Photography in Direct Sunlight

As much as I enjoy designing my pieces, I also get excited about photographing them. Jewelry is surprisingly difficult to photograph, especially when you have a simple point-and-shoot camera. (I'm hoping to eventually upgrade to a DSLR one day!). However, I kind of love the challenge, and I find it quite rewarding when the pictures turn out well.

Now that I'm in a new location, I decided it was time to work on a new photography set up. I always prefer shooting in natural lighting, and I find that diffused sunlight looks best for my work. Proper lighting has always been my biggest challenge, and I find it to be the most important aspect of my photography.

That being said, I thought it would be fun to share my simple DIY set up for direct sunlight photography:

SUPPLIES:

All purchased at my local craft store -Hobby Lobby- using a 40% off coupon found on their online website.

1. White poster board

Mine is around 2 x 3 feet, I believe

2. White construction paper (poster paper?)

 Approximately the same size as your poster board

3. White tissue paper

Or something comparable to diffuse light (shower curtain, etc.)

4. Backless (and glass-less) wooden picture frame

Find something large (but not bigger than your tissue paper!) and lightweight - It'll be easier to maneuver when shooting

5. Masking tape

Rather than just shooting on a large piece of construction paper, which can easily bend and warp with just a few uses, I've taped the paper onto a poster board. This keeps my shooting surface relatively clean and smooth over time. Conversely, rather than just using the poster board, I picked up the construction paper because it is cheaper to replace when your sheet becomes too dirty for your liking.

I wish my frame could be a little lighter, but I wasn't able to make a frame myself. As you can see, I've just used the masking tape to secure the tissue paper tautly against the frame. Voila! A relatively cheap light diffuser.

Sometimes I position my diffuser directly over the top of my jewelry, sometimes I have it leaning over the side. It really just depends on the direction of the light and which direction I want the light coming from.

Here's the outcome of my photo shoot last week. It's a little greyer than I'd like, but I'm still experimenting with what time of day works best for the lighting I need. Hope you enjoyed this behind-the-scenes!