If you’re tired of photographing products like perfume and shoes, consider branding yourself as a wedding ring photographer. It’s a solid niche and will generate work from clients with a real budget.
Here are good reasons to consider this niche.
A high-end niche makes you the expert once again
In an age where the iPhone made everyone an instant photographer, you might find yourself generating less money for a skill you spent a lifetime developing. The difference between DIY photos and your photos is clear, but to many, “good enough” is acceptable if it saves them several hundred dollars. Some people save money by hiring friends to shoot their wedding and regret it later.
You understand that an iPhone doesn’t make anyone an expert photographer, but many businesses have to learn this lesson the hard way. It’s time for you to become the expert again, and calling yourself a product photographer no longer screams “expert.”
Branding yourself as an expert in the wedding ring niche will give you several advantages. Your portfolio will be 100% relevant to your clients, and you’ll get hired more often.
Professional quality shots are necessary for all jewelry
It takes a unique set of skills to be a product photographer. You can’t just set up a camera, have someone hold a bounce board, and start shooting. Unlike portraits, you can’t photograph products against the backdrop of nature. You’ll either need to use a green screen or have incredible Photoshop skills. Still, the general public doesn’t always understand the skills necessary to achieve what looks like a simple shot. Even when photographing a box of cereal, there’s no such thing as a simple shot. Photographing jewelry is even harder.
This is what professional photos of vintage engagement rings should look like. The brilliance and luster of the diamonds and other stones are captured beautifully, there’s no distracting background, and a portion of the ring is reflected on the bottom. A skilled photographer can capture an authentic reflection on a surface and won’t need to use Photoshop to create it. Although, if you do need to use Photoshop to create a reflection, it’s still okay. The reflection is minimal but necessary.
Here’s an example of mediocre jewelry photography. If your photos turn out like these images, it’s not bad, but don’t stop improving your skills. Chains should never be cut off around the image border, and you should be using a macro lens to capture the details.
You have two large markets as a wedding ring photographer
Your two biggest markets as a wedding ring photographer will be couples on their wedding day, and businesses that sell wedding and engagement rings. You’ll probably have more fun photographing wedding rings for couples simply because you’ll get to be present at their wedding. If that’s your preference, Fstoppers published a great video with several tips for photographing wedding rings. The video shows a beautiful example of photographing a ring tucked between rose petals. These tips are great for photographing rings for couples to treasure as memories. For a business trying to move inventory, you’ll need to be a little less creative and focus more on the product.
Your photos can drive more sales for local businesses
According to Yelp, 85% of consumers use the internet to find local businesses. That includes jewelry and antique stores, most of which display current and past inventory on their website to get people interested. If they’re not getting many calls or customers, it could be due to lackluster photography. If so, your professional photos will send more customers to their shop, which also increases your value.
You’ll get paid more
Brand yourself as a wedding ring photographer and you’ll generate higher paying gigs. When you specialize in something others don’t, and you can show clients your work, they’ll have no reason not to pay you top dollar.
There’s no shortage of work for wedding ring photographers with a beautiful portfolio. When you’ve spent the time and money learning the tricks of the trade, your work will always stand out above even the best DIY work. You’ll capture better images from the start, and your final shots will look like they came out of a magazine. When you produce that quality of work, your clients will be happy to pay you what you’re worth.