Quality photos are essential for online businesses. Your customers will mostly rely on the images they see on your website to scrutinize your product and decide whether to buy from you. Attractive photos are especially crucial if you’re selling jewelry pieces. This product often requires professional gear and an elaborate set up to achieve sharp and crisp images.
With technology advancement and photo editing services focusing on jewelry, however, you can now produce beautiful, high-quality photos using your smartphone.
An Easy Way to Shoot Products
Mobile phones feature advanced camera technologies, making photography more accessible to users. Most of these communication devices come with dual cameras, 48-megapixel sensors, depth-of-field features, and zoom capabilities. Some also allow you to shoot in low light, performing like actual cameras.
The advantage of smartphone cameras is that they are convenient to use. It reduces the hassle of carrying bulky digital cameras and switching to different lenses. Smartphones allow you to adjust settings, including exposure value, aperture, and ISO, like the ones in cameras. If you know how these options work, you’re good to go.
How to Set Up Your Jewelry Photoshoot
Jewelry, whether you’re working with gemstone necklaces or diamond rings, can be challenging to photograph. These pieces can cause reflections due to their smooth, shiny surfaces. You may also struggle with getting enough depth of field due to their size.
The right lighting, props, and editing techniques, however, can help you produce stunning images using your phone. Here are five tips you can apply:
- Wipe your phone’s camera lens before the shoot – smudged lenses can mess up a shot despite camera setting adjustments. Use a microfiber or lint-free cloth to wipe your lenses. Even DSLR users clean their lenses regularly to avoid dust or smudge that affect the ability of the lens to focus properly.
- Use your phone’s manual focus (if available) – switch your camera setting to manual mode if you’re using newer models. The manual focus feature allows you to adjust the focus of your camera at a specific area you want to emphasize.
- Be comfortable in using your camera in manual mode – the manual setup can be complicated to use if you’re new at it. But it will get easier when you have fully understood the functions of the exposure triangle—aperture (the amount of light that gets through the lens), shutter speed (controls how much light that gets in through the lens), and ISO (the sensitivity level of the sensor).
- Turn on the camera grid to apply the rule of thirds – this rule helps you position your subject properly to create an appealing composition. It is ideal to place your subject at the intersection points of the camera grid, which consists of nine sections. You can eyeball it if your device doesn’t have this feature.
- Take a lot of photos in every shoot – several shots of the same jewelry will yield options, so you’re likely to find a few gems for your website. Use Google Photos to backup your images to save some storage space on your phone.
You’ll need to follow a careful plan to ensure smooth execution. After all, you’re running an e-commerce, and you can’t spend all of your time shooting products. You’ll also want to clean your jewelry pieces so that these items are represented on your site in the best possible light. Now, you can edit your photos before putting them on your website. But a professional editing service may do a better, faster job.
How your jewelry pieces appear on your website will influence a shopper’s decision to inquire or buy. So make sure those necklaces and rings shine brightly online. With brilliant product photos, your e-commerce business could boost its sales.
