Techniques for Photographing Earrings on a Model

Lens selection

• While you might be tempted to use a wide-angle lens that will allow you to get close enough to the earrings to capture all of the details, doing so would be a mistake. A wide-angle lens will distort the appearance of the earrings and the model's ear lobe. Using a lens with a focal length between 50mm and 135mm will give you a picture where the proportions of the earring and the models ear lobe are correct.

Aperture Settings

• The aperture or lens opening not only controls the amount of light that enters the lens, it also controls the depth of field in the picture. Depth of field is simply explained as the depth of the picture that is in focus. Ideally you will want a picture that shows the earring completely in focus with a soft, slightly out of focus background. This will make it easier for the person looking at the picture to concentrate on the earring. Selecting an aperture around f5.6 to f8.0 will give you enough depth of field to keep the earring in focus and create a softer background.

Tripod

• Your client is not going to pay for blurry images. Earrings are small and require you to use a standard or short-range telephoto lens to fill up the viewfinder with the earring. Whenever you have to photograph a small object using these type of lenses any camera movement or shake will be easily visible in the pictures. Using a tripod will eliminate the risk of camera shake from appearing in your picture.

Lighting

• You should position your studio lights at 45-degree angles in front and behind the earring to give the earring an equal and balanced light source. Once the lights are in position, set the power on the studio strobes to the same setting. This will create a flat, evenly lit light that will show all the detail of the earring.