Anybody who intends on doing high quality jewelry photography has to first learn a bit about light and how to control it to get the best pictures possible. Lighting for jewelry photography is different from that of other forms of photography as light interacts very uniquely with jewels. The best trick to jewelry photography lighting is to therefore master which direction to throw your light from onto the jewelry.
Jewelry Lighting from the Front
This type of lighting is the simplest and best for beginners. The light is supposed to be around the camera lens so that it goes straight towards the jewelry. A good example would be the old fashioned flash units that sit on top of the camera. Today’s sophisticated ring lights are however the best option for quality results.
Jewelry Lighting from the Side
The light source illuminates your jewelry from one side giving a somewhat 3D effect. The photos made with this type of lighting are not as flat when viewed as those of front lighting. It is very useful when you want the viewer to get an idea of what the surface texture of the jewelry really is like. The tricky task with this kind of jewelry lighting is making sure to avoid any unwanted reflections.
Jewelry Lighting with Natural Light
As the name suggests, the photographer makes use of the natural light from the sun. There is no need to add any artificial illumination whether you are indoors or outdoors. This kind of lighting is very advantageous as it hits the jewelry from all angles. When used in conjunction with other reflective surfaces like tin foil very soft photography can be achieved easily.
