I love listening to proposal stories! Choosing where and when, the anticipation of waiting for the perfect moment and choosing the ring are all elements of the story that I love to hear.

Today, I’m excited to share my three easy ways to photograph wedding rings. This is my go-to system for photographing the rings that I use for every wedding. Having this system in place allows me space for creativity and consistency.

What lens will you use?

Let’s start with lens choice. When I first began my photography journey, I purchased the 60 mm macro lens. This lens is sharp and great for close up macro shots, but it didn’t give me the compression that I needed when photographing the rings. One of the benefits of lens compression is being able to bring the background closer to the subject.

In my opinion, the 60mm was best suited for my Nikon d7000, a cropped sensor camera, that made the focal length of a 60mm a great option for that camera.

I ended up doing a trade upgrade to the 105mm, and it was a game changer for my ring shots.

I typically photograph the rings during the getting ready portion of the day. I always start with the details in the bride’s getting ready room and then move onto focusing on candids and stories that are unfolding.

Timing is everything on a wedding day.

I give myself anywhere from 30-45 minutes to photograph the details which include all of the somethings. The something new, old, borrowed, blue, and special. That’s the dress, veil, flowers, shoes, rings, invitation suite, jewelry, and anything that is special for my bride’s day.

It seems like 30-45 minutes is a long time, but it’s not. It goes by incredibly fast.

Because timing is crucial on a wedding day, having systems in place is especially helpful.

I think I realized that I had a system last year and I’m happy to share that with you today. Here are my three easy ways to photograph wedding rings.

3 Easy Ways to Photograph Wedding Rings

1. Lay them down….The first set up is to lay them down in a horizontal line and make sure that they are all on the same focal plane. This is important to make sure that they will be in focus. Speaking of focus, choosing the best aperture for the look you’re wanting to achieve for each set up is also important. I typically start at an aperture of 7.1.  Shooting at an aperture of 7.1  means that I will need to push my ISO up on the higher end depending on how much window light is available. No window light, no problem. (Tip: I have used video lights, light from an iPhone, off camera speedlight, and now that I have a Profoto A1, the modeling light might be an option if needed.)
2. Stack them up…I will usually have the engagement ring placed on top of the bands. (Tip: Look for engravings inside the rings)
3. Stand them up…I keep a small piece of sticky putty on the lens cap of my 105mm just in case I need some assistance in keeping the rings standing in place. To stand them up, I will center the engagement ring and the bride’s band inside of the groom’s band. Because my hands can get shaky, the sticky putty can come in handy if I need some assistance with the engagement ring standing. I simply take a small piece of putty and place it as unnoticeable as possible, underneath the engagement ring. (Tip: a little putty goes a long way. Extra tip: pack hand wipes or makeup wipes in your camera bag.)

That’s it, those are my three easy ways to photograph wedding rings.

Lay them down, stack them up, stand them up.

With each setup, you can shoot the rings from different angles, add in other details, and be as creative as you’d like and have time for. Having these three go to setups allows me to have space to ensure that I have consistent photos of the ring, and it frees my mind to creative opportunities.

I hope these tips are helpful!

Click here if you, want to know what’s in my camera bag.