Smile and Say Bling! How to Take Great Photos of your Engagement Ring

By Tiffany Moore

Now that you’ve gotten your ring and have started wearing it everywhere, the compliments have started pouring in, and you just want the whole world to see the stunning solitaire engagement ring that your special someone picked out for you. These days, with Facebook and Flickr and all the other photo-sharing technologies, you can literally share pictures of your new ring with anyone, from your old college roommate to great-Aunt Mabel.

Jewelry photography can be tricky, and engagement rings can be one of the most difficult pieces to photograph. Becca Eastman, an expert jewelry photographer from Whiteflash who specializes in engagement rings, shares a few easy tips.

Always have more than one source of light. If the room has an overhead light, turn on a lamp as well. Sunshine can create great natural lighting, but make sure that all lighting is diffused, meaning not shining directly on the engagement ring. You want as much light as possible, but you do not want to position a lamp directly over the ring.
Select your background carefully. Avoid busy patterns, which can drown out the ring’s simple beauty. Black makes a great background, as it will allow the engagement ring to stand out. Be creative—black construction paper, a black skirt, or the matte black surface of a piece of electronics can all make good backgrounds. You may also want to try a simple white background.
Allow your zoom to work for you. If you bring the camera too close to the engagement ring, the camera will not be able to focus properly and you’ll get blurry images. Keep it at least a foot away and then use the zoom to get a nice close-up.
To really show off your ring, consider using a tiny bit of wax to stand your ring up on a hard surface. This will allow you to take a picture of the ring as it looks on your finger, as well as show off its details. The wax can be wiped off easily.

Steady, steady, steady. Do not hold your camera in your hands—no matter how steady your hands are, and how good your image-stabilization technology is—nothing can beat the steadiness of a picture taken with a tripod. Don’t have a tripod? Stack up some books and balance the camera on that.
Don’t be afraid to try some props. If used correctly, a carefully-chosen prop or two can enhance the look of your jewelry and held give it some perspective as to size. Flowers are a popular engagement ring prop at Whiteflash, as they are romantic and simple, and engagement rings look so great when strung onto the stem or propped against the brightly-colored petals. Make sure the flowers are super fresh, and examine them closely for dark spots or wilted petals that could ruin your photo. Think about other props—a wine glass with gorgeous red wine, a favorite high-heeled shoe, a couple of bright red strawberries. The sky’s the limit!
Make sure your engagement ring is perfectly clean before you take the photos. Even a small amount of grime will diminish that perfect sparkle that you want in your pictures. Take it for a professional cleaning, or wipe it down with a soft toothbrush and some ring cleaner.
Hand photos can be a great way to show how the ring looks on you. Make sure your hands are perfectly clean and well-moisturized, and consider getting a manicure in a pale color to accent the engagement ring without overpowering it.