12 tips for taking better jewellery photos

Studio photographer Lex McColl discusses how jewellers can capture customers with stunning smartphone images.

The rapid uptake of social media by consumers has given jewellery retailers the opportunity to create their own virtual shop window that can attract sales from anywhere in the world. Importantly, even if a store doesn’t have an e-commerce site, it can still use the internet to drive sales by encouraging locally-based customers to visit its physical location.

Social media platforms that thrive on images, like Pinterest and Instagram, can be used to great advantage alongside a website and Facebook page, provided any images are strong enough to captivate customers.

If the budget doesn’t stretch far enough to hire a professional photographer, try following these tips to take images that will still appeal to jewellery-seeking consumers.

Download the Camera+ app for iPhones or the Camera FV 5 app for android phones.

The rapid uptake of social media by consumers has given jewellery retailers the opportunity to create their own virtual shop window that can attract sales from anywhere in the world. Importantly, even if a store doesn’t have an e-commerce site, it can still use the internet to drive sales by encouraging locally-based customers to visit its physical location.

Social media platforms that thrive on images, like Pinterest and Instagram, can be used to great advantage alongside a website and Facebook page, provided any images are strong enough to captivate customers.

If the budget doesn’t stretch far enough to hire a professional photographer, try following these tips to take images that will still appeal to jewellery-seeking consumers.

Download the Camera+ app for iPhones or the Camera FV 5 app for android phones.

Experiment with the app to get a good grasp of its functionality before taking any final photos.

Ensure any smartphone used in the shoot has a healthy battery charge and is set to airplane mode to avoid any unexpected interruptions. Also make sure auto lock is set to “off”.

Set the image resolution to the maximum possible.

Switch off the camera’s flash – never use it for jewellery photography.

Get some low-cost light sources to remove shadows and make those items really sparkle. Something like a Jansjö light at Ikea is ideal, so grab two or three.

Don’t mix light sources (daylight and artificial light).

Always use the timer on the camera to avoid any knocks or vibrations when releasing the shutter.

Experiment with the app to get a good grasp of its functionality before taking any final photos.

Ensure any smartphone used in the shoot has a healthy battery charge and is set to airplane mode to avoid any unexpected interruptions. Also make sure auto lock is set to “off”.

Set the image resolution to the maximum possible.

Switch off the camera’s flash – never use it for jewellery photography.

Get some low-cost light sources to remove shadows and make those it