Jewellery Photography: A Practical Introduction for Makers | 25 – 26 July 2024

Are you a creative maker seeking to learn how to photograph your jewellery pieces?
Are you struggling to achieve a desired outcome in your product photos and don’t know how to improve it?

This highly practical 2-day course is designed to introduce you to the essentials of jewellery photography. It will empower you to take great product photos for your website, portfolio or social media. Under the expert guidance of renowned jewellery photographer Simon B. Armitt, you will learn and practice photographing your jewellery pieces using either a smartphone or a camera.

About the course

The course aims to introduce students to photographing jewellery on a plain background, photography related terminology, camera / lighting control, equipment specifications and equipment budgets. It will also allow each student to practically explore the materials for setting up a simple tabletop studio, and capture images with either DSLR’s or mobile phones, with increased understanding, confidence and control over image outcomes.

The course is tailored to provide solutions for various budgets, ranging from low-budget options to more professional setups. It acknowledges the diverse range of photographic results attainable with each setup. During the course, students will have the opportunity to take turns testing and producing images using the tutor's own setup, which includes professional camera and lighting equipment. Additionally, they will take turns using other tabletop photo stations provided, while using their own cameras / phones .

There will be max. 8 students on the course.

The course will cover:

•  Solo subject, tabletop macro product photography

•  Taking photographs with a digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR), mirrorless camera or mobile phone

•  Choosing the right angles and composition for your jewellery pieces

•  Constructing a simple DIY single light tabletop set

•  Modifying and ‘bouncing’ light sources

•  Tips on selecting and purchasing the right equipment first time

•  Understanding and using ‘Manual’ mode on a DSLR / mirrorless camera

•  Understanding your DSLR/mirrorless camera or phone software

•  Selecting and understanding image file formats (RAW, .tiff, .psd, .jpg).

• Basic image editing and resizing

Who is the course for?

This course is aimed at jewellers and creative makers who want to learn how to take great pictures of their work for their website, portfolio, personal archive and social media use, or for support of a freelance jewellery making practice. No prior photography experience is required, but having some can be beneficial.

What should I bring?

Students should bring the following items if available:

• *Camera (any camera with macro capability will do for this introductory course) or **mobile phone with a macro mode (or add on external macro lens). 

• Any memory cards, batteries and chargers as required (for cameras).  Phone charging cables and plugs.

• A few small pieces of thoroughly cleaned jewellery, to photograph.

• A notebook for taking notes (course handout will be provided).

• Laptop and an editing software (optional).

• If you own a tripod or any lighting equipment you can bring it with you to receive tips from the tutor on how to make the most of it (optional)

*Students bringing cameras would be encouraged to read the manufacturer’s instructions and gain some familiarity (or at least locate) adjustments for colour space, image file type, ISO, white balance, aperture & shutter speed.

**This course will mainly focus on iPhone software, for visual examples.

Who will be teaching?

Simon B. Armitt has been a professional freelance jewellery and silver photographer for the past fourteen years.  He has made it his mission to capture the design, textures, colours and beauty of unique pieces, in breathtaking technical detail. By exploiting the burgeoning technological capabilities of a digital workflow in the early 2000’s, he has refined his process, and produces dynamic ‘hyper realistic’ images, which captivate the eye and bring rarely seen jewellery, to a world audience. Simon has supplied images to BBC’s Top Gear magazine, Hello magazine, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, Marie Claire, to name a few. He’s photographed individual pieces worth up to £1million and he has provided images to Shaun Leane (including Princess Beatrice’s wedding / engagement rings), Catherine Best, Solange Azagury-Partridge and The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths’ & The Goldsmiths’ Centre.   He also has a long list of individual designer / makers on his books including the world renowned stone carver Charlotte DeSyllas and master engraver Alan Craxford. He has also regularly supplied images to Contemporary British Silversmiths, The Association for Contemporary Jewellery and The Hand Engravers Association of Great Britain.

Meet the tutors here.