How a one-on-one photography tutorial with Karen Young helped my jewellery business

Anyone can whip out their phone and photograph a ring, can’t they? Well, in theory yes, but in practice, a ring is a deceivingly difficult object to photograph. A ring is a miniature sculpture, completely 3D. You focus on one point and the back is blurry. You photograph it from the top and you end up seeing the blue tack you stuck it down with. Jewellery photography is an art and a skill that takes years to master and refine on your own, especially if you don’t have any guidance.

Yet, as a jewellery designer it is completely invaluable. It’s the first thing your clients see when they land on your socials and website. Most likely, it’s the most important piece of information your clients will refer to before they buy. Every photo needs to showcase the jewellery in the best possible light. In addition, every piece of jewellery needs several photos: styled ones, white backgrounds, front view, side views and juicy close-ups. All very important, and yet, very expensive stuff.

But what if you are a small jewellery business owner like me who loves all things creative but simply does not have a huge budget to constantly spend on photoshoots? I have been in the jewellery business for almost 20 years now with my own brand, Militza Ortiz Jewellery and I know firsthand that the struggle is real.

I found Karen on instagram, way back when she was still a jeweller, and we connected immediately. I was drawn to her warmth, generosity and authenticity. Through her instagram stories, I avidly followed her journey from jeweller to jewellery photographer.

So in 2021, I booked a one-on-one photography tuition session with Karen. With so many free YouTube videos available, you are probably wondering why I decided to book this private session, but looking back I truly believe this has been one of my best investments, not only in my business but also in myself.

Thanks to my new Jewellery photography skills, I have finally gained the confidence needed to elevate my branding. and launch my new website using only my own photography, that is now converting to paying customers. 

Jewellery photography tuition adapted to my needs and existing skill set

I am not going to lie. I already had some knowledge. About 25 years ago, I took a short photography course with my father’s old manual camera, but those were the days of film, and photography was an expensive hobby to have back then so I didn’t pursue my interest much further. However, I did have a good foundation in photography and knew about shutter speeds and apertures already.

I also owned a Nikon DSLR and a macro lens that I had been practising with for some time. But whilst I could take good photos, the ones of my products were never that great. I knew that jewellery is one of the most difficult products to shoot and the skill set I had was not high enough to get good shots.  

Booking one-on-one tuition with Karen Young meant that I did not have to wait for others to catch up with me and Karen could tailor the session to my needs and the specific gaps I had in my skill set.

So why did I book a bespoke jewellery photography session with Karen Young?

1. Because a jeweller turned jewellery photographer can only be a good thing.

Sure, I could have spent hundreds of hours watching YouTube videos and trying to figure it out on my own, but why waste all that time when I had someone like Karen on my doorstep.

The fact that Karen was a jeweller and knew the business inside out was a key factor for booking the tuition session with her. I knew that she would just get it. No need to explain to her that fingerprints in photos ruin a shot, or that you spent hours getting that pendant to a high shine. She already knew how many hours each piece needed to be made and therefore was going to treat my craft with the respect I believe it deserves.

Also, because she has run the business side of it too, she knew how I would be using my photos. What the best formats for social media are or those wide banners for your website that are so difficult to get right.

Another thing we connected through was personal injury. As I watched her adapt her day-to-day following a shoulder injury, I developed a bad case of tennis elbow, a common manifestation of Repetitive Strain Injury caused by overworking your elbow muscles and preventing you from using your forearm and hand, which kept me away from the bench for several months. 

Watching her pivot to become a jewellery photographer inspired me to up my photography game as a way to feed my creative side while recovering.

2. I am lazy, she is a photographer based in Wandsworth and I live nearby.

I’ll admit it, location is a factor I appreciate. Personally, I just don’t want to be lugging around my heavy camera, tripod, plus jewellery all over the place. So, staying in south west London did make a difference for me.

3. A true desire to improve my jewellery photography skills 

Most importantly though, it was important to me that I took ownership of my photography, it’s something I’d been wanting to learn properly for years. By nature I am a visual person. I love everything being beautifully styled and looking gorgeous, so having that control over my own products shots has been so liberating as a business owner. 

Plus, photography has always attracted me. It is an art form in and of itself and with my elbow injury it gave me the possibility to explore a whole new side of my creativity, whilst still keeping within my industry.

Here is one of the images we shot and edited during our half-day private tuition session.

4. I have saved hundred of pounds by learning how to get perfect white background (e-commerce) images of my jewellery

A happy side-effect of learning to photograph product shots with Karen was the amount of money I’ve saved not having to hire a professional to take each one my white background photos. These white background photos are essential to any jewellery brand. If you want to do any PR or sell on platforms you will need these photos. Not just one either - you need at least 3 of each product, that adds up!

This had to be one of my biggest frustrations when I photographed my jewellery. I had tried over saturating, playing with the white balance on my camera, googling it and watching countless YouTube videos.

Turns out, there are some secrets you just have to pay for - and this one is well worth it ;)

5. I learned time saving techniques to beautifully capture tricky to photograph items such as earrings and cufflinks

Dangly earrings move, they swing and sway and it is so hard to get them to sit still. Cufflinks and studs have fiddly backs that are hard to position and getting both in focus is tough.

During a one-to-one session with Karen you can learn all of these tricks and take the pain out of photographing these tricky items.

That morning I spent with her was invaluable to learn these tricks that make such a difference, but it did not stop there. I also got to:

• Browse through her photography props cabinets and get great sourcing tips.

• Learn how to avoid getting fingerprints on my shiny jewellery.

• Crack the basic mystery of lighting and studio lights.

• Understand how to avoid reflections on shiny or even the not-so-shiny jewellery.

• Learn how to photograph a ring that is completely in focus - albeit with a little help of photoshop!

So, all this was well worth spending a morning in Karen’s lovely company. I have managed to explore a whole new creative side to my business and save a considerable amount of time and money along the way. I am sure that would not have been possible if I had not had the skills that Karen gave me. For that I am thankful.

Karen will be offering half and full day private one-to-one jewellery and product photography and editing tuition again from February 2023 once she has settled into her lovely new studio. So please get in touch here if you want to chat more about booking a session for yourself, or yourself and a fellow small business owner.

You won’t regret it!

Militza x

Militza Ortiz is a London based jeweller that creates raw, organic and intricately textured pieces. She is an expert silver and goldsmith with almost 20 years of experience. To view and buy her work visit her website: www.militzaortiz.com. You will find snippets of her creative process and work on her instagram @militzaortizjewellery.