How to do perfect product photography with your smartphone (2024)

You can actually do e-commerce worthy product photography with smartphone – sounds crazy, right? These days, e-commerce product photography with your smartphone is made possible by major leaps in technology from the leaders in the tech industry. Of course, some devices are better than others, which leads to different results, and that’s why we are here to talk to you.

Learning how to take product photos with your smartphone is an excellent teacher. Not only will you gain valuable information on how to set up a shot, but you’ll also gain quality insight into how lighting and angles work. This learning curve is important for developing your skills and abilities and will help you master the basics right off the bat. In this article, you’ll find helpful tips and tricks that we’ve gleaned from our years of experience in photography.

When you take your e-commerce images with a smartphone, you need to pay attention to every little detail. That’s why you must know how to light your shots.

There are many lighting options for product Photography on the market, but the best one is actually nonexistent. That’s right, the light we encourage you to use is natural light. The beauty of natural lighting is its unpredictability, which means you can easily get versatile shots. A useful tip would be to wait until the golden hour, when natural light is at its best.

However, if that lighting is not available, you can play with things you have around the house. Artificial lights for product photography, such as lamps, are a good place to start. You can also try using a flashlight, but that requires a little more skill, as it can easily create harsh shadows.

The background for product photography depends entirely on what style you want to implement in your images. You have plenty of options to choose from, depending on where you plan to use the photographs. For e-shop catalogs, you want to use a plain white background where the customer can focus on the product’s features and make a purchasing decision. To create this type of background, you need little to no extra equipment. You can use a white sheet of paper, a white wall in your house, and you can even add a white backdrop inside a post-production software.

Another cheap yet effective way to showcase your product’s features is by using natural settings. We spoke in the previous section about the importance of lighting in product photography, and a natural background can take your presentation even further. You can easily add props you can find in the surrounding areas, making it a powerful option for e-commerce product photography.

You might be wondering, “How can I set up my smartphone camera for e-commerce product photography?” – we’ve got you covered!

• Prepare is the key: we all use our smartphones every day, and occasionally, we forget to keep them in good condition. That’s why you need to clean your smartphone’s camera thoroughly before you take a picture of your product.
• Focus on grid lines: Nowadays, smartphones have many sophisticated features, of which grid lines are one of the most powerful. With this tool, you can perfectly align your product to create an even and flawless image.
• Use your exposure properly: Exposure is the be-all and end-all of good e-commerce product photography. Therefore, you need to control the amount of light that goes into your final image by simply adjusting the exposure tool on your smartphone.

Post-processing your image is crucial. However, since you are taking your pictures for your products with a smartphone, you should implement some image editing tips on your mobile device. There are some quality tools like Adobe Lightroom, Snapseed, and Canva that you can discover.

But how do you actually edit the product photography images? The first thing you should do is crop your image. There are many mediums you can share your photos on, and cropping ensures you have the perfect ratio for each platform.

Quick tip: If you are eager to learn more about how to resize your image to fit each platform, have a look at our in-depth tips here.

After you’ve cropped your image, you’ll need to remove any imperfections. To accomplish this, you can either adjust the light and brightness or remove imperfections using the healing tool that many smartphone editing apps have.

Smartphones are a great option for beginners in e-commerce, as they serve as an important learning tool. However, you should know that smartphones are often buggy, and there are some aspects to consider if you run into a problem when taking your e-commerce photos.

• Exposure issues: if you find that your images are underexposed or overexposed, there is a solution to this concern. Make sure the exposure and brightness tools are set correctly, and use HDR mode if possible.
• Lack of color accuracy: This issue is quite a challenge for smartphone e-commerce photography. To fix it, you should adjust the white balance settings or even apply a suitable filter.
• Grainy images: Grainy images have a negative effect on your photos, often related to poor use of the ISO setting. Try setting ISO levels lower or higher until you see a difference in the result.

Remember that there are several ways to address difficulties and strengthen your smartphone photography skills. You should experiment with different options and techniques to find out which solutions are best for your particular situation.

Finally, smartphone product photography is a great way to take high-quality photos of your e-commerce products without breaking the budget. With the right guidance, anyone can take professional-looking photos with their smartphone.

Always remember that lighting is the key to good product photos. Natural light is always best, but if you are shooting indoors or on a cloudy day, consider indoor lighting. Be sure to clean both your product and camera thoroughly before the shoot.

Experiment with different angles and compositions until you find what works best for each product. A little post-processing can also go a long way in making your photos stand out online. You can choose from a variety of apps for this.

Now that you know how to take high-quality pictures with your smartphone, what are you waiting for? Get started and flatten your competition!