Whether you’re on eBay or etsy, if you’re selling online, good product photography is one of the most important aspects of product sales. In the case of fashion items especially, looks matter–people are more likely to shell out their hard-earned dough for items they can’t test in person if the merchandise looks good on the screen.

So, what’s the secret to beautiful product photography? Lighting. Luckily, it’s easier to create and control light in the small spaces suited to items like jewelry and accessories. Here are a few tips:

Camera

You don’t necessarily need a fancy camera to take good product photos. Sure, a nice camera helps, but an inexpensive point-and-shoot can be just as effective as a DSLR if used properly.

Quick tip: Most cameras will adjust the focus if you half-press the shutter button. Repeat this technique until the image is as sharp as possible and the camera won’t focus any further, then take the picture.

For honest, thorough camera reviews from a pro, check out KenRockwell.com

Settings

If your camera allows, try adjusting the aperture, the size of the hole through which light comes through the camera (commonly known as the f-stop or f-number). Small aperture settings are useful in product photography because smaller apertures provide more depth of field. A shorter depth of field is great when you’re trying to emphasize the foreground and blur out the background.

Quick tip: Get to know your camera’s macro setting. It’s usually denoted with a picture of a flower, and is specifically for taking close-up pictures with fine detail.

This is when keeping (and reading) the camera’s manual comes in handy!

Lighting

When it comes to lighting, natural light is best. If you’re indoors, shoot near a large window with indirect light when possible. If you’re using a lamp, you’ll probably need to increase the size of the light source by using a diffuser. You can also use a reflector to add light to the shadowed side of the product.

Quick tip: Avoid using the flash when shooting indoors– it usually results in overexposed areas and uneven light. However, you will want to use a flash outside. It sounds backwards, but the flash will “fill in” the shadows caused by sunlight.

There are plenty of online tutorials on setting up your own macro studio–most are really simple and can be made using inexpensive materials. There’s even a Flickr group dedicated to homemade light boxes and the results they produce!

There are also plenty of tutorials showing How to make a homemade light box, Making a lightbox using household items, and Setting up for jewelry photography .

Framing

As the focus of the photo, the object (earrings, headband, craft item, etc.) should take up most of the frame. When you’re taking the picture, use the viewfinder to crop in tight on the object, leaving a bit of space around the edge of the image to allow for blurring.

Variety is important here: try different angles, zoom in and out, move closer and further away–the more options you have to choose from when you’re selecting the final photo, the better!

Accessories

Use a tripod. A tripod will hold the camera still so you can take pictures with longer exposure times–a must for shooting in low light. A decent tripod costs as little as $25, and most digital cameras have a standard tripod socket on the bottom.

If you’re taking extreme close-up shots, you may want to invest in a remote control to avoid the vibration that occurs when the shutter button is pressed. It sounds picky, but high magnification makes camera vibration even more obvious, and your images can look blurry. If you don’t have a remote, try using the camera’s self-timer.

Post production

If you need to make adjustments, use a free photo editing site or a program like The Gimp or Photoshop to correct the coloring and exposure, and crop, rotate, or sharpen your pictures.

Online images don’t need to be high-resolution (72 ppi is standard web resolution), so save your pictures as JPEGs and you’re ready to upload!

Keep in mind that a really beautiful photo is usually the result of a lot of crappy ones. Keep shooting and practicing your technique, and you’ll get better!

More resources:

Table Top Studio
Jewelry photography tips from etsy sellers
Jewelry photography success tips