This post is a different one because I quite often get asked about how to photograph small items / jewellery and it's quite a difficult thing to do.  So, I thought I'd write a little of what the best way/ type of photographs  are to take.

The upshot is, there really is not best way!  There are various types of photograph - plain background, lifestyle of the product itself or a lifestyle wearing it.

The plain background shots are the most difficult - especially if you're wanting a pure white background as this cannot be achieved by camera alone - the background has to be removed (or the jewellery from the background) and then set onto a white board.  So this bangle for instance.  I took the shot on a plain background, which comes out a grey colour and then the bangle is cut around and inset onto a white square.

This is obviously quite a time-consuming process - but it really does set the jewellery off against the plain white, doesn't it?

The other alternative is to find a prop for the jewellery to sit on and then take many images and choose the best one from the many images.  I would recommend about 10 - 20 pictures to then decide which one looks the best.

This Sweetheart Spirit Bracelet is taken on the top of a book which has images within the book - the image pages are what gives the page edges the different texture/ colour.  Quite effective isn't it?

The final alternative is taking shots of the jewellery being worn with other props.  These equestrian stirrup earrings are worn by a young lady with her hose - the jewellery isn't particularly visible, but it does give the viewer a good idea of the size. So this would be a picture to have along side a 'product image shot'

I hope you've found this blog useful and any comments would be great to receive