As more people enter the jewelry space, it’s becoming increasingly important to make your brand stand out from the crowd across digital platforms. In this course, I will guide you through the process of creating beautiful imagery to tell your brand’s unique story, draw in clients, and grow your audience.
Because as creatives, we learn best by visual example, I will be teaching a 3-session Zoom seminar that focuses on various photography and lighting techniques, along with styling and composition skills. You will be guided through basic manual camera settings, various lighting techniques such as shooting with a single light source (natural or strobe), composition, and styling tools, to assist you in getting the most out of your images.
I will also be demonstrating several different still life setups, which you will be able to utilize with your DSLR camera and strobe, or with simply an iPhone and good window light. Each setup I teach will be demonstrated in both contexts and usable by anyone with access to gear or nothing more than a room with good natural light.
At the end of the course, you will walk away with a photography kit that includes several of my go-to light shaping tools and other helpful items I use on a daily basis in my own photography. In addition, you will receive a PDF workbook that includes diagrams of the lighting setups we cover throughout the course, other helpful tips and tricks to manage your workflow as well a guide for best use cases of the light shaping tools we will be reviewing.
During the course, you will also be tasked with homework assignments which will ask you to put theory to practice. Each week, you’ll deliver an assignment and you’ll receive a personalized and detailed critique written by me. We will also review homework assignments together as a group and you’ll have the opportunity to learn from your peers experiences as well. If you can’t join us live, and plan on following along via the recordings, you will still receive a critique for your homework.
What you’ll need to get the most out of this course series:
Zoom access.
Dropbox. You will be tasked with homework asignments and will receive detailed feedback via Dropbox.
Several affordable and easily accessible light shaping tools. You will receive a shopping list from me via e-mail once you’ve signed up for the course.
Your iPhone, DSLR or Mirrorless camera.
Adobe Lightroom or Capture One installed if using a DLSR or Mirrorless Camera.
Tether cable, if using DSLR or Mirrorless Camera.
If you own none of the above, bring your iPhone and a notepad and be ready to learn how to make the best use of your phone camera to create better content for your brand.
These items are not required and you are welcome to join if you prefer to simply observe and glean what you can throughout the sessions, but we highly recommend having tools on hand as the interactive portion of the course is truly what sets it apart from other courses offered online
Session 1
The first course will focus on lighting and light shaping tools, which are the foundation for all photo technique. You must understand how light works and how to shape it to create photographs that are both interesting and accurate representations of your jewelry. We will also discuss how to use light to enhance certain features of your designs, such as the choice of metal or gemstones. Participants will shoot and submit an image for critique and discussion. This is a 3-4 hour session, so please plan accordingly. Course One takes place on Friday, August 16th, 2024, at Noon EST
Session 2
Once you understand how light works and how to manipulate it, you need to know some basic concepts regarding composition – how to position a piece or several pieces within a frame, keep your designs in the center of focus, and understand what makes a compelling still life photograph. We will also review fundamental photography theory. Participants will shoot and submit an image for critique and discussion. This is a 3-4 hour session, so please plan accordingly. Course Two takes place on Friday, August 23rd, 2024, at Noon EST
Session 3
Now that you have a grasp on the basics of still life lighting techniques, there are several technical tips that you can use to improve your photography further. We will discuss ideal lighting conditions, advanced lighting and styling tools, and technical issues that you may encounter. We will address the specific challenges you may have faced and I will ask you to push beyond your comfort zone for your next assignment. We will also spend time critiquing and discussing last week's assignment with tips on further improving your photography. This is a 3-4 hour session, so please plan accordingly. Course Three takes place on Friday, August 30th, 2024, at Noon EST
For a fee of $299.00, you will receive:
3 live sessions over the course of 3 weeks.
Access to the recordings of all our Zoom sessions.
Guided photography techniques specific to highly reflective objects like gold and gemstones.
One-on-one personal instructions with real-time demonstration and feedback on work you’ll be producing as homework.
PDF handbook containing my most commonly used still life setups.
A shopping guide for accessible light shaping tools and jewelry composition tools
Networking opportunities with a community of like-minded creative artists like yourself.
Behind the Lens, Still Life 1-3
This course will focus on lighting and light shaping tools, which are the foundation for all photo techniques, as well as basic tenets of composition. You must understand how light works and how to shape it to create photographs that are both interesting and accurate representations of your jewelry. We will also discuss how to use light to enhance certain features of your designs, such as the choice of metal or gemstones. This is a three-day workshop conducted over three weeks and the first session will begin on Friday, August 16th, 2024, starting at noon EST via Zoom.
Disclaimer: Purchases are non-refundable and non-transferable. Full payment is due 48 hours prior to the event. Intellectual property rights for all course materials are solely owned by Alain Simic. Any recording or sharing of the course or course content is strictly prohibited. No additional support or training is promised or required. Participants exercise their own judgment in using the information provided on and through the course, which is done at their own risk. Participants use of any information or materials found in the course is entirely at their own risk, for which we shall not be liable.
This round of courses will only be sold as a package deal, which will include all three sessions. The dates and times can be viewed on the calendar below.
The Reviews Are In!
Feedback from our 2020-2023
“Behind the Lens” Participants
“Thank you so much for teaching the Behind the Lense 3 part course. It was extremely useful and informative, even for iPhone users like me. I would like to compliment you on your dedication and patience towards all of us. It’s commendable of you to stay on extra hours to cover everything and anything we had questions about. Small emerging brands have so much to be overwhelmed about on a day to day basis, that your level of engagement with us was heartwarming and encouraging. It left me at least with a sense of being seen as a brand and someone who could do greater things with my jewelry. Thank You for that.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed the Behind the Lens: Still Life series. Alain taught me about photography lighting basics that I needed to know to get started photographing my own jewelry, and I also learned many things about composition that I didn’t know I needed until I was immersed in the course. This is an awesome and engaging live course. Alain is a wonderful teacher, and I cannot wait to take more of his courses.”
“I enjoyed every single thing about the course! I loved Alain’s honesty about what to expect from the course and about the industry. He kept me engaged the whole time which I think is quite difficult in a webinar. I found it the perfect speed and level of difficulty too. I would happily sign up for any further classes Alain is teaching!”
“Alain is a natural teacher and his philosophy of sharing information and not hoarding is refreshing and very much promotes the jewelry and photography industries. The teacher’s modulation of materials and engagement gave me time to take notes, watch, and learn. Fabulous course.”
“I just wanted to drop a quick note and to let you know how much I appreciate your classes. I must say, I was a bit intimidated (and ha, that does not happen much) as I thought that this must be a class for beginning photographers, rather than jewelry designers, but I have been getting so much out of it! Alain is an excellent communicator and is passionate about making sure everyone is getting what they need. Outstanding!”
“My mind was blown in our second class. Seriously!
I don’t think I even fully understood what still life photography was until yesterday.
I mean I feel kinda shocked with all the amazing knowledge and really have to look deep within to understand what I need to do to step up my photography approach.”
“I enjoyed the personalization of the presentation. I also enjoyed the community of other students. I sincerely liked everything about the course. I enjoyed Alain humor and philosophy. It wasn’t a course solely about technique, but the techniques complemented the esthetics. Thank you for your time and extra time!”
“Loved everything about it. Would sign up for other classes if you would have them!”
“I really liked the photo review I learned a lot about my positive and negative aspects along with the other students photos. I felt Alain was thorough and in his reviews offering constructive criticism and positive reinforcement. I am so glad I took the class and would like to know if you have more advanced classes or a continuation of photo review classes. I enjoyed Alain also!”
“I thoroughly enjoyed all three courses. I learned much more than I thought possible. I especially appreciated that it wasn’t overly technical and that you helped us work with the knowledge, materials, and equipment we have. Thank you!!”
“Alain is extremely patient and giving of his time and expertise. I so appreciate his honesty and forthrightness about what is good about a photo and what is bad. It helps us understand what to look for in our own photographs. He gives information and tricks of the trade freely. I will be signing up for anything he teaches.”