How to Photograph Jewelry for Etsy

“How to photograph jewelry for Etsy?”

“Any advice on taking photos for my shop?”

Jewelry photography often feels like a rocket science. If you’re one of the many who frequent the Etsy page, you’d know that these are just some of the questions most sellers would ask other sellers. Photographing jewelry for Etsy has always been one of the common subjects in the platform’s forum. You’d think your jewelry looks so much better in person but it just doesn’t reflect in your jewelry images and not too many buyers seem to be finding your online store.

What Can You Do?

Etsy is an over-saturated market, especially for jewelry sellers like yourself. A current search using the keyword “jewelry” would bring nearly 12 million results. This means you have to have an extraordinary leverage to beat your competitors off the first page of the home search section. But how do you stand out?

According to Etsy, its search page is dependent on your overall performance. Although its algorithm changes regularly, you can control most of the critical factors to improve your position in the Etsy search replacement. For example, your listing quality score increases every time a buyer clicks, buys, or favourites any of your jewelry; however, these responses will not come easy. You have to learn to encourage buyer interaction.

One of the guaranteed ways to engage your buyers is by presenting clear and professional-looking jewelry images that would invite them to take a closer look.

If you’re looking for jewelry for yourself or your loved one, would you buy this?

Or this?

Even though a lifestyle shot is important, and that both photos display rich jewelry photography ideas, either of these two is sure to hurt your business because the jewelry product is too small and unclear, with a complex background (first image) almost preventing you from perusing the true quality and details of the jewelry.

Don’t let these pitfalls sink your entrepreneurial spirit.

Climb out of the e-commerce pit of despair.

These photography techniques will show you how to photograph jewelry for Etsy.

1. Jewelry on a white background works best as a primary photo

If you’re torn between white background photography and lifestyle or staged photography, consider the benefits of white background images. A white background is a popular photography technique in the e-commerce industry. It helps showcase your jewelry better and draw in your buyers almost immediately because of non-distracting props or complex and cluttered background. When you managed to draw them in with your clear, white background jewelry images, your buyers are highly likely to check out more of your images to have a much closer look at the details.

The primary listing images below from two different sellers are a good example of this. The jewelry on sale is a pair of earrings. Can you tell which jewelry is sold by the seller just by looking at their photos? The image on the left may be selling the earrings or the necklace, but the image on the right definitely tells you what is being sold just by looking at it — without having to read the descriptions or titles. This is the same reason why other e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon require product listing images on a clear and white background.

2. White background photography doesn’t mean you don’t need more fun and creative photography ideas. You do!

Just because white background photography makes a perfect primary photo, it doesn’t mean you have to photograph all angles on a white background. In fact, you need to have more creative and fun jewelry photography ideas.

On July 11th, Etsy added five more photo boxes to your listings, bringing it to a total of 10. Yes! You now have more opportunities to showcase the best angles and every detail of your jewelry products. This decision came after Etsy revealed that 90% of its surveyed shoppers believed that the quality of the photos is very critical in coming up with a buying decision.

When photographing jewelry for Etsy, make sure to maximise all frames. It will help your buyers experience the product while giving them more visual information about product variations.

3. Focus on the details

With the increase in the number of frames for product listing, it would be unreasonable to deprive your buyers of the images they need. The additional frames are designed to satisfy this need. With more spaces to play around with, you can photograph your jewelry showing different angles, when worn, in different styled scenes, size and scales, and other variations.

If your jewelry has unique details or intricate design, focus on this detail and make sure that it is captured clearly. Use the right macro lens to avoid blurry images and photograph it using natural lighting as much as possible.

4. Edit your photos

When you reached the end of your jewelry photo shoot, what do you see? Are you satisfied with the outcome? Sometimes, you’d see that you’ve captured the best angle you could possibly capture, but it still wouldn’t bring your product to your buyer’s cart. One of the reasons it could happen is when harsh reflections are visible in your jewelry images, such as shown in the image below where the newspaper prop was reflected on the band.

When this happens to you, you got to weigh your options. Sometimes, redoing the photo shoot is no longer practical in this case, so you have to fix it using Photoshop or, if you’re not skilled enough, check out photo image editing services online. A cost and benefit analysis should come into play.

5. Use background texture that will make your jewelry pop

When you have 10 frames to fill with product listing images, you need to be as creative and resourceful as possible. Be open to possibilities. Don’t be afraid to venture out and welcome new and innovative jewelry photography ideas. When you’re done with your primary photo, you’re free to play around and discover other background textures that will work well with your jewelry.

Be careful not to overdo this. Choose the right background textures that will make your jewelry pop and add more shine to your products. Some background textures or props can make your products lose its details, as seen in the image on the left. Make sure to create contrast as it brings clarity.

Do these jewelry photography techniques make you feel more empowered?

By learning how to photograph jewelry for Etsy, you’ll have the edge over your competitors as it would show how you present your brand and in the process, take care of and engage your potential buyers. Etsy is a good platform for jewelry retailers like yourself because it allows more flexibility and creativity.

So go ahead and explore more innovative ideas. Examine the outcome, and prepare to excel.

Do you want to learn about basic jewelry photo retouching process? Read these Photoshop techniques and discover!