How to take better photos of your watch
So you got a new watch, and you're blown away by how cool it looks – you just can't wait to snap a killer wrist shot and put some real heat in your timeline.
You pull out your camera and start snapping, but none of your shots manage to capture just how good the watch looks in person. Sure, the watch is there, but its appeal is clouded by myriad issues like mirror highlights on the lugs, dark shadows, reflections of weird colors, and even the outline of your hand, camera, face, and forehead in the reflective crystal of the watch. You pick the best shot, slap a filter on it, and hope for some likes – but isn't there a better way?
Actually, yes, and it doesn't involve a new camera or even much in the way of gear. With a bit of technique, any modern smartphone or casual camera can manage a tidy watch shot for Instagram. For this guide, I'll be using a modern iPhone, some simple craft supplies, a few bucks worth of floor tile, and maybe a white shirt.
Photography is about little more than light and a moment in time. The more specific you can be about these two elements, the better your final results. The goal here is both basic and entirely accessible: to create an image of your watch that is in focus and neither too bright nor too dark, that offers a clear look of the dial (or whatever element you want as your focal point), and that requires minimal editing before it's ready for your Instagram feed. From a punchy lay-flat to a crispy wrist shot, the technique stays largely the same.
Focus. Like any modern camera, the iPhone has a very capable autofocus system. But if you're having trouble with your device focusing on the wrong part of the image, simply press and hold on to your desired area of focus (such as the dial of the watch), which will lock both automatic exposure and automatic focus.
Brightness. This introduces the idea of exposure and you'll want to focus on a balanced exposure, in which no aspect of the image is so bright or so dark that details are compromised.
Reflections. Many watches are quite reflective (especially the crystal). To manage this, you'll need to consider ways of blocking that pesky reflective light. Your best course of action here is a piece of black foam-core board with a hole in it that the camera can shoot through (shown below). The board will block the reflections from the outline of your phone/camera — and even the reflection of your hand or face behind the camera (or the ceiling above you).
Editing. While experts can go down a rabbit hole of intricate iPhone editing suites, beginners should start with those built into their camera app or within Instagram. Avoid filters at all costs – they often look really cheesy and prevent you from learning anything – and experiment by making small tweaks to Brightness, Contrast, Structure, Warmth, Shadows, and Sharpen.
Before you start shooting, create a version of the photo in your mind. This is a crucial part of watch photography, even just for a wrist shot. Consider your background, your sleeve, etc. The photo may be of your watch, but that's likely not the only thing that’ll wind up in the frame. Also, wipe off your watch. Dust and fingerprints can be edited away, but it's way easier to just wipe off the watch before shooting. Nothing spoils an otherwise lovely photo of a watch more than a giant thumbprint on the lug or crystal.
Finally, decide where to place the hands of the watch. You can get everything else just right and still end up with a weird image if you have stacked hands, hands that cover the brand or date, or hands that intersect another avoidable dial element. While it's easier on a time-only watch than on a chronograph, don't let the hands interfere with other important elements on the dial. If you're just starting out, go with the industry standard of 10:08 (unless you're shooting a Doxa Sub). The hands should complement everything else on the dial.
Setup...
To work through the following steps you will need:
(a) A watch.
(b) Somewhere to put the watch near a light source (like a window).
(c) Something reflective to help manage shadows/dark areas (white foam core board works well) and something to block unwanted reflections (black foam core board works well, not shown in the diagram)
These elements will come together in the setup illustrated below. While you can absolutely change the placement of your light source to suit your environment, all that really matters is that you have an opposing reflector on hand to mitigate shadows.
Step 1: See both sides of the light
Look closely at your watch, and you'll probably notice a light side (the side closest to your light source) and a dark side (the side away from your light source). If the light side is too bright (so much so that elements of the watch lose detail or simply appear pure white, diffuse the light by using a curtain, white shirt, or any other semi-translucent material.
Step 2: Light up the darkness
Take your white foam core board reflector (I keep one taped to a metal bookend so that it stands on its own), and position it so that it lightens the dark-side shadows. You can use more than one reflector if you need it.
Step 3: See what the camera sees
Once your watch looks balanced, grab your phone and see how it looks on-screen. Tap to focus on the dial and then try to assess if the camera is balancing the brightness appropriately. Assuming you followed steps 1 and 2 and have balanced light, all you should need to do is manually adjust the exposure to brighten or darken the image. On an iPhone, you can slide your finger up or down on the sun icon that shows up next to the focus box. Too bright? Drag down. Too dark? Drag up.
Step 4: Eliminate reflections
Turn your attention to the focal point of your image — in this case, probably the dial. Do you see any reflections? Can you spot the edge of your phone or even the reflection of your hand or face glowing on the crystal?
If so, grab your black foam core board, and use it to block out the area around the camera lens, the edge of the camera, and your hand. You can see the shape of my block in the images. Like the other steps, this element will take some practice, as the block has to be combined with the right amount of space between the camera and the watch. Get it right and you’ll have a lovely unobstructed view of the dial.
For ideal results, block the entire area around the camera. For some watches, this may even require wearing a black glove and not hovering directly over your iPhone as you take the image.
Step 5: Shoot your shot
With the photo looking nicely balanced in terms of exposure, double-check that the dial (or caseback, or whatever element you've planned as the focus of your image) is neither too dark nor too light. Confirm that your block is positioned correctly to eliminate any unwanted reflections on the dial. With the final adjustments in place, snap a few frames and then use the zoom feature to check that the dial is indeed sharply in focus. If it's not, tap again to confirm the focus point and, if the entire image is blurry, steady your hand as much as you can and shoot again.
Side note for this final step: Consider how hard your finger or thumb is actually hitting your phone's screen (or your camera's shutter button). I know this sounds obvious, but I see people mash buttons and pound on touchscreens all the time. This is a finesse endeavor and it doesn't matter what phone or camera you're shooting with if you're moving the body of your device when the shutter is open. Touchscreens are incredibly sensitive, so press lightly (graze, even) and your images will be sharper.