As a new wedding photographer, I was determined to provide the highest quality of work to my clients.

But I truly struggled with how to do this without the “best” equipment when I simply couldn’t afford it. When it came to moments like ring shots, I didn’t have the macro lens to capture the detail nor the knowledge that I do now. Once I realized there were three important steps to keep in mind when doing ring shots, my game totally changed.

01. Location

For my photography style, I really wanted light and airy ring shots. With my beginning shots, I was struggling because I was using darker backgrounds or incorporating elements that contained dark streaks. This completely changed the mood of the photo I was trying to go for. Realizing this, I was able to change my background and location to get a better overall shot.

Additionally, if you are struggling with shadows or dark spots in your image, learn Lightroom brushes! They drastically impact the result and quality of your images. On the left is my image before using Lightroom brushes on the shadows (near the bottom right corner of the image) – the right, after. Although a small change, it does make a huge difference.

02. Magnification

As much as I thought I needed a macro lens when starting out, I soon realized I didn’t need to drop $3k on a lens that I would only use ever so often. That’s when I discovered magnifier filters. A pack of 4 for $15, these completely changed my ring shot game.

The photo below on the left is a cropped in photo of the ring in the ring box. The photo on the right is the same ring and ring box, just photographed with a 10x magnifying filter – no crop, straight fire! The level of quality and luxurious vibe that the image gives off is quite a difference.

03. Focus on the Prongs

After diving into wedding photography education, I noticed something – the diamond, the most important part of the ring, isn’t actually what you want to focus on. Instead, focus on the prongs of the ring. This allows the eye to draw into the diamond while also keeping the prongs in focus and a clearness in the image. If the prongs are out of focus, you may notice that the image simply looks weird!