Taking pictures of your beadwork is just like beading, you need to have constant practice and know what you’re doing in order to get a spectacular photo. Being adept in taking photos of your beadwork can come in handy when you decide to share your work with magazines and beading sites, applying for a beading job, or if you just want to show everyone your beadwork. Furthermore, photography has a great impact on your beadwork photos since a bad photo might not do justice to your beadwork. Below are some basic tips on how you can take excellent pictures of your beadwork/jewelry.
1. Model or no model?
The first thing you need to establish is if you need a “model” for your beadwork or jewelry. No, you don’t need to hire someone to display your jewelry; you can actually do it in your own. But it’s not a bad idea to let someone who has a “super model” hand, neck, and ear to pose for your jewelry. On the other hand, you may want to just place your beadwork on a simple background. However, you do need to make sure that your background complements the colors of your bead jewelry well and has a clean look.
2. Early morning sunlight and late afternoon sunsets
(Morning) (Afternoon)
These times are the best occasions to take your jewelry photos since it gives more natural and vibrant light. If you noticed with some photos, natural light is more pleasing and eye-catching than photos taken under lamps and bulbs.
3. Be Wary of Reflections
If you’re going to take pictures of shiny components, then you need to be aware that they might reflect unwanted objects or light. The solution is to take the photos as far as possible and let your “zoom” do the job so that the beadwork will be emphasized.
4. Focus if Necessary
When your jewelry isn’t a shiny one and doesn’t reflect anything, then you can go all out with focus shots. Just be up-close and personal when taking the pictures and experiment with various angles and find the perfect shot!