Shooting wedding and engagement ring shots need not be hard at all. In fact, with the proper equipment and a dash of creativity, you’re sure to capture that elusive image without too much effort. Here are some essential tips on how to photograph rings.
Use a Macro Lens
Shooting a ring and giving it justice can be extremely hard if you use a zoom or a normal prime lens. As such, it’s really important to have a macro lens in your bag to allow you to get closer to your subject. Anything that’s longer than 60mm will suffice to give you a good working distance when you are capturing ring shots.
Illuminate, Illuminate, Illuminate
Oftentimes, a wedding photographer might face challenging lighting conditions that will hinder the way towards the ring image you want. In this case, there’s no better way than to use a competent ring lighting system. You can simply use a flash mounted on your camera or go the extra mile and employ the use of slave flashes to brighten up those rings when ambient light won’t cooperate.
Apart from the use of flashes, going with a LED video light is also a reliable option. What’s good about these devices are you can instantly see how the light is gonna affect your image so you can just adjust accordingly. Of course, it would be best to employ the aid of an assistant to hold the video light when you are photographing ring shots.
Go for the Mood
Sometimes, the lack of light can be a good thing for those wedding and engagement ring photos. If you find yourselves shooting rings with little ambient light or without the aid of a lighting system, just go ahead and take your shot. Find the best spot possible, increase your ISO, open the lens at its widest, and shoot at the slowest shutter speed possible. After doing so, you might be surprised that the end result looks dramatic and artsy.
Go The Extra Mile and Decorate Those Rings
Let’s face it. Shooting engagement and wedding ring shots can be mundane when they’re all alone. Why don’t you look around and check for details that will highlight the rings to increase their beauty?
It’s simple actually. You can place those rings on a piece of clean, white paper to eliminate any distractions on your image. You can also find some leaves or small flowers and arrange them accordingly next to the rings to give your photo a livelier atmosphere. Furthermore, you can place those rings next to tiny and intricate details, like the beads of a wedding gown or a letter written by a groom to her bride. Heck, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can splash water on those rings or use sparklers for a unique shot.
Use Blue-Tak
Making rings stand can be next to impossible if you don’t use a handy solution like Blue-Tak. You can get a tiny piece of this putty-like substance, attach it to the bottom of the ring to make it look like it’s standing on any surface. This gives you the power to place those rings on walls, stylish surfaces, and detailed patterns without them tumbling over and over again. Just make sure to use the right amount of Blue-Tak for your ring shots so they won’t be seen in your photo.
Every wedding photographer need not lose their heads over something so small and so beautiful. With the right gear and loads of creativity, you’re sure to shoot ring shots that will blow everyone’s minds away in no time at all.