Photo Techniques to Reflect a Unique Sense of Style

If you are wondering what hip hop jewelry is, you are not alone. Many people have seen items that fall into this category, but didn’t know what they were called.The hip hop generation was born in the 1980’s, and a cultural sense of style and fashion developed through the years to reflect a unique statement. Hip hop dress is a culmination of many different zones within the United States. It is viewed as primarily an African-American addition to the fashion world.Hip hop jewelry, like hip hop fashion, is a flamboyant blast of colors and intricate shapes. Photographing of innovative jewelry requires varying techniques based on individual pieces. Black on black pieces are almost always photographed with white backgrounds, but other hues can also be used as long as they are very light.Inexpensive items still have detail that cannot accurately be shown without proper lighting and shadowing. Black pieces must have just the right amount of light to appear realistic. With too much light they won’t be black, and with too little they won’t show any features.There are probably more different types of hip hop jewelry than can be found in other cultural types. A popular variance from the norm is “grillz.” These accessories can be quiet expensive because they are made from silver, gold, and often inlaid with diamonds. Many of the commercial retail models are copies of those worn by rap stars.In the truest sense, grills (the more correct spelling) are made only after the intended owner has been fitted by making a molded impression of the upper teeth. This ensures that the grill will actually be worn and not just become an ensemble that lies in a case or jewelry box.Taking a picture of a grill is really the choice of the photographer. If desired, a model might be incorporated to wear the grill, giving a presentation of how a person would look while wearing it. Still, other artists might prefer to show the whole grill detached from the human, and many times this shot is taken with a black background.Another base material for grills is platinum, and it is becoming very popular. It is much more expensive than gold or silver and requires exact lighting and exposure to be decently represented in a photograph.Of the many kinds of hip hop jewelry, experimentation with light and the presentation format is the key to having shots that provide impressive and commercially acceptable photographs.With other kinds of jewelry, the rules are fast and hard about light sources and object detail, but with hip hop that is not always the case.If a piece has diamonds or other precious stones, a photograph needs to have sparkle, the same as with any other jewelry. The difference in how a picture is made comes when other materials are combined with the jewelry to add a clash of color and material. Taking pictures of hip hop jewelry is a challenge to the creativity and technical detail of the photographer.