Jewelry Lifestyle Photography

Lifestyle jewelry photos are a great asset to show off your jewelry collection and add “eye candy” to your website.  Showing your jewelry worn breathes warmth and personal connection to your gemstone jewelry – rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces.  This session was shot at the jeweler’s store within a two hour window.
Lifestyle Jewelry Photography
These lifestyle images were shot using a Paul C Buff Beauty Dish with a 20% grid using an Einstein studio flash, hand held reflector and a Canon 24-70 mm lens.
Gemstone Necklace
We also shot environmental jewelry product pieces in a couple of settings. Creating a stunning bokeh background to set off the sparkling gemstones.
Environmental Jewelry Product Photos
A tight crop (below) brings the ring forward.
Jewelry Product Photography
This diamond ring (below) was set into a succulent. We manipulated the image with photo editing to keep the focus on the ring. These product images were shot using a Rotolight and a 100mm 2.8 Canon lens.

Environmental Product Photography

Environment Staff Portrait

Environment Staff Portrait

Staff portraits have many settings now. “Lifestyle” aka “environment” portraits are popular because they are rapidly replacing stock photos for companies-real people in real business settings. These are the people who handle your phone calls.  Website visitors can put a face to a voice!

This was shot to enhance the background ambiance creating a bright, fresh image by slowing the shutter speed, requiring the subject to hold still and “hold that smile”. She was delightful to work with and the session went smoothly and quickly.

  • Paul C Buff Einstein
  • Beauty Dish
  • 24-70mm lens

Product Staging

Product on White, Spice Jars
Product on a white background has become the standard for product images.  Whether to use a full shadow, or slight shadow, or no shadow is the next question.  But when you’re ready to show off your product creativity opens a fabulous door.  The above photo of spice jars keeps three of the four jars in focus, with a slight out of focus on the third jar, for a subtle statement.

The next photo is a lovely simple composition, still on white for an open, floating feeling, adding the spoon for a touch of lifestyle.  A subtle product styling idea.
Spice Jars for Product Styling
Still keeping the product styling simple we’ve added an organic feel using wood for the  presentation. These are only a few ways to style your product. Keep your own product as an alternative to stock photography for your website.
Product Styling
Finally adding a full background frames the jars using a brick for strong base statement.  The first jar has the strength and focus, allowing the other jars to become part of the background.  You get the idea of the vast possibilities when you’re ready to take bring your product front and center in your website and promotion.
Product Lifestyle Staging

Male Portrait Headshot

Male Portrait Headshot

Equipment used:
Paul Buff 22 inch Beauty Dish with Diffusion
Set to one side, camera right
Einstein 640 Studio Flash
Black sweep
Canon 6D, 35mm 1.4

Portraits for men begin with getting the subject relaxed in front of the camera. A natural relaxed position is the goal so the subject looks comfortable. You only have a few minutes to determine the best pose for any given shot. There are no hard fast rules. You’re looking for individuality.

Portrait Photography on White

Portrait Photography on White Background

This setting was chosen by the photographer to capture the subject, who is an artist, in a pensive mood while she creates.  This brings the focus to the face while keeping the body language central in the composition.

Using a white background for this portrait is all about bathing the subject in translucent white, having her melt into the surrounding white. To achieve this stunning effect requires a wash of light. The photographer used two Paul Buff 86 inch PLM soft silver with diffusion, lighting the sides and background; and a 64 inch PLM in front of the subject.  The light is critical to obtaining this elegant softness of light. This shot required no Photoshop.

Couple’s Portrait

Couples Portrait Photography

Beauty Dish Photography
This is a simple one light shot. White back drop, a beauty dish with an Einstein 640 flash, 1/4 power. Light was positioned to the extreme camera left approx. 45 degree angle over shoulder of man pointed at girl.

Canon 7D
lens:  70-200mm f/2.8
Aperture f8
Shutter Speed 1/250
White background turned grey since the couple was 8 feet in front.  The skin tones varied dramatically, desaturation was the ideal solution.

One Light Portrait-Flash

Studio Portrait Composite

Professional Portrait

Both are one light (flash) portraits.
Einstein 640 @ 1/4 power
22″ beauty dish, diffused
ISO 100
Aperture f8
Shutter Speed 1/200
Daylight balanced
Canon 7 D 70-200 2.8
set to Neutral

It all begins with a well lit photo. The beauty dish was placed directly overhead of subject, just out of frame, using white foam core for fill bounce below at waist level.

Shot against a white backdrop brought in an artist to create Illustrator backgrounds with texture, and manipulated photo and backgrounds in Photoshop.