The bride may be the star of the show, but sometimes, you can’t help but give the wedding jewelry a short feature in detail photos and videos. Personally, I love these shots. The ring shot in particular is my jam.
Depending on the type of wedding you’re having, the set of jewelry features in a shoot can range from a simple shot of the engagement ring, wedding bands or a full feature of the jewelry set the bride wears. In this article, I will discuss the many concept shoots a couple can ask for during their prenuptial, on-site, and post-nuptial wedding shoots.
- Based on the Wedding Theme.
This one is easy, but quite versatile depending on the bride and groom’s chosen theme. Many wedding parties are opting to take their themes to the next level. A friend of mine attended a Marvel/Harry Potter wedding recently, and that’s already two photoshoot opportunities in one. Imagine the wedding bands and engagement ring interspersed with the Infinity Stones and Sorcerer’s Stone. And I may or may not be watching Marvel’s Infinity War right now. Okay, guilty – I definitely am.
- Bridal Cover Shoot
Even with small weddings, the bride always looks glamorous and glowing, which is an excellent opportunity to shoot her wearing her jewelry. In this kind of shoot, the focus is on the bride and her jewelry. It works best with closeup shots and profile shots, with little embellishment. Personally, this is where I take the opportunity when she’s holding onto the bouquet or wrapped around her husbands body or back of his head… or on his chest. All of these areas make for a great backdrop to round out those other photographs you may have captured earlier on in the day.
- Landscape Shots with Jewelry
A great way to showcase wedding jewelry is to use the wedding location as a backdrop. The venue is decorated to perfection so that it will look amazing as a background. If you’re shooting a destination wedding, you have so many options especially if the weather works with you. Sunrise and sunset shoots will make the jewelry look vibrant and sparkling with natural fiery light. With a landscape behind it, such as a mountain range or an ocean coast, the photo will look even more stunning.
- Cultural Wedding Concepts
Should you shoot a wedding with a cultural aspect, you can expect the tradition of giving and receiving sets of jewelry that are even more stunning than the wedding and engagement rings. For example, a Chinese Tinghun (engagement ceremony) requires the fiancé to give jewelry. These are usually sets of earrings, rings, and necklaces with encrusted diamonds and large gems like rubies and sapphires for prosperity.
For Indian weddings, you won’t be able to stop with just the bride’s jewelry. You have a whole wedding party wearing luxurious gold jewelry with gems. These are only two examples, but many cultures have a jewelry-gift-giving tradition. Add these with the wedding theme, and you end up with countless options of shoots for the wedding jewelry. Make sure you take the time to get all these important details. Don’t leave anything overlooked.
Additional Tips for Photographing Wedding Jewelry
When shooting jewelry, there are a few things you need to consider:
- Avoid overexposure.
This is the most important consideration when shooting jewelry. Depending on the lighting, you may end up with an overexposed photo. Make sure you check the best settings on your camera based on the light, position, and color of the scene. I like to underexpose a little bit (usually around a half-stop) and then tweak in post using a preset that automatically pushes that half-stop back in.
- Consider the shape of the gems.
Each piece of jewelry may have different shaped gems, and this can affect the profile of the piece. Make sure you position the jewelry piece properly to showcase the shape. The reason is that gem shape is one of the defining features of a piece of jewelry. Pay attention to these close-up details.
- Shooting different types of jewelry.
You may end up shooting necklaces, earrings, bangles, bracelets, and many more. Without a model, aka the bride, it may be challenging to feature these in a photo. In this case, you’ll have to get creative and use different items you can find lying around. You may want to bring jewelry stands or use the dress form for the wedding dress if necessary.
Thank you for reading this! I hope you learned a little bit more about wedding photography. While wedding jewelry isn’t a big part of the event, shooting them will give your portfolio more diversity. Of course, the couple will love the feature too. After all, it’s a big investment for those gorgeous details! So make sure to get it done right!
As always, let me know if you have any questions. Here to help however I can!
