Lighting and Photography Tips for Nail Art Content
For those creating nail art content for social media or online for websites, you know how important it is to be able to accurately represent the colour of the nail polish or product, as well as the glitter or shimmer effects of accessories or polishes. While you can take serviceable nail art photos with your phone and your home or office lighting, the best way to be able to produce consistent and high quality images is with proper photography lighting. Here are our tips for creating good images of your nail art for your followers or clients.
Consistent Lighting
Ensuring your lighting is consistent is the important for a number of reasons. Daylight balanced lights (lights that have a colour temperature accurate to daylight i.e. not too warm and orange, and not too cold and blue) are your best option for representing the colour of the nail polish bottle or swatch as most people would see them day-to-day when wearing. This will help avoid disappointment if customers or followers purchase the polish based on the colour represented in the photo.
Tip!: Colour checkers can also be handy, especially if you're a business selling the nail polish, as this means when editing, you can make sure to match the colours to real life and ensure your product is represented as accurately as possible in photos.
Having consistent lighting that overpowers any ambient lighting from your home ceiling lights or from nearby windows also means that each picture, even if taken on different days, will each match and look consistent on an Instagram grid or in a store collection page for example. If you light your photos by daylight from windows, this will change day to day, meaning you won't always get the same result.
Flattering Skin with Soft Lighting
Diffusing your lighting will help to reduce reflections on shiny polish, and will also help smooth out the complexion or appearance of the skin on your hands. By diffusing the light it makes it softer and reduces shadows, which is what makes the appearance looks smoother.
Editing
Having consistent lighting also means that you may have to edit your photos less to get the desired effect, and may save you time in the long run! When you don't have to colour correct every photo differently based on different lighting in each picture, you may find the editing much easier and faster.
It's also recommended to not use filters on images of your nails, as this can affect how the colour looks in the picture.
Holographic Glitter
Holo glitter polishes may be your only exception to this, however. Holographic toppers are able to reflect rainbows as each individual piece of glitter will reflect directional light differently. This is why it looks vivid in the sunlight, as the sun can produce harsh directional lighting.
If you use artificial lighting, you can often get a similar effect if you use harsh directional light if you're unable to use sunlight, however any diffusion with softboxes or light covers will reduce the rainbow effect in the glitter, as the light would be too soft and would bounce around the nail and glitter, therefore reducing the directional reflection and making the glitter look flat and less rainbow-y.
Pick a Background
If you're taking photos for a store or want a consistent-looking social media grid, then selecting a consistent background to use is a great way to ensure your images match up.
Props, such as holding the polish bottle you're showing off, or holding something small that matches the colour of the polish, can also complement the image.
Recommendations for Nail Art Lighting
LED Lighting is your best option for creating nail art photos, thanks to it's affordability, ease of use, and in many cases, portability. LED lights also often give you the option to change the colour temperature of the light (choose a bi-colour model for this feature) to help match any ambient lighting or compensate for it.
However, the key feature is that LED is continuous, so allows you to see an accurate representation of the image before you take it. Flash, on the other hand, while very useful in many situations, isn't as handy for close-up, convenient content creation imaging.
MA5R Smartphone LED Light
This handy smartphone accessory has two LED lights, with one larger diffused side and one smaller front-camera light. With a built-in magnet compatible with Apple iPhones (with MagSafe), these LEDs attach easily to the back of your phone for super convenient and portable on-the-go pics. Great if you find inspiration out and about!
The MA5R also has the handy addition of a built-in powerbank, meaning that not only does it light your pictures, but also can charge your phone when low on battery. This little panel is the content creator's new best friend.
The diffused panel is great for creating the soft, flattering lighting which can make your nails and hands look smooth and flawless, for high-quality, sleek resulting images.
Ringlights
Ringlights, especially if you also do talking-to-camera content creation are a great way to light your nails. With built-in diffusion covers, ringlights are great for creating that smooth, soft lighting look to flatter your skin and nails, and won't leave harsh shadows.
One thing to consider with Ringlights, however, is the reflection they might leave. When angled a particular way, ringlights will leave their signature circle reflection in any shiny nail polishes which can look a little strange or out of place.
Otherwise, Ringlights are a great way to light nails if you just need a punch of light to compensate for overhead or ambient lighting, and can help keep your images consistent. This Ringlight Flatlay Kit is a great place to start if taking flatlay images and using a simple paper background thanks to it's table-clip attachment and adjustable gooseneck stand design.
Strip Lights
Strip Lights are another LED option for creating nail art content, and can be handy especially if they're a dual strip light setup. The TIRA strip light specifically has flexible, bendable arms which allow you to manipulate the strip lights separately.
Strip lights have the benefit of producing linear, relatively directional light and producing a flattering spread of light to help illuminate your nails. The strip shape of the reflection is also better suited on nail shapes as it creates a line of reflection rather than a circle like a ringlight would.
This handy striplight kit also has a smartphone bracket built in for easy steady photos and recording. Pair with a floor light stand or a table-top stand depending on your needs.
