What do you think about using live models when photographing your jewelry pieces that you plan to sell?
This question came up recently when jewelry artist Roslyn asked whether I recommend using people to model jewelry for photos.
Actually, I can see both sides of this issue.
Here I’ll present some points both for and against using live models – and I hope you’ll leave a comment to share your thoughts on this issue.
Benefits of
Having Live Models Wearing
Your Jewelry in Photos
First, a live model definitely helps show how the jewelry looks when it’s worn – the length, size, and fit of each piece.
For example, in Olga MacAfee’s lovely photo of herself modeling her Night Out jewelry set, you can clearly see how the pieces work together as a set.
It would be harder to achieve that as effectively without a live model wearing the jewelry.
Also, Alyson Garvey demonstrates in Getting Friends to Model Your Jewelry the nice touch of having shots of the jewelry both alone and on a live model.
Edited to add: In Luann Udell’s post, Glamour Shots, Dahling you can see the power of a professionally shot and edited photo featuring a model dressed and made up in a theme that complements the jewelry.
Why You May Not Want
Live Models Wearing
Your Jewelry in Photos
Jewelry marketing expert Dr. David Weiman says in Tip #42 of his book, 101 More Great Jewelry Selling Techniques:
“. . . showing jewelry on a model often works against you. People who don’t look like the model may have difficulty imagining themselves wearing it.”
He adds that close-up photos showing the details of jewelry also reveal blemishes and other imperfections in the model’s skin, detracting from the beauty of the jewelry.
In addition, I know several people who have a strong “that’s gross!” response to the idea of wearing jewelry that’s been worn (however briefly) by someone else.
(I also know many other folks who don’t feel that way.)
What Do the
Jewelers Who Have Paid for
Market Research Do?
I viewed the websites, print catalogs, and ads of several of the major jewelry retailers in the U.S. – from the fine jewelry store chains to Sundance Jewelry.
In this unofficial research, the majority of the jewelry photos I saw do NOT have live models wearing the jewelry.
However, they do have occasional photos of a model wearing one of their pieces in one of these ways:
If the photos are closeup, the models’ skin tends to look flawless (possibly due to photo editing).
Often, though, the photos aren’t closeups, but full-body shots showing the model having a romantic or fun time while wearing the jewelry.
Or sometimes the major jewelers use a photo of an attractive person who’s NOT actually wearing their jewelry, positioned right next to photos or a display of the jewelry – implying that this lovely person wears this jewelry line.
So what did I conclude, based on my unofficial research of the “big guys”?
That if the majority of the big jewelers’ photos exclude live models, it’s a good bet that their expensive marketing research points to more sales when they use fewer models actually wearing the jewelry.
One Other Issue
About Using Live Models
One other point to keep in mind if you’re planning to sell the jewelry that’s been worn by a live model:
To prevent the risk of spreading skin infection and disease via earwires and other pierced jewelry, you should put new findings on pierced jewelry after the model removes it from his / her piercings.
And I would also recommend giving all pieces of jewelry a thorough cleaning after the model removes them.
Please Share What You Think
What do you think about using live models when photographing your jewelry pieces that you plan to sell?
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
GREAT question, Rena! A tough one to answer, and you covered every aspect of it!
An alternative to the expense of good jewelry/model photography (which, when done professionally and well, would be out of the price range of most jewelry makers), include photos (at your website, in emails and at your booth) of you (the jewelry maker) with customers meeting you, looking at jewelry, and most of all, smiling!
This shows in a powerful and memorable way that people enjoy your jewelry and the connection with you.
David, that’s an excellent idea for including people along with the jewelry in photos. It also gives customers the impression of other people buying and enjoying your jewelry – which then makes them feel more comfortable buying it themselves.
Thanks for sharing this great tip!
Thanks for the great info.
You’re very welcome, Janet! Thanks for stopping by!
Great question, Rena!
I only have one model shot for my jewelry, but I absolutely love it. I wish I had more, jewelry shot with a model really shows how the jewelry will sit on a real human body.
The idea in selling jewelry is to sell the fantasy of how you will feel when you wear this piece, and real live models do that in a way that’s hard-wired into our brain. We LOVE looking at other people! :^)
There are drawbacks, though, and you’ve named some of them. The finished shot should be edited to remove blemishes, etc., pick someone who doesn’t look like they’re stuck in the ’80’s stylistically, and keep the clothing simple to avoid ANYTHING distracting from the jewelry.
Which leads to another big no-no: The person in the pic should NOT look into the camera, because again, we tend to look at their eyes, not the jewelry.
I wrote a blog article years ago about using a service like Glamour Shots to do a model-with-jewelry shot. You’ve reminded me I should revisit that topic.
Hi Luann,
I’ve edited the main post here to include a link to your Glamour Shots article – lots of valuable insights and tips there, thank you! And how neat that the photo shoot also meant having lovely professional photos of your daughter.
Also, thanks for sharing the great tip about the model not looking into the camera – it’s amazing how that changes what our attention is attracted to in a photo.
Wow! Very kind of you Rena, thank you! :^)
As a buyer, I tend to agree with Dr. David. It depends on what it is, but if it is a hat, or necklace, clothing, it can gross me out sometimes to think that I am going to be wearing something that has already been on someone else. But that is just me.
I think if you make things in large quantity, it’s nice to have a ’sample’ of it on a model, and have the item brand spanking unworn on hand to send when some makes the purchase.
Great handling of a difficult question, Rena! One of the main arguments I have heard against using live models is that people look at the models, not at your jewelry. for that reason, i have heard that partial shots, maybe showing only part of the person’s face, to highlight the earrings, etc are a good way to go if you want to show jewelry being worn. And Luann mentioned the careful, simple style, and not looking at the camera. never thought of that one!And of course, you all mentioned the touch-up job that will be needed for the photos.
Great comments here, too! I like the idea of a customer or model smiling and looking at the jewelry. Time to go look at that Glamour shots link!
I, too, have pondered the question of whether to model my jewelry or not. I currently have 2 necklaces in my shop, that, I personally modeled, because they are larger than I normally make. I only have a shot of my neck, wearing the necklace, so as not to have my face as a distraction to the necklace.
I also used my daughter to model my line of bridal jewelry, wearing my wedding dress, but a shot of her from the chin, down, with a hint of the dress showing.
I had searched other online shops to see how they presented their bridal lines of jewelry, and, to me, the best shops showed the pieces on a live model who was dressed in a wedding gown. I liked this approach because it really gave a sense of how a piece will actually look with a wedding gown.
As for my current shop, I feel a photo without a model is appropriate for most of my pieces.
So, I believe it’s the call of the designer to decide on a model or not.
Rena,
Thanks for posting such a great article! A couple of years ago I had several of my clients and business friends telling me I definitely needed models wearing my jewelry so people could really get a look/see/feel for how it was on a live person. Well, like you, I did a ton of my own research, looking at countless jewelry websites from famous designers to Indie designers and everything in between and I came to the same ‘pros’ conclusion you did – that they showed models wearing pieces of jewelry in a fun, romantic, etc. way which marketed the look/feel/lifestyle of the jewelry. So, that’s what I chose to do to add some ‘life’ to my jewelry shots. I have several young women modeling my jewelry, however, the jewelry they have on is already sold or is ‘for display only’ and pieces customers can actually purchase are photographed using other props or items to make the jewelry pop and stand out vs. having people pay too much attention to how the actual piece looks on someone else.
And, it seems to be working! I get compliments on how the models look in my jewelry, and I get more sales and more compliments on my jewelry that’s photographed in another way.
Great subject you tackled here in this article!! Love it!!
I have weird phobias of buying jewelry if I think it has been worn. It seems dirty to me. I know other people who are like me too so I think it is better not too.
I think live models are a great idea if there are several of the same design so only the sample is worn. But if you do only one of a kind pieces, then the yuck factor has to be considered. I started using a dressed mannequin as a compromise.
Rena,
Most of the photos on my etsy website don’t show a live model. I did, however, do a photo shoot with a young woman acquaintance and am planning on adding those photos. Etsy gives you five opportunities for photos and frankly, I may not have enough photos to fill those spots on some of my items. When I think the shots with the model will add to the understanding of the piece of jewelry, or brighten up the page, I’ll use one.
I studied a beautiful “how to” book about making pearl jewelry and scanned some of the pages with particularly fetching photos. Almost all had *partial* head , wrist or neck shots, diminishing the impact of the model and emphasizing the jewelry. I copied those poses with my own live model and am very happy with the results.
Why would a customer assume that you only have one set of earrings, or one bracelet so that they’d be getting a worn item? Even though I do custom work, if I find that I really like the look of something I’ve done, I’ll make it again. I’ve had women order a necklace that I design, and when I post a photo of it, another woman will order one just like it.
Although I fully appreciate the value of market research, I don’t think I get the negative impact of ordering a piece of jewelry that’s being shown on a model, assuming something about the model isn’t distracting.
I have gone back and forth about using models to display my Sea Glass Jewelry. I finally decided not to use models but to use props that set the mood for my clients to imagine themselves wearing my creations. It doesn’t appeal to everyone but then again I’m not trying to appeal to the masses. Sand, shells, seaweed, waves, and blue sky evoke the feeling for feeling summery and support the concept of sea glass jewelry than any model could…Model or no model…depends on the message you want to send. Thanks for the write up.
Fair Winds and Calm Seas, Deborah Leon
http://www.mermaidspurseseaglass.com
That’s a great question! I don’t know any models so I just use the same old jewelry holders…I think it would depend on the pieces =]
EA JEWELRY
http://emcecile08.ecrater.com
EM.CECILE SPEAKS
http://emcecilespeaks.blogspot.com
I have used photographs with models and without. I like to photograph the purchaser of the jewelry piece wearing the earrings, necklace, bracelet and making it “her own”. I am fortunate to have friends/relatives that are photographers who have assisted me in getting some interesting photos. I like when only a glimpse of the model is seen but the emphasis is on the jewelry.
Hi everyone,
Wow, this is a really good discussion and its a real dilemma,
I am new to selling jewellery, I show my jewellery on displays, which I think work well.
The dilemma is I am wanting to promote my jewellery in brochures and I am looking to start a static website, so some of my longer necklaces are to long for my displays and I was toying with the idea of using a model to take photo’s but only using her neck to the length of the necklace to see it in all its glory.
I can see both sides of the coin, but I was thinking of using the pieces I have made for myself , that I wear at my parties as I only make one of a kind, just so my customers get an idea of the styles I make.
Lisa
I notice the models are young and thin, I’m not young and thin so it makes me think that it probably won’t look as good on me as it does on the model.
Lynn, I’m neither young nor thin either. The jewelry I make either is designed or can be custom made for large people (longer bracelets, longer necklaces, size-appropriate earrings etc.). Unlike large size clothing which looks stupid on thin models and doesn’t give an idea of how it will look on a real woman of size, jewelry is much more forgiving if you know what sizes you wear.
For example, most bracelets are made 7 – 7 1/2 inches long, but many of my bracelets are 8 1/2 inches. If you measure your wrist and add about 3/4 inches to that, and pick a place on your neck or chest that you like your necklaces to hit, then you can judge which pieces of jewelry are appropriate for you. And just because you’re not thin, it doesn’t mean that you can’t wear a delicate piece of jewelry – it’s whatever you like.
And as for age – nothing makes a woman look happy and vibrant, no matter how old she is, than a piece of jewelry that she loves.
I have not yet p[osted any pictures with live models. However, I am waiting for a picture from the wedding of one of my customers wearing the bridal ensemble I made for her. Thus, this won’t be sold, but will show what I make and how it was worn. Otherwise, I am not interest in showing the jewelry on live models.
Lynn,
Interesting comment you make here about the models being young and thin. This was something I took into consideration when I chose models for my website. I wanted women of all ages and sizes, so I have models from pre-teen up to one model who was age 57 and their body types are fairly normal, with more medium to heavier frames. I’ve gotten many comments on the wide ranges of ages and body types that I selected for my website, but the most wonderful fact is that because all of these girls/women are confident and comfortable in their own skin, they look absolutely gorgeous – and they make my jewelry look amazing, so I would tend to believe that it is how you feel about yourself that dictates which types of jewelry you would look good in and feel good about wearing. Don’t let unreal imagines of things stop you from trying something you like,…you will probably be amazed at how wonderful you look!
Thank you Mara and Michelle for your encouraging comments, and understanding that not all women are young and thin.
Really great article to read – I love this website!
Last weekend I had a shoot using three models – to be fair they were all young and thin – although one is very curvy… I’m a long way from looking like that myself, but what I love about Jewellery is that it is one of the few things I can see in a Glossy magazine worn by a young and thin woman that I can actually wear myself!
For me one of the main exciting benefits of Jewellery is that its one of the few forms of clothing that isn’t determined by your size and shape – it doesn’t discriminate or dictate – it simply adorns you whatever age or shape you are….
You really are free to be governed by your own personal taste – and its a fantastic, liberating way to convey you sense of style.
I try to make pieces that are affordable, but a little more unusual – so many pieces have several focal points, which can be hard to convey how they look or ’sit’ in a ‘Still Life’ shot.
I personally find that when I include a ‘modeled’ piece I get a lot more views on Etsy.
Also, one piece that had hardly any views in several months of being listed, I added a modeled shot to my listing at the weekend and it sold within 24hrs!?!
I agree with the comments on how a model can detract, but I do think everything is worth a try – maybe modeled shots work better on some styles more than others.
I always include close up shots of the pieces as well – I find that combining the two approaches in each listing has always worked well for me – But I do seem to sell more pieces that are seen as worn by a model than not.
I think the key thing is to be creative with your photography shots, let your style come through your images as well as your pieces – it can be a fantastic additional way of creating your style / brand etc…
I have currently got more live model shots in my shop than ever before – and I’ve had more views this week than I normally do…
But organising model shots is very difficult, and as I make several new pieces a week – it isn’t possible to have model shots of everything – so I try to achieve a balance by taking model shots once every 6 weeks or so, in order to keep the shop looking fresh.
I guess this, like everything in Jewellery, is a case of finding what works for you, and your own personal style.
Amanda
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MissLadysmith – if you would like to see some of my recent ‘model’ shots