How to take photos of your products with your phone

Why your photos either sell or scare people off

When someone asks you on WhatsApp «do you have it in blue?» or «how big is it?», it's almost always because the photo didn't make it clear. Every photo that answers a question is one fewer message you have to reply to, and one customer who isn't checking a competitor while waiting for you.

You don't need a photographer or a studio. You need light, a background that doesn't distract, and the same method every time. The difference between a photo that sells and one that scares people off is rarely the phone: it's where and how the picture was taken.

What you need, and you already have most of it

• A large window with daylight. It's the best light you'll get, and it's free.
• A large sheet of white or neutral-coloured card. Any stationery shop sells it.
• Something to hold the phone steady: a small tripod or a stack of books. Blurry shots are the most common flaw.
• A second sheet of white card or some kitchen foil to bounce light into the shadowed side.
• A cloth to wipe the phone's lens. It sounds trivial, and it's behind a lot of hazy-looking photos.

Step by step

1. Set up the background next to the window

   Put a table beside the window and lean the card against the wall, curving it down onto the table without folding it. The curve hides the line where floor meets wall, and the product seems to float on a clean background.

2. Light from the side, never direct sun

   The window should be to one side of the product, not behind it or behind you. If direct sun comes in, hang a thin curtain or a white sheet: soft light gives fewer harsh shadows. Overcast days are, oddly, the best days for photos.

3. Fill in the shadow

   On the side opposite the window, stand the other sheet of white card facing the product. It bounces light into the dark side and the photo gains detail without any visible trick.

4. Turn off the flash and the ceiling lights

   Flash flattens the product and creates glare. Household bulbs mixed with window light give odd colours, usually yellowish. One light source is better.

5. Main camera, no digital zoom

   Use the phone's standard lens (1x). The wide-angle lens distorts products up close and digital zoom loses quality. If your phone has a telephoto lens (2x or 3x), step back a little and use it: products come out with truer proportions.

6. Focus and set the brightness by tapping the screen

   Tap the product on screen to focus on it. If the shot is too bright or too dark, most phones let you raise or lower the exposure by sliding your finger right after tapping.

Which angles to shoot for each product

• Straight on, at the product's height. This is the main photo, the one shown in the listing.
• Three-quarter view, turned slightly, so the volume shows.
• A close-up detail: the fabric texture, the fastening, the finish, the label. It's what you'd do with your hands in a shop.
• A photo in use or next to something familiar, so the size is clear without reading measurements.
• If it comes in several colours, one photo per colour. Don't make the customer imagine it or ask.

Size, format and editing

For a website, every photo should have the same proportions: square or portrait, but the same across the whole catalogue. Leave some space around the product when framing, because cropping later is easy and adding what wasn't captured is impossible.

Keep editing to the minimum: straighten, crop, and correct the light or colour a little if it comes out yellowish. No filters. If a customer receives a product in a different colour from the one they saw, the return and the bad review cost you far more than a less pretty photo.

How to send them without losing quality

WhatsApp compresses photos when sending them and detail is lost. When sending them to whoever builds your website, send them in HD quality if your version offers it when you pick the photo, or better still as a document: that way they arrive at original quality. If there are many, a shared cloud folder works well too.

Mistakes that keep coming up

• Using the manufacturer's photos or another website's. They don't show your actual product, and they belong to someone: you can't always use them freely.
• Portrait mode on small products. It often cuts the edges badly and leaves blurry areas where there shouldn't be any.
• Busy backgrounds: the TV, the sofa, the charger cable. Everything in the frame competes with the product.
• Some photos taken in the morning and others at night. The colours shift and the catalogue loses consistency.