Philippine Center for Creative Imaging

Study the professional techniques for bringing out the four C's by which jewelry photography is judged.

Control and proper technique are never as unforgiving as when shooting fine jewelry. Besides the problems inhererent in shooting small objects, the photographer must deal with the invidividual and combined properties of crystal, mineral, and metal. To be successful, the end product must bring out the four C's of Color, Clarity, Contour, and Class. Color must be accurate and free of contamination; detail must be Clear to be appreciated; every Contour and facet must be lit and angled to show three-dimensional depth; and the item in the photograph must exude Class or elegance that raises it above ordinary ornaments. The workshop will guide you step by step toward achieving this objective.

What will be covered:

• Equipment needed
• Lighting for jewelry photography
• Different styles for photographing jewelry
• The importance of white balance
• Bringing out texture and facets
• Styling, layout and arrangement of jewelry

Who should attend:

• Photographers who specialize in jewelry photography, or are intending to.
• Jewelry designers and makers who cannot entrust their new, confidential designs to outside photographers.
• In-house staff of jewelry stores and manufacturers responsible for producing catalogs and brochures.
• Amateur photographers who want to broaden their repertoire.

Prerequisites

• Completion of the PCCI's Basic Photography workshop or equivalent experience.
• Camera with manual exposure control, and preferably with PC socket for external flash.
• Lens that can fill the frame with a small object (necklace, bracelet, ring).
• Tripod.
• Ideal but not necessary: a polarizing filter and cross-screen filter that fits your lens.

Presentation method

Class time is divided between instuctor-led presentations and discussions, hands-on exercises, and critiques of the participants' photographs. Classes are limited to 12 participants to ensure optimum learning.

Instructor

Mark Floro likes to describe himself as an old-school photographer, which means he gets the photo right at the time of exposure, using proper lighting, not afterward in the computer. He studied photography and lighting in the United States, and established himself here as a professional food and advertising photographer. [Read more]