How I got into Product and Jewelry photography

It was June of 2008. I had been dating Sarah for a little over a year and I knew that I wanted to marry her. At the time my first business had shut down. I was working at Starbucks par time, and working on my web design and photography more than full time. About 3/4 of the work that I was doing was just trying to find clients. In the Los Angeles area, every market you could try to go into is over-saturated with others trying their hand at photography and web design. It was hard. and I had no idea how I’d be able to afford an engagement ring. Let’s just say I was doing a lot of praying(not that it’s stopped) about where my life was going. I was constantly looking for new clients to work with with mostly the web design part of my business. I realized that photography takes a while to get into, and a lot of it is in the luck of the draw. So I was taking my time with that.

So Sarah and her mom went to look at rings some time in February so that when it came time to look for rings, I’d know what she was looking for. So even though I didn’t have the money at the time, I came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t hurt to look, and offer some kind of barter. I build a website, I get the ring, type of thing.

Well I went and looked at the ring and of course it was beautiful and too much money for me to afford. So without ever even mentioning that I was a photographer, I asked if they needed a website, and if so, would I be able to barter with them. Well Odette, the owner told me that no, se already had someone building a website, and without skipping a beat, she said, “but we need a photographer.” I was floored. Mind you I had never shot a piece of jewelry or done any product photography before, and I let her know that. But for some reason she liked me, and thought that she could trust me. So two weeks later I picked up some new product photography gear, and started working with Odette on a project that entailed 3 stores and thousands of items.

I’ve since done quite a bit of product photography. The latest client I had is Del Rey Party Rentals of Los Angeles. That was a combo Web Design project along with hundreds of products. I strongly suggest using Del Rey Party for all of your event rental needs. Very friendly people, and great prices. You can build your quote online even(that was a fun project.)

What’s great about shooting products is that it’s 100% controlled. I love shooting weddings, don’t get me wrong. There’s something about capturing the romance, love, and excitement of a couple’s most important day that is just incredible. But it’s impossible to control every aspect of it, and wedding photos come out differently every time which is great. But with product photography, you control the light, you control the shadows, you control the reflection of the products. It’s hard work, but it’s pretty consistent. Even harder is jewelry photography. Shooting an engagement ring without getting any reflection of black on the ring or diamond, while still creating separation is nearly impossible. I love it.

So that, in a nutshell is how I got into product and jewelry photography…

You can check out some of the work that I’ve done on my galleries page.