~ A Study of Crystal Product Photography ~

I haven't had a lot of time to make new jewelry lately, with the wedding planning and everything else that life threw at me lately. But, I have still been selling a little bit. Mostly, it's the most popular items in my shop, the Swarovski crystal star necklaces and stud earrings.



I don't know if it's because I have been staring at these pictures for so long, but I am starting to dislike them. So, I started trying out some new stuff. I got a cute jewelry display from Hong Kong and I was hoping it would give it a more Goddess feel since I name the necklaces after Greek goddesses. But, it makes the necklace look so small. I like macro shots more.


So, I spent a lot of time trying out all kinds of different props and backgrounds. This is about half of the pictures I took. I see a lot of beautiful crystal jewelry displayed on pebbles, rocks and rustic picture frames so I wanted something different.


I put them into groups and I will about them as groups. First, my default background is pure white. I have seen many awesome crystals shops with pure white backgrounds. Though, one thing I noticed is that they usually have very bright pieces. This necklace in particular is very light. It makes the pictures look washed out. 1d is the simplest but my favorite. But, it practically looks the same as the one I am using for the listing now.


So, I tried some black props with white backgrounds. I think it looks better. There's more contrasts in the pictures and I think that makes them more interesting. 2a and 2f are a pen gift box. 2b and 2d are wire jewelry displays I got in Hong Kong. 2c is a tie and 2e is a cell phone holder.


Next is a gray background. I have seen some great gray backgrounds on Etsy. I think it's also better than pure white. I am not sure I like the compositions of these though.


I tried all sorts of background paper. 3a, 3d, and 3e were taken with a photo book. 3b was the Final Fantasy XIII limited edition game guide. 3c and 3f are just papers. I thought 3f would go with my Happy Cloud theme, but I don't think it's working.


So, on to props. I tried something big and something small. I am not sure I like any of these.


I think these are too busy too.



I think one problem I have is that I haven't been able to label my style. Is it romantic? Rustic charm? Modern? Fun? Bold? I think if I can narrow down the style, it'll be easier to work out what props I need and how I want my pictures to be. But out of all those pictures, here are my 3 favorites: This is simple and modern.




Simple gray with a touch of romance?


I like the contrast in this picture. The crystal looks as sparkly as real life!


I think I am going to try for a more neutral gray background from now on. I love the white for my supplies because they have more solid colors. But, my jewelry needs more personality in the pictures and more contrast to bring out the colors of the crystals. I also need some props so that the necklace is not just lying flat on the ground. Should I succumb to the masses and just do rocks or wooden frames? Or should I try for something more unique for branding purposes. What do you think? Which picture is your favorite?