Photography Tips · Brussels

Why Does Jewellery and Reflective Product Photography Cost More Than a Packshot?

By Dmytro Derkach · Brussels-based commercial photographer

Because a mirrored or transparent surface reflects the whole room, including the camera and the person holding it. Controlling that means building what the object reflects, piece by piece, rather than simply lighting it.

A matte object is lit. A reflective one is built

Standard commercial product photography puts light on an object and shapes it with reflectors and diffusers. Watches, jewellery, glassware and polished metal do not work that way, because the surface itself is a mirror. Whatever sits around the object — the studio ceiling, the camera, the photographer — shows up in the shot unless it is deliberately constructed. That is the entire difference from a packshot, and it is a difference in method, not in effort.

Why AI-generated images don’t solve this yet

Generated product imagery is genuinely capable for simple objects on a plain background, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest. Reflection and transparency are where it still fails visibly, because a convincing reflection has to stay consistent with a physical environment that never existed. For a jeweller, that isn’t an argument about authenticity — it is the practical reason a camera and a controlled set are still involved for this specific category.

What actually drives the price per piece

The time is in the build, not the click. A rough industry benchmark is around an hour of lighting setup and two to three hours of finishing per piece, since every facet, edge and highlight is checked individually rather than corrected in a batch pass. That is also why this work is quoted and billed per piece rather than per day — a collection of thirty simple rings and a collection of five detailed pendants are not the same job even if both are “jewellery.”

Combining reflective and standard pieces in one session

Most catalogues mix matte and reflective items — a leather strap next to a polished clasp, a box next to the watch inside it. Matte pieces are billed at standard packshot rates and reflective pieces at the rate above, in the same session. Splitting the two across separate suppliers is the most common way a catalogue ends up with two different whites and two different lighting styles side by side.

Handling, insurance and marketplace requirements

Transport and handling of high-value pieces are agreed in writing before anything moves, and insurance during the session stays with the owner, which is standard practice worth confirming with your broker ahead of the date. Selling on a marketplace adds a separate layer of technical requirements on top of the shoot itself — background value, fill ratio, file dimensions — which is covered separately as marketplace-ready photography, since the two problems (a reflective surface and a platform specification) are not the same one.

What this costs in Brussels

Because pricing is per piece and depends on facet count, size and finishing complexity, reflective product photography in Brussels typically runs several times the rate of a standard packshot — roughly 150€ to 450€ per piece is a reasonable market range to plan around before a brief narrows it down. Market estimate for planning purposes, not a fixed quote; the actual figure depends on the collection and is confirmed after seeing the pieces.