Getting started...

1) Use both your smartphone and a digital camera. The above shot is a cleaned up version of the one below, taken with my Canon Rebel. Yes, you can and will take pictures on your smartphone, but for high resolution photos to be used on a professional-looking website, your phone really isn't enough. Canon has free software available for download when you purchase one of their cameras, and using their basics plus the Photoshop Express app on my laptop, results are pretty impressive. I have been fortunate to have my daughter pose for the sessions, but you can ask a friend or just shoot pieces on a table with a decorative, but nondescript sheet of paper underneath. For this wall here, I purchased a really inexpensive background from Ebay for less than $15. I professionally duct-taped it to the wall.

2) Find the light. Whether photographing a flat-lay or a live model, the most important element is the light source. Near a bright window or door, choose your setting wisely to maximize natural lighting. I very rarely photograph anything with a lamp, even if it is a cloudy day. The overall photos come out better, and with the editing apps you can really get in there to enhance the color and details. In the photos above and below, I shot this in our family room with natural light coming from the patio door on the left. Though it bathed the room with lots of natural light, we moved around to find the right angle to show off the jewelry without reflection, as well as convey an overall mood.

3) A must-have: the tripod. How steady are your hands? You might think the IS (image stabilization) on your camera is enough, but for pictures where the shutter stays open longer to take the photo, it really needs to be held solid to avoid any blur. That goes for your smartphone too. A tripod is essential. Again, Ebay has been my best friend, and I found a decent portable fold-up one for under thirty bucks. It isn't top-notch quality, but it's been a steady performer.

Photo fixers...

5) Get app-tly creative. After you have taken a bunch of pictures that pass the first edit, pick your favorites and start to really play. The above picture on the left was taken on a cloudy day with my phone camera, but nonetheless I wanted to make it work. My absolute favorite free photo-editing phone app is Snapseed. You can expand a picture, heal spots, change the perspective, apply a grunge look, the list goes on. For the final flat-lay photo on the right, since I wasn't crazy about the white border of the photo in the image I captured, I used the healing feature to blur it into the background. With bead details a bit on the dark side, I used the dodge and burn brush feature to lighten and brighten specific spots in the photo. Playing around with the numerous features, combining editing effects, possibilities are endless. You can also create custom filters to keep photos in uniform.

6) Think creative solutions for uncommon results. Part of my Instagram posting incorporates meaningful quotes, but to make it unique I inventively incorporate branding. Some close-up shots I take are done with both my Canon and Android, a vast empty area and various handmade glass beads along the edge. It is basically a flat-lay on a textured background (yeah, that wood is a sheet of paper, not the table). I then use Snapseed to brush out and brighten, further clearing the space for a select quote. The bead colors are carefully intensified, then I save and switch to another favorite I found.

7) Try a text tool. Even though you might not want to dish out any money for an app, this one is well worth the five bucks for the pro version. Wordswag helps you add a variety of awesome mixed fonts, combined and generated automatically with the touch of a finger. I absolutely love it! Quote posts look clean and cohesive on my Instagram feed, keeping in suit with my marketing.

8) You don't need Photoshop.  But you do need Adobe Photoshop Express. With this free app for your laptop or mobile device, you can achieve the basics - crop, straighten, rotate, and flip your photos. Though Auto-Fix is a one-touch adjustment for contrast, exposure, and white balance, I always fine tune the photo manually in the app for clarity, color saturation and vibrancy. Blemish removal is great to eliminate unwanted spots, dirt, and dust in the picture. Another plus - automatically crop to the perfect end-use size. Need a new Facebook header, check! Etsy cover, check! This app takes guessing out of the size confusion equation.

Keep it organized...

9) Sharing is caring. Once you have fixed all these awesome pictures, you want to be able to post, share and curate easily across devices. While updating my website can only be done on a laptop, posting on Instagram is only done on a phone. One thing I always do is keep the same inventory of images on BOTH my laptop and smartphone. So how to share? By manually copying those great mixed-font quotes created on my phone TO my laptop, and photos edited on the laptop copied TO my phone, the same lot is available at my fingertips at any given moment. I suggest you create folders on you phone's SD card (and you absolutely MUST have this to preserve memory space on your phone, don't rely only on the cloud) to keep everything organized and easy to find. It takes a few minutes to set up, but will save a lot of time later when trying to locate the appropriate image to post.

Photographing a jewelry line can look polished and professional with proper planning and prep. Find what works for you, your product and schedule, and you too can say she's got the look... xoxo-Sonya