Jewelry Lighting
Jewelry Lighting is the key to good jewelry photography. Unlike other products, camera flash alone is not sufficient for jewelry products because these flashes cause harsh and distracting shadows on the jewels. If you run an online jewelry business and use photographs taken in poor lighting, it does not leave a good impression on your buyers.
Generally, the best lighting source in any photography is natural light, but it is not always possible to shoot in outdoor conditions, especially for jewelry products. Hence you would require to capture images and videos of your products in a studio with light tents etc. But if you don’t want to waste your money on studios, then do not worry. Picup Media has got you covered. With its latest products such as the Light Box, anyone can come up with best-in-class studio-quality photos and videos.
What is the best lighting for jewelry photography?
The best jewelry lighting would be natural lighting. Though that being said, when you are shooting with natural lighting, it's always a good idea to stay away from direct sunlight and have the sun behind you and while shooting outdoors, choose a shaded area that is close to the sunlight. But the problem with natural lighting is that it is not available all the time. Thus, professionals choose to look for alternative sources of light. Normally soft lighting is considered best when it comes to jewelry lighting. This makes sure that your product gets ample light but, at the same time, not too much to make the gemstones too reflective. Backlighting is a useful technique, especially for jewelry. Thanks to the translucency of jewelry products, when sufficient lights are placed in the background, it produces a perfect picture with lots of details without distorting the shape of the product.
Another common process used by jewelry photographers is to use side lighting. As the name suggests, the jewelry gets light from both sides. Typically, lamps are used on both sides of the product, which gives the resulting image more depth and can highlight the intricate details of the product. Though there are many more techniques used, the above-mentioned are the most common jewelry lighting techniques.
But an efficient and innovative way is to use a jewelry lightbox. Picup Media’s jewelry lightbox comes with 3 different sources of light placed at calculated angles such that the jewelry piece placed inside the box gets sufficient lighting, and the photos end up looking amazing.
What tools do you need for jewelry lighting?
Jewelry lighting setups can get pretty tricky mainly because there is no one-size-fits-all setup for all the jewelry products. For necklaces, it is helpful when you use backlighting. Hence you would need one light bulb behind the product and an acrylic sheet to diffuse the light. This acrylic sheet must be placed at the perfect position and angle from the source to provide a soft lighting environment for the product. Also, if the necklace has gemstones, you would have to use additional light sources to get the sparkling effect on your jewelry. It normally takes 3 light sources and a picolite with a projection attachment to get the sparkling effect. It can get tough to light if it is a diamond necklace with its broad tone of metal and smooth, shiny surfaces. Hence one of the best solutions is to have a light tent in place, which can be created with two reflector cards.
Next, the key to good ring photography is to minimize the reflections. This requires a much-complicated setup. Generally, a conical-shaped light tent is used through which the rings can be covered so that there are no reflections and light falls on the ring simultaneously. Similarly, different jewelry products require different lighting setups and different tools to make that setup possible.
If all that feels too complicated, it's because it is complicated. This is the reason jewelry lighting is usually done in a studio by a professional photographer. But not anymore. With Picup Media’s jewelry lightbox, anyone can take studio-quality images and videos. This lightbox takes all the complications mentioned above and provides you with a simple-to-use solution. With this lightbox, you don’t have to worry about the placement of the light source because it is already preplaced within the body of the lightbox. So, forget about spending hours trying to get the positions of the light right. Instead, switch on the lightbox, and you are ready to go. Picup Media’s lightbox also comes packed with a scattered light that can be turned on or off depending on your requirement.
The best part is if you are not too comfortable with a DSLR, Picup Media’s Lightbox also allows you to shoot studio-quality images and videos from your smartphone through the help of their 360 product photography app. Also, with a 360 product photography turntable, you can capture some studio-quality images and videos. This Lightbox can be used to photograph any jewelry product, be it earrings, necklaces, or wedding rings. Picup Media’s jewelry lightbox is the best way to overcome all the complex setups and achieve an efficient way for jewelry photography. We also offer photo retouching services to enhance the quality of the images and videos further. If you own a jewelry business and are thinking about buying jewelry lighting tools, think no more. Shop for a jewelry lightbox from Picup Media and start running a successful online business.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What lighting makes a diamond sparkle?
Sparkle lights may add sparkle to your diamond during photography. Direct lighting produces the scintillation effect.
What light do diamonds look best in?
Soft, diffused lighting works best for diamonds; however, if you're looking for an extra sparkle, we recommend that you balance between soft and direct lighting for even light distribution and the scintillation effect.
Why is my diamond not shiny?
The intrinsic qualities of your diamond may affect the appearance of your diamond. However, there are cases when external factors may make it look dull. As such, we recommend that you clean your diamond and always use gloves when touching them to avoid leaving blemishes and other unnecessary marks.
Do real diamonds sparkle in light?
Yes, real diamonds should sparkle in grey and white as natural diamonds produce grayish hues sparkles.
Should diamonds glow under LED lights?
No. LED light is not intense enough to cause fluorescence in diamonds. LED lights only produce a very small amount of UV and diamonds fluoresce under UV rays.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question? We've got you covered.
What lighting makes a diamond sparkle?
Sparkle lights may add sparkle to your diamond during photography. Direct lighting produces the scintillation effect.
What light do diamonds look best in?
Soft, diffused lighting works best for diamonds; however, if you’re looking for an extra sparkle, we recommend that you balance between soft and direct lighting for even light distribution and the scintillation effect.
Why is my diamond not shiny?
The intrinsic qualities of your diamond may affect the appearance of your diamond. However, there are cases when external factors may make it look dull. As such, we recommend that you clean your diamond and always use gloves when touching them to avoid leaving blemishes and other unnecessary marks.
Do real diamonds sparkle in light?
Yes, real diamonds should sparkle in grey and white as natural diamonds produce grayish hues sparkles.
Should diamonds glow under LED lights?
No. LED light is not intense enough to cause fluorescence in diamonds. LED lights only produce a very small amount of UV and diamonds fluoresce under UV rays.