The Jewels Sale

Photographing through glass is always a test of patience. Here, I wanted to capture not just the jewellery but the human presence behind it—the quiet choreography of selling and browsing. The glass served as both barrier and canvas, introducing subtle reflections that blend the sparkle of the display with the blurred outlines of the people behind it.

Compositionally, the image leans on the central placement of the black necklace bust. Its matte surface contrasts with the glint of gold and the shimmer of stones around it, giving the frame a clear focal point. The surrounding watches and earrings fill the edges without overwhelming the centre, leading the viewer’s gaze in a slow circuit around the frame.

The shallow depth of field isolates the foreground objects nicely while allowing the figures behind the counter to dissolve into soft, indistinct shapes. This separation keeps the jewellery sharp and tangible, while the sellers become part of the atmosphere—present but not intrusive.

Technically, exposure was a balancing act between the bright highlights on metal surfaces and the darker tones of the bust. Shooting slightly under what the meter suggested helped preserve detail in the jewellery’s reflective surfaces. The warm shop lighting could have tipped the colours towards yellow, but I decided to keep a touch of that warmth—it’s part of the environment’s authenticity.

This is less a product shot than a small theatre scene, with the jewellery as the main actors and the humans as the almost invisible stagehands. The result feels natural, unforced, and quietly observational.