Oh the difference a picture can make!

This has been one of the biggest obstacle I have been facing, lack of computer knowledge taking the #1 spot! But it's true that the pictures are what sell the item when selling online.
My first attempts were disastrous! The light kept bouncing off the stones causing a glare so you could not tell what it looked like. I then bought a light box and it improved the lighting greatly, but my pictures were fuzzy (from user error) and my backgrounds too dark.

I was able to improve the fuzziness just by exploring the different settings on my camera, but the background has been a bit of a challenge. I love the look of old worn wood and I have this old table I got from an antique store and wanted to use it for displaying my jewelry. There has been great debate over this, to use a plain(white) background to keep focus solely in the item or create a "scene" having the picture deliver more than just an item. I like creating a picture to have the viewer "connect" on some level. I finally admitted to the fact that the wood was too dark and might not be the best for displaying my jewelry. My Dad got to have his "I told you so" moment because he had been trying to tell me that all along. A few did turn out good so I am sticking with them. Of course I was being stubborn feeling hesitant to let go of creative control. But when I got to Etsy I realized just how important photography is and my creative juices began to flow. I don't have to give up creative control, maybe I can't use the wood but I can create the same feeling/mood. Using a neutral background will still highlight the piece of jewelry and still offer something extra to the picture. These are my end results. What do you think? That is what art is all about after all, constantly evolving, trial and error, trying new things.