very long.
Since I also shoot a lot of video tutorials, I had the need of a tripod very early one.
In the beginning, I used a one of those big aluminum models meant for use with Film Cameras.
Not the greatest piece of equipment for my purposes at all.
As soon as I could, I began to research a better solution for me.
I settled on this great little Desktop Tripod from Neewer .
It has two separate telescoping adjustments and it is well constructed and heavy duty.
To use a tripod with a Cell Phone Camera, you have to have the correct type of accessory to hold the phone onto the tripod itself.
Make sure to get the right one for your type of phone.
I have the two Accessories shown below but since I do a lot of video taping, my Selfie Stick was the better investment.
The wand of the stick screws right onto my tripod plus I can detach the phone holder and attach that to the tripod as a stand alone.
If your phone or camera is too heavy for your tripod, here is a quick and really cheap workaround for you.
- Fill two tube socks half way with dry beans.
- Tie the two sock together
- Wrap the socks around the base of your tripod to balance the weight.
I finally found a good use for all those old Hospital Socks.
Since I film a lot of video with the Camera facing down to my work area, this hack has worked out fantastically for me.
Extras
CamKix Deluxe Universal 5in1 Camera Lens Kit for Smartphone, Tablet and Laptop
This Kit is a fabulous addition to your Photography Toolkit.
I has 5 lens to enhance Cell Phone Camera’s capabilities and your photos.
The Macro Lens allows you to take super close-ups without the grainy appearance you sometimes get by zooming in with your phone’s lens.
I hope you find this article informative and useful.
I wish lots of success in your Home Studio Photography Sessions.