I take my own pictures that you see on the website and in my promotional materials.  I’m completely self-taught and it has been very trying at times.  It wasn’t because I love taking pictures- it was a complete necessity.  I couldn’t- and still can’t- afford professional pix.  I spend my money on materials & help.  I felt that if I stuck with it, I could take adequate pix and I’d have the freedom to add new items right away without waiting for a photographer.  For all of you beginning jewelry designers, I have a couple of tips.

1.  Get yourself a good digital camera.  I use a Canon Digital Rebel XT.  I use the lens that comes with it.  I also bought a macro lens but have found that the regular lens works better for my jewelry.

2.  GET AN EXTRA BATTERY & CHARGER.  There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a jewelry shoot and running out of juice.

3.  Get a light box kit.  Here’s where I got mine:  http://store.tabletopstudio-store.com/dejephkit.html

It’s not inexpensive, but getting kit is really worth it.  You might try ebay for a used one.  Here’s what a kit includes- you can see why it’s a good deal to get a kit.  It’s almost everything you need!

4.  Get your set up in order for how you will take pix.  Here’s what I use for earrings:

a.  two tall earring t-stands

b.  white colored pencil to hang the earrings on

c.  White Foam Background- you can buy sheets of this at any craft store.  It’s low-tech but it’s the whitest background I’ve found.

b.  You’ll need some kind of riser for lifting your piece into the middle of the cube.  I use an acrylic riser that I bought for jewelry but it’s small and works well.  On top of it I use a large floor tile to act as a stable base.

c.  I use silver light bounce cards if I need a little extra light on the jewelry.

d.  I shoot everything on the P setting which allows me to change the AV settings which I find works best in the +1 to +2 setting.  It allows the most light and helps me get my background as white as possible so that jewelry stands out.Experiment with props and different colored backgrounds that highlight but don’t distract from your jewelry.  It takes a lot of practice but you will get pretty good at it.  And it really is trial and error until you get the results you are looking for.  There were many times that I was just pushing all sorts of buttons and recording which were pushed until I got the right combo.  Don’t be afraid to experiment and don’t be afraid of your camera!  Just always replace the lens  cap!