Tips for jewelry photo session
First off, a photo session should be fun, your emotion will show through your photos and people are attracted to fun clean photos. Lighting is essential. I know you have probably read this everywhere but there is a reason for that. It is true. Photo sessions are best done on a cloudy day, if it is sunny, shadow your work with a white sheet. A long aperture will capture the light well but can turn your photos into a blurry mess, this is where a camera stand comes in helpful. If you don’t want to invest in one you can use a brick, wood or other solid item to mount your camera on. So what camera do I use? I have invested in a Digital SLR Canon EOS 60D with built in stabilizer and macro lens. Although I am not a professional photographer I still find this camera easy to use and I love the flip screen because it lets me get better angles on my photos without having to contort to capture the image.
I believe the background is a part of the photograph often overlooked. Most people find a plain background it the best but I have had different results. I have found that customers are drawn to photos with backgrounds that accentuate the quality of your item. I like teak wood, stone and other natural backgrounds.
In this submission I have added photos from one single shoot, because of this I only had a few great product shots and that is normal. I used to model professionally and for magazines the photographers would take thousands of photos before narrowing it down to a few. Don’t hold back on doing many photo shoots, although it may seem like a waist of time and photos it truly helps in getting the best selection to choose from.
Lastly, even if you are shooting a small product like jewelry it is important to add some full body or lifestyle photos. These help personalize and add definition to your brand, not to mention they are more likely to be Pinned on Pinterest and other social media sites such as Tumblr.
Some mistakes I have learned from,
Don’t watermark your photos. Although it is tempting to make sure your brand or name is always seen on the photos it will also lower your chances of people spreading your photos around social media sites.
Don’t depend on other users Pinterest boards. I was on a great Pinterest board for a while but they didn’t like that my photos states “Etsy” underneath and removed me from the board. I didn’t have a back up board and my views and sales were effected. Try starting your own board and make it a group board. It’s easy to learn how, just Google it 😉
Facebook promoted photos does work, if your photos are good enough you will find that people will actually share them on their Facebook walls and I find the cost it much less than Google Pay Per Click ads.
Do get in touch with Bloggers, don’t wait for them to contact you. I have around three bloggers contact me per week through Etsy and email, usually they are contacting everyone and have formed a business around it. I prefer to search for bloggers that suit me and then contact them, I have had much better luck this way. One of my most successful partners is www.bohomixology.com on which I have run giveaways such as this http://www.bohomixology.com/
Lastly and again, have fun! Your business may be very serious to you and that’s good, however it’s your job to create a positive image that people want so lighten up, try new things and take great photos! Good luck!
Love & Light,
Katrina
Silversmith, Designer & Photographer @Don Biu