Creative Techniques for Shooting Difficult Products Such as Glasses and Jewelry

Creative Techniques for Shooting Difficult Products Such as Glasses and Jewelry

In e-commerce, product photos are more than just visuals—they serve as the sole bridge between the buyer and the item. Customers cannot try on the glasses, feel the frame’s material, or truly evaluate the shine of the metal. When images fail to capture these details accurately, shoppers often face disappointment, returns increase, and the brand’s credibility suffers.

Surfaces like glass, metal, and other glossy materials are among the toughest to capture in product photography. Their reflective and transparent nature often produces harsh highlights, distorted colors, or flattened details. While the image might appear sleek at first glance, if it fails to represent the item truthfully, it erodes customer trust and diminishes brand value.

E-commerce is inherently delicate. Data from the National Retail Federation shows that return rates for online purchases remain considerably higher than for in-store shopping, with categories such as apparel, accessories, and jewelry leading the list. Misleading or inconsistent product images play a direct role in driving those returns.

In 2024, U.S. retailers projected product returns to reach about $890 billion, representing 16.9% of total annual sales. During the holiday season, this figure climbs even higher, with return rates spiking up to 17% above the yearly average, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).

Recent studies indicate that 30% of online customers return items because the products don’t look the same as they did in the photos. Items such as eyewear and jewelry are especially challenging to photograph, given their materials, reflective surfaces, and sensitivity to color variations.

With over a decade of experience photographing products in industries like jewelry, eyewear, consumer goods, and lifestyle, I’ve witnessed these challenges surface time and again. In this article, we’ll focus on two practical examples — eyewear and jewelry — to highlight the most frequent mistakes and how to avoid them. You’ll discover which errors quietly reduce sales, how to handle tricky materials without unwanted artifacts, and why the images that truly connect with buyers are not only “visually appealing,” but also accurate, consistent, and strategically designed.

Eyewear: When Reflections Obscure the Fine Details

Uncontrolled vs. Controlled Lighting: Why It Makes a Difference

When photographing eyewear for e-commerce, lighting is the factor that can either showcase the product or completely diminish its quality. Let’s compare two shots of the same pair of glasses:

In the uncontrolled setup, light spills across the scene without direction. The plastic frame loses its definition, the lenses appear unclear, and the colors are inaccurately rendered. Overexposure and excessive diffusion strip away the surface qualities, leaving buyers unsure of the product’s real appearance. The outcome feels cheap and misleading.

In the controlled setup, every lighting choice—placement, intensity, and diffusion—is deliberate. By positioning the key light in front and pairing it with a carefully selected diffusion panel, reflections are shaped rather than scattered. This approach maintains the authentic texture of the plastic frame and the crispness of the lenses.

Creative Techniques for Shooting Difficult Products Such as Glasses and Jewelry

Professional Techniques That Made the Difference:

• Focus Stacking for Full Depth: Eyewear rarely rests on a single focal plane. By using focus stacking—capturing multiple shots at varying depths and merging them—you can ensure both the front of the frame and the temple tips remain sharp. For e-commerce, this precision is vital since buyers expect every detail to look as crisp in reality as in the photo.
• Color Accuracy Through Controlled Highlights: Poorly managed lighting can alter hues by as much as 10–20%. With calibrated lighting and a ColorChecker reference, the tones of the lenses and frames stayed true. For customers, color accuracy isn’t a minor detail; it often determines whether they keep or return the product.
• Gradient Lighting to Accentuate Form: Eyewear surfaces are both reflective and subtle. Controlled gradient highlights—created by angling diffusion material and positioning lights carefully—bring out curves and transparency without distorting the product. Post-production can refine the gradients, but accurate base lighting is non-negotiable.
• Polarization Control: A polarizing filter reduces distracting glare while maintaining the essential reflections that define shape. Cross-polarization (a polarizer on both the light source and the camera lens) is especially effective for cutting glare on glossy plastics and lenses.
• Lens Choice and Working Distance: A macro lens in the 90–105mm range is often ideal for eyewear photography. It minimizes distortion and gives precise depth-of-field control, particularly important when stacking multiple focus layers. Shooting with wider lenses can introduce perspective issues, making frames appear bulkier than they are.

Jewelry: When Harsh Lighting Erases the Design Details

Jewelry photography is far less forgiving than other products. In the uncontrolled version of the ring image, the design suffers from blown highlights, flattened textures, and distorted color. Instead of looking luxurious, the piece appears cheap. In e-commerce, this kind of misrepresentation has a direct negative impact on sales.

Professional Techniques That Make the Difference

• Diffused Gradient Lighting for Metals: Polished jewelry metals require refined, controlled reflections. By positioning large diffusers at strategic angles, highlights transform into smooth, elongated gradients instead of harsh, fragmented spots. This approach maintains the sense of craftsmanship and premium quality.

• Restoring Depth with Shaped Light: In the braided gold ring, uncontrolled lighting flattened the weave. By combining gradient lighting with controlled fill from below, the design regained its three-dimensional form and depth. The outcome goes beyond visibility—it conveys texture.
• Focus Stacking for Intricate Features: Focus stacking kept both the top edge of the braid and the inner setting sharp, ensuring complete clarity of the design. Without it, portions of the jewelry fall out of focus, leaving the piece looking incomplete.
• Color Fidelity in Gold and Gemstones: Jewelry customers are highly sensitive to color. A gold ring that appears too orange or too pale can instantly erode trust. Through precise calibration, consistent white balance, and careful reflection control, the gold tone was preserved—luxurious yet true to life.
• Shadow Management for a Clean Look: In the uncontrolled photo, harsh shadows pulled attention away from the piece. In the corrected version, shadows were softened and deliberately placed, framing the jewelry instead of competing with it.
• Micro Accents for Balanced Sparkle: Jewelry demands a careful balance: too much sparkle looks artificial, while too little feels lifeless. Small, low-angle accent lights were used to create controlled points of brilliance, while the main gradient lighting carried the sense of form and depth.

The Bigger Picture: Lighting as a Foundation of Trust

Whether it’s glasses or jewelry, the rule doesn’t change: uncontrolled lighting and careless methods break customer trust. On the other hand, carefully shaped highlights, true-to-life colors, and precise execution are what establish it.

As product photographers, our responsibility extends beyond creating beautiful images. Our role isn’t only to make items look attractive, but to ensure they appear authentic. Often, the difference between a completed sale and a return depends on how faithfully the photograph fulfills that duty.

Controlled lighting doesn’t just drive sales—it builds trust, reduces returns, and helps keep e-commerce sustainable.