Ever tried to photograph a diamond?

It doesn't want to be photographed, it wants to blind you

A designer jewelry brand hired me for a whole collection, on-model product photos first, then a one minute marketing video, and the job ran for months

Model selection, a celebrity stylist to coordinate with, the shoots, then round after round of edits until the text and the timing on every info screen was exactly right

I produced it, directed it and shot both the stills and the video

Jewelry needs a body

Here is the deal, a ring on a white table is a product, a ring on a hand is a decision

So everything was shot on models, stacked rings, a bracelet on the wrist, statement earrings framed by a chignon, a round pavé pendant saved for the very end

Hands are the hardest model in the business, every nail, every knuckle, every line shows at that distance

Manicure, moisturizer, the right pose of the fingers so the ring sits straight and the hand still looks relaxed, not like a claw holding a coffee cup

The mansion does the talking

The close-ups sell the stones, the rooms sell the price

We worked in a grand mansion, chandeliers, gilded furniture, a velvet sofa, a model in a ball gown in the salon, soft golden light everywhere

Why go to that much trouble for a one minute video? because the customer has to feel the evening this jewelry is for, before she ever sees what it costs

Light that sparkles, not burns

Diamonds and gold flip between sparkle and white blowout with a few inches of light movement

So the light gets moved a few inches at a time, then the angle of her hand, then again, until each stone throws its own little spark and the metal still looks like gold

A warm dreamy grade on top, a few flares, and the whole collection reads romantic and expensive

Who is that for? the website, the social ads and the screens in the store, one shoot feeding all three

Producer and photographer, same person

When I'm producing and shooting, a reflection in a stone or a ring turned the wrong way gets fixed through the viewfinder, right then, not three edits later

See the jewelry and product side of my work in the Products Advertising gallery and on-model work in the Fashion Photographer gallery

Small product, big room, lots of patience

Length: 1 min 0 s · Producer & director: David Victory, VRSET video production, Los Angeles & Orange County

Key moments

  • 0:00 Ring and hand close-up
  • 0:07 Bracelet detail
  • 0:12 Statement earrings
  • 0:17 Ball gown in the mansion salon
  • 0:22 Floral hair and ring
  • 0:32 Stacked rings
  • 0:47 Model by the chandelier
  • 0:57 Diamond pendant reveal

See the matching photography in the Products Advertising gallery.

More videos

The full video library

Also on our YouTube channel.

Planning a video or a fashion shoot? Contact David Victory or call (310) 988-6575 in Los Angeles, (949) 873-4551 in Orange County. Free consultation and quote for first-time clients.