Shooting details on a wedding day is easily one of my favorite things to do! I could spend an entire hour just playing with florals, the invitation suite, and the RINGS! – Seriously, who doesn’t love this part?! Sadly most timelines don’t allow me to have that much time so getting the perfect shot quickly and easily is a MUST! In order to grab detail shots with the rings I follow 6 simple steps to ensure that I get the perfect shots quickly and efficiently!
1) Use a Macro Lens!
I can not begin to express how much I LOVE my macro lens! It makes getting these ring shots so easy and making sure the focus is 100% on those gorgeous diamonds! I use the 100mm 2.8L Canon lens, and I highly recommend looking into renting this lens to give it a try if you don’t have one! – Trust me, you will LOVE it!
2) Shoot in Manual Mode!
I never switch my lens into manual mode for anything other than rings! Granted, there are a few ring shapes that will focus perfectly fine in auto but manual gives you the best control over where to focus! – If you are known to have a slightly shaky hand ( that’s me! ), then just be sure to keep your shutter speed above 1/200 sec and hold your breath!
3) Aperture!
I typically like to shoot anywhere from 1.8 – 2.8, but for rings I like shooting at about 3.0 – 3.5! This allows me to ensure that not only am I getting the majority of the diamond in focus, but also a portion of the band! Just remember – The bigger the diamond, the higher the aperture!
4) Focus on the Prong!
A lot of people tend to focus on the diamond itself when taking ring shots, but it’s always best to focus on the ring prong that is closest to you! This allows your camera to focus on a very specific point and keep the portion of the diamond that is closest to you in focus – which will then make your entire ring seem to be in focus even if the far side is slightly off!
5) Try to Keep Your Light at a 90 Degree Angle!
This one is HUGE for avoiding glare in your diamonds! I always make a 90 degree angle between my light source and where I am standing. – Think of it as an “ L” . Your light source is on one end and you are on the other, then where your two lines meet is where your ring is sitting!
6) Start with All of the Rings, and Work Your Way Down to One!
I love getting in as many variations of ring shots as possible! In order to get the maximum number of shots I always make sure to start with all of the rings and then work my way down to just the engagement ring! I will do this on 2-3 different backgrounds to make sure I have a great variety of images!
Bonus Tip –
Desaturate in LightRoom!
My favorite little editing trick is to use the adjustment brush in Lightroom to select just the diamonds, then I desaturate and sharpen the diamond for an extra little pop and clarity! This allows me to make sure that there isn’t any unwanted color reflecting into the diamonds and that I keep everything as sharp and clear as possible!
