Photographer - Jack Pickerill
Jack Pickerill is a Manchester-based luxury watch photographer specialising in high-end photography for watches, jewellery, dealers, retailers and premium brands.
Having photographed some of the rarest and most desirable watches in the world, Jack understands the level of care required when working with exceptional timepieces. From highly valuable vintage watches to modern limited-production and sought-after models, his approach combines precise lighting, technical product photography and detailed retouching to present each watch at its best.
Working from a professional studio in Manchester, Jack creates detailed watch photography for e-commerce, dealers, advertising, social media, launches and luxury campaigns.
Photographer - Jack Pickerill
Luxury watch photography requires a different approach to photographing an ordinary product.
Jack has photographed some of the rarest and most desirable watches in the world, where every detail matters and the value of the physical product can make the photography particularly demanding.
Rare vintage pieces, limited-production watches and highly sought-after modern references can feature unusual materials, intricate dials, polished surfaces and complex finishing. The photography needs to communicate those details accurately while creating an image that reflects the desirability of the watch itself.
This experience has given Jack a particular understanding of photographing valuable and collectible timepieces, where lighting, handling, composition and retouching all need to be approached with care.
Photographer - Jack Pickerill
Luxury watches are among the more technically demanding products to photograph.
Polished stainless steel, brushed metal, sapphire crystal, precious metals and highly reflective surfaces can all behave very differently under studio lighting. Rather than simply illuminating the watch, the lighting has to be carefully constructed so that the reflections across the case, bracelet and crystal describe the shape and finish of the watch.
Jack's background photographing technically difficult chrome and high-gloss products for Russell Hobbs developed this approach over several years of full-time studio photography. Working with reflective products every day meant developing a detailed understanding of how to control reflections, shape highlights and maintain accurate representation of materials.
That experience translates particularly well to luxury watch photography, where the quality of the lighting can have a significant effect on how premium a watch appears in the finished image.
Photographer - Jack Pickerill
Clean, consistent photography for watch websites, online retailers and dealers.
E-commerce images need to show the watch accurately while maintaining consistency across an entire collection. Jack can produce carefully controlled product images showing the dial, case, bracelet, crown and other important details without distracting reflections or unnecessary styling.
More creative photography for brands launching a watch, promoting a collection or developing a new visual identity.
Campaign photography gives greater scope for lighting, composition, materials and atmosphere. Rather than simply documenting the watch, the aim is to create imagery that communicates the character and positioning of the brand.
Luxury watches contain an enormous amount of detail.
Macro photography and focus stacking can be used to capture areas such as dials, complications, hands, indices, bezels and mechanical details with exceptional sharpness.
Photographer - Jack Pickerill
The watch itself is only part of the luxury product experience.
Boxes, cushions, certificates and other presentation materials can be photographed alongside the watch to create a complete set of imagery for online stores, campaigns and marketing materials.
Lighting is one of the most important parts of luxury watch photography.
A watch made from polished steel or precious metal can reflect almost everything around it. The photographer therefore isn't simply lighting the watch; they are effectively designing the reflections that the watch will reproduce.
Large white reflectors can be positioned around the watch to create controlled highlights across polished metal, while carefully placed black areas can help define edges and shape. The position and size of each light source can dramatically change how the case, bracelet and crystal appear.
This is particularly important when photographing watches with highly polished cases or bracelets, where uncontrolled reflections can make an otherwise premium product look flat, dark or untidy.
There are a number of small details that make a significant difference to professional watch photography.
Watch hands are traditionally positioned around 10:10, allowing the brand logo to remain clearly visible between the hands. For macro photography, focus stacking allows fine details across the watch to remain sharp, while reflective surfaces require carefully positioned flags and reflectors.
Dust, fingerprints and small imperfections can then be removed during the retouching process without losing the character and material qualities of the watch.
These details may not be immediately noticeable in the finished photograph, but together they make the difference between an image that simply records a watch and one that presents it as a luxury product.
Photographer - Jack Pickerill
Jack Pickerill is based in Manchester and works with clients throughout the UK.
He studied photography at Nottingham Trent University, graduating in 2019 with a Distinction. He subsequently spent five years working full-time as a photographer for Russell Hobbs, developing extensive experience photographing chrome, high-gloss and technically challenging products.
He later became lead photographer at Manchester-based creative agency Capture Creative, before establishing his own freelance photography business and heading up Teal Studios.
Today, Jack specialises in commercial product photography alongside his work photographing luxury watches and jewellery.
Jack's watch photography is produced using physical studio lighting, professional cameras and detailed post-production.
The aim is to accurately represent the physical watch while giving the finished image the polished, considered appearance expected from luxury products.
If you're looking for a luxury watch photographer in Manchester or elsewhere in the UK, I'd be happy to discuss your requirements and how the photography could work for your collection or brand.
Whether you need clean e-commerce photography, detailed macro images, photography of particularly rare or valuable timepieces, imagery for a new launch or more creative campaign work, get in touch to discuss the project, requirements and availability.
For enquiries, you can contact me directly via the details below
Email | jackpickerill@live.co.uk | Tel | 07817 597117.
Photographer - Jack Pickerill