How to Shoot Wedding Rings

No wedding photography gallery is complete without a few beautifully styled photos of the wedding and engagement rings. But these little guys can be tricky to capture properly. Here are my quick tips for how to shoot wedding rings beautifully.

Lighting

The flatter and softer, the better. Harsh light can create colours within the diamonds that don’t translate well on camera. Soft, non-direct flat light is key.

Your Camera Settings

Of course, your settings will vary given the amount of light in the room. But there are two really key things to keep in mind.

1. ISO | Have your ISO at the very lowest possible before you risk blur. Noisy/grainy photos can be a great artistic choice throughout the day, but for rings, they take away from the clarity.
2. Aperture | I shoot at F2-F2.8 almost all day long. But when shooting rings, you have to bump your aperture up to about F4 in order to capture the ring details properly.
3. If you have a macro lens, that’s amazing. If not, cropping in post is your friend.

Setting the Scene

Okay, so you’ve got the lighting right and your camera all set up. Now what? There are tons of creative ways to shoot wedding rings, but here are some of my favourites.

By Themselves | I always take a solo shot of the rings. No gallery is complete without it! Look for a simple background, stack them, and get clicking.

With the Ring Box | Only choose this option if the ring box is beautiful. A lot of the original boxes that rings come in aren’t the best, but if your couple has sourced a pretty one, definitely include it!

Incorporate into a Flat Lay | It’s a great idea to include the rings in flat lay of the invitations and other items. They all come together so nicely.

On the Hand | This can be a tricky one. Photographing rings when the couple is wearing them can turn tacky real fast. You know that shot where the hands are stacking? Yeah, no thanks. It’s best to zoom in on a detail of the rings as your couple is interacting naturally.

Bonus Tip!!

Have your client ask their florist for “styling flowers”. They go such a long way towards making your ring shots extra lovely.