It can be very difficult to get great-looking jewelry pictures. This is especially true of diamonds - and pieces like your amazing new diamond engagement ring - as considerations like the right lighting, and the best angles, can make a huge difference to the image.
Most people are aware that the magnificent images shown off on jewelry website splash pages and in magazines need a great deal of skill. That's why, in order to create professional photos of their items, jewelry companies frequently hire experts with specialized skill sets and who use high-end camera equipment.
However, don't let this scare you into believing that you can't shoot great photographs even with basic equipment. If you've recently gotten your diamond ring, and you -naturally - want to share photos of it with the world on Instagram, Facebook and well, everywhere, you've come to the right place.
Can You Photograph Diamond Rings Well With a Mobile Phone?
The fact is that unless they are professional photographers, or very keen amateurs, most people don't own a standalone camera anymore because they use their mobile phone to take all of their pictures.
Given how sophisticated the cameras on these phones are becoming, you can indeed often capture some amazing images of your diamond engagement ring, your colored diamond jewelry, your gemstone cocktail ring and all kinds of other fine diamond and gemstone jewelry. To get the best results, however, knowing a few tricks and techniques that go beyond the basic point and shoot is a must. The good news is we are going to share some of the best of those here right now.
Choose a Contrasting Background
While you definitely - and quite naturally - want to photograph your new gleaming diamond engagement ring on your finger, you should only do so if you have a suitable contrasting background.
Your hand may not be a sharp enough contrast for the ring to be seen at its finest, depending on your skin tone and the color of your ring's metal. To provide that contrast without removing your ring and putting it back in its box - although those boxes are especially styled to showcase your diamond ring at its best - you should place your hand, and ring, over a dark colored fabric, a darker surface (like a table) or even a sheet of gift paper so that it may be seen in all of its magnificence.
Perfect the Lighting
Even the most inexperienced photographers understand the importance of lighting when it comes to obtaining the perfect shot. You may be surprised to learn that diamonds photograph best in diffused light.
What do we mean by diffused light? Diffused light, often known as soft light, is light that has been filtered by something. Like the sun muted by a transparent curtain. When compared to the direct light of a bare bulb, light from behind a lampshade is diffused, as the light is softened and scattered by the lampshade. Because the sun is at an angle and the environment works as a diffuser, sunlight during golden hour is softer.
Although you'll need GOOD light, your diamond will be washed out by bright light, such as direct sunlight, and its luster and brightness will be lost. Take a photo of your ring outside on a sunny day, but with the blinds drawn or with dim inside lighting. Or wait until the sun starts to set and that natural diffusion kicks in, and as sunset shots are always rather stunning no matter what they are actually of, a golden hour diamond engagement ring 'shoot' will likely be very lovely in general.
Last-Minute Touches
Before you get your phone or camera set to take the perfect picture, double-check that your diamond is spotless and free of smudges. Fingerprints on your precious jewels are the last thing you want to show up in your photo.
Selfie with engagement ring
Zoom In
We are, as we mentioned earlier, fortunate to have relatively high-quality cameras at our fingertips, but with all due respect to the latest smartphones, capturing the tiniest details of an engagement ring requires a little more than many smartphone cameras can provide.
Professional jewelry photographers often say that diamonds photograph best using a good macro lens. A macro lens is a camera lens that specifically allows you to focus extremely close to a subject so that it appears large in the viewfinder and that all of its detail is sharp and preserved. Some higher end smartphones do have a reasonably good macro lens setting, but even they are not as good as a 'real' macro lens.
One solution is to invest in a macro lens device that can be attached to your phone. The lens clip, which costs around $20, allows you to snap extremely close-up photographs, which is ideal for the work at hand, getting amazing, and detailed photos of the diamond engagement ring you are so proud of.
Having fun taking these pictures? Consider adding a professional camera to your collection instead of relying solely on your smartphone. Beautiful images taken using a standalone camera will help you remember the best times, people, travels, and precious items like your diamond engagement ring in far better clarity.
There's a reason professional photographers still use real cameras. It may take some time to learn how to utilize it, but it'll be well worth the effort!
Selfie with engagement ring
Don't Rush, Shoot in Your Own Time
The beauty of digital photography of any kind is that you can take a hundred shots at once and delete the ones that aren't good. So don't scrimp on the photos. Take pictures of your diamond engagement ring from all angles, change the backdrop, and even the lighting if you want to. Nothing beats the real thing, but you want your photograph to get as near as possible to it. Once you've sorted through a good number of photos, choose your favorite and share them away to your heart's content (and sit back and watch all those likes pour in.)
