How to Take Great Product Photos at Home using a Smartphone

DIY Product Photography

We’ve created a short video which goes through the steps of creating product photos at home using a mobile phone and natural light. DIY product photography at home. There’s no denying that product photos are an essential part of any online business. Professional product photography can be expensive, in this current economic climate, we’re all looking at ways to save money. With a little bit of know-how, you can take great product photos at home using nothing but your smartphone!

In this blog post, we’ll show you how to take professional-quality product photos, as well as how to edit them. With these tips in hand, you’ll be able to take great images that’ll help your online business get started!

An Overview of Taking Professional Photos at Home with Your Smartphone

Creating great product photos doesn’t have to be a difficult or expensive task. In fact, it can be done with just a smartphone and a bit of photography knowledge. To get started, set up a table, preferably next to a window. Set up your white backdrop and your foamboard/bounce board, (this fills in the shadows). Set up your smartphone on the tripod. Take pictures of your product and features at different angles to get the perfect photos. (See our video for tips)

Things You’ll Need for the Shoot

Taking product photos can be a fun and rewarding experience, as long as you have the right gear and settings. To get started, you’ll need:

1. Smartphone: Almost any smartphone camera should be sufficient to take product photos. You can use the manual setting if you’re feeling confident. If your camera has a horizon line and/or a grid, turn them on, they’ll help you ensure that the product is straight in the frame.
2. Smartphone Tripod: Smartphone tripods allow you to take photos whilst keeping your phone straight, steady and sharp. It will allow you to take images from different angles and heights, whilst keeping your hands free and avoiding awkward positions. The main benefit of a tripod is avoiding camera shake.
3. White Backdrop: To take great product photos, it is essential to use a white backdrop. This helps your product stand out and makes sure that all the details are visible. You can use a white roll of paper or a white cotton sheet. Please make sure the backdrops are wrinkle-free, it makes for easier editing.
4. Foam Board or Bounce Boards: Foam boards or bounce boards to shoot photos can really give your shots a professional edge.
5. Baking Paper over Windows: If there is too much light coming through your windows, cover them with baking paper. This will help avoid any harsh shadows in your photo and make it look more natural.

Tip: Use a Room with Natural Light

DIY Product photography is an important part of content marketing, and good lighting is key to great photos. If you can’t find a room with natural light, try using a reflector or white card to bounce light onto your product. Ceiling lights can cause banding on your images, especially LED ones. The tints can be fixed in post-production.

Taking the Pictures

Try and make sure that the lighting is even on the product, with as little contrast as possible. Zoom into the product so that all you can see is the product and white background. Leave some space around the edges of the image for the post-production element of the shoot.

1. Put Your Smartphone on a Tripod at Eye-Level: A tripod will help keep your phone steady and avoid blurry photos while placing it at eye level gives you the best results. For the sharpest photos set your phone on a timer and let it take the photo especially if lower lighting conditions are unavoidable.
2. Set up Your Foam Board: Setting up a foam board can be a great way to get creative and capture your product in the best light. You will need a white foam board, which you can purchase from any craft store. Cut the foam board to the size you want and prop it up using any household item e.g. an empty mug. Foam board will help reflect light in a photo effectively, making it look natural and adding depth to your images.
3. Turn the Product and Take Pictures at Different Angles: Take pictures of the whole product from different angles so that you can capture all of its sides. Take the camera off the tripod and takes images pictures of any features that you may want to highlight. Even if you don’t want to highlight them, take them anyway. You’ll avoid having to set up again unnecessarily.

How to Edit Product Photos on a White Background on a Smartphone

1. Use Photoroom to Remove the Background: If you’re looking to remove the background from product photos on your smartphone, Photoroom is a great app to use. It’s quick and easy to use, and provides great results in just a few seconds. Once you’ve removed the background, you can save the image ready for the next step.
2. Use Adobe Lightroom to Enhance the Final Image: Once the background has been removed you can import the images into Lightroom, to make the final adjustments. The tools you’ll probably use are under the ‘Light’ menu, they are: Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, shadows, whites and blacks.

Showcasing Your Products with Style

In addition to getting the technical elements right, you can also add style and visual interest to your product photos:

• Think Outside the Box: Try incorporating unexpected props or backgrounds to create visual interest in your product photos. For example, use a vintage book or a colorful scarf to add texture and depth.
• Play with Lighting: Experiment with different lighting setups to create unique and dynamic product images. For example, place a small lamp at an angle to highlight specific parts of your products.
• Add Context: Show your products in use or in a real-life setting to demonstrate their features and benefits. For example, take photos of a kitchen gadget being used in an actual kitchen.
• Consider Composition: Use compositional guidelines like the rule of thirds to create a visually balanced photo that draws attention to your product.

By getting creative, you can showcase your products in an appealing, stylish manner that makes them stand out online.

Conclusion

By following the tips and tricks in this integrated blog post, you’ll be able to take amazing product photos at home using only your smartphone! With some simple gear, natural light, and a bit of photography knowledge, you can capture professional-quality shots without expensive equipment. Get creative with angles, lighting, and composition to make your products shine.

If you have any questions, please do get in touch. We hope this has been a helpful guide to taking your own product photos!

Let us help you step into the future of image creation.