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For phone photography, a smartphone with a 12MP or higher camera, mini tripod or phone stand, a plain backdrop, soft lighting source, reflectors, and editing apps are the basic things you need.

A simple fact:

If you’re a small business owner or an entrepreneur on a budget, your smartphone can be an incredibly powerful tool for product photography. 

I’ve more tips on choosing the right phone, other necessary equipment, studio setup, photo editing, steps for the best product pictures, and best practices to take product shots using just your smartphone. Keep reading then.

What Is Needed For Phone Product Photography?

• Smartphone with a 12MP or higher camera (e.g., iPhone, Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy).
• Mini Tripod or Phone Stand to stabilize your phone and avoid blurriness.
• Backdrop Materials: Plain white poster board, black backdrop, or textured fabrics.
• Soft Light Source: Natural light or an LED ring light with a soft filter.
• Reflectors: White cardboard or portable reflector to bounce light.
• Manual Camera Controls for adjusting ISO, shutter speed, and focus.

• Editing Apps: Snapseed, Lightroom Mobile, or Adobe Express for post-processing.

Optional Accessories: Remote Shutter to avoid camera shake, Lens attachments, backdrop stands, or portable LED lights.

Avoid 3 Common Mistakes in Phone Product Photography

“Low quality product photos instantly create this feeling that the product itself is poor quality or that the overall experience with your shop may be poor”- Cristine Nicole [Product Photography Coach]

A few common pitfalls can undermine your photos—avoid common mistakes by knowing about them beforehand:

Lighting Errors: Direct light can wash out your product. Instead, use soft, even light for a clearer look.

Distracting Backgrounds: Avoid busy backgrounds. Stick to simple, neutral backdrops that don’t distract from your product.

Over-Editing: Resist the urge to add too many filters or effects, which can make the product look unnatural. Instead, aim for a natural, professional finish.

Quick Tips for Specific Product Types

Different products benefit from unique approaches. A few quick tips for popular categories:

Jewelry: Place jewelry on a white or light-colored background and use a macro lens (if available) for detailed shots.

Clothing: Hang clothing items or use mannequins to show fit. Soft lighting will keep fabrics from looking harsh.

Food: For food items, natural light works best. Use a top-down angle or a slight tilt to capture all ingredients and textures.

Here are the main steps for perfect phone product photography

Step 1: Pick a Good Smartphone for Perfect Product Shots

Before diving into product photography with phones, I must tell you which smartphone features can make a difference in product photography.

The smartphone features you must consider:

High Resolution

The resolution of your smartphone’s camera plays a crucial role in the sharpness and detail of your photos.

I recommend you aim for a smartphone with a 12-megapixel camera or higher (e.g., iPhone, Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy), which will ensure your product images are crisp and detailed.

A higher resolution gives you more flexibility, allowing you to crop the image later without losing quality, which can be especially useful if you’re trying to focus on specific features of your product.

Optical Zoom

Many smartphones come with either digital or optical zoom, and it’s important to understand the difference.

Optical zoom actually magnifies the lens and maintains image quality, while digital zoom simply enlarges the image, which can lead to a pixelated or blurry result.

If you’re planning to capture close-up shots of your products—like intricate jewelry or textured fabrics—optical zoom will ensure that your photos remain sharp and clear, even when you’re zooming in for detailed shots.

Manual Settings

Some smartphones, especially high-end models like the iPhone Pro, Google Pixel, and Samsung Galaxy series, offer manual controls that let you adjust settings like ISO, shutter speed, and focus.

Thinking about how to take product photos with an iPhone? Find tips at the end of the blog.

Anyway, these settings are incredibly useful if you want to take full control of your photos and avoid relying on the automatic camera settings, which may not always capture the product as you intend.

Adjusting the ISO helps with lighting while controlling the shutter speed can eliminate motion blur.

If you’re shooting under different lighting conditions, manual control lets you fine-tune the exposure for better results.

Step 2: Setting Studio for Product Photography Studio With Phone

I have seen many simple photoshoot seasons. And I observed that a simple studio setup at home can make a big impact on your phone product photography.

Here’s what you need to get started for perfect product shots:

Backdrop

Keep your backdrop simple to avoid distractions from your product. A plain white poster board or a clean, neutral-colored wall works great for most products.

If you’re working with smaller items like jewelry or beauty products, you can even use a black backdrop for a sleek, high-contrast look.

You can experiment with different textures like wood or marble for an added touch of sophistication, but keep it minimal to let the product take center stage.

Photo Credit: Pexels

Lighting

Natural light is the best option for low-budge product photography, as it provides soft, even illumination that makes your products pop.

Place your product near a window where it can bathe in indirect sunlight.

The best time to shoot is during the “golden hour”—early morning or late afternoon—when the light is soft and diffused.

If natural light is low, try to position the product under a soft light source, such as a lamp with a white shade.

Reflectors

Keep in mind lighting is everything in product photography, and reflectors can make a huge difference.

If you don’t have fancy lighting equipment, white cardboard or even a mirror can act as a reflector.

Place the reflector opposite the light source to bounce light onto the darker side of your product.

This technique will help soften shadows and brighten areas that may appear too dark, giving your photos a more balanced and professional look.

3 More Equipment

Photo Credit: Pexels

Other than these, a mini tripod will keep your phone steady during shots, reducing the chance of blurriness.

An LED ring light is another great tool, especially if you’re shooting beauty products or small items, as it provides a soft, flattering light that highlights details.

Portable reflectors can also be a great addition, helping you control the lighting from different angles.

Step 3: How To Take Product Photos With Phone

Now that you have learned everything about equipment and setup, I’ll show you a step-by-step guide to taking amazing product pictures with your smartphone.

Positioning and Framing

Angle Selection: Every product has its own “hero” angle—the perspective that makes it look its best.

For example, if you’re shooting a watch, a 45-degree angle gives depth and shows the face and band clearly.

If you’re photographing a perfume bottle, a close-up shot can highlight the unique design or logo.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different angles to find the one that shows your product in the best light.

Frame Your Product: Use the rule of thirds to compose your shot. Imagine dividing your frame into a 3×3 grid and place your product along the grid lines.

This simple technique helps create balanced, visually appealing images that draw the viewer’s attention to the product.

Lighting Techniques

Soft Lighting: The key to making your product photos look professional is soft, diffused light.

Hard, direct sunlight can create harsh shadows and overexposed highlights, which can ruin the details of your product.

Instead, place your product near a window with a sheer curtain or a white sheet to diffuse the light.

If you’re shooting indoors at night, use a light with a softbox or a light with a soft filter to mimic natural light.

Consistency: When shooting multiple products, especially for an online store or catalog, consistency is key.

Ensure that your lighting remains constant throughout the shoot.

This helps maintain a cohesive look across all your product images, making your brand appear more professional.

Composition Basics for Eye-Catching Photos

Negative Space: Don’t overcrowd your photos. Leave some space around your product to give the image room to breathe.

This not only keeps the focus on the product but also creates a clean, modern look. Negative space helps highlight the product and gives it a sense of importance in the frame.

Stabilization Tips for Clearer Shots

Use a Tripod or Stable Surface: A tripod is one of the most important tools for capturing clear, shake-free photos.

If you don’t have one, find a flat, stable surface to set your phone on. This ensures your shots are sharp and eliminates the risk of blur caused by shaky hands.

Steady Hands: If you must hold your phone, tuck your elbows close to your body for extra stability.

You can also use your phone’s timer or remote shutter feature to avoid any motion from tapping the screen. This is a great way to ensure your product images are perfectly crisp.

Step 4: Editing Product Photos on Your Smartphone

After you’ve captured your photos, it’s time to polish them with editing. As a professional photo retoucher, I know that a little post-production can upgrade your product shots and make them look professionally finished.

For your information, you can consider an image retouching company partner for this task. We retouch images at lower prices and help small businesses like yours to grow.

Regardless, this is how you edit product photos on your own:

Editing Apps

VSCO, Snapseed, and Lightroom Mobile are fantastic free apps that offer detailed editing tools.

Both apps are available on both Android and iOS, and they allow you to fine-tune every aspect of your photos—from brightness and contrast to color balance and saturation.

With a bit of practice, you can get your photos looking just like they came from a studio.

How to edit with these apps? The process will vary among editing apps. In the next two sections, I gave professional tips for editing your product pictures.

Basic Editing

Exposure and Contrast: Adjust the exposure to brighten your image without overexposing it.

Contrast will help bring out the details and textures in your product. A subtle increase in contrast can make your product appear sharper and more defined.

Color Correction: Ensure your product’s colors look as true to life as possible. Adjust the warmth or coolness of the image to match the actual colors of your product.

Many editing apps offer automatic tools to correct the color balance, but you can also fine-tune the saturation and vibrancy for a more natural look.

Adding a Professional Touch: Must Not Skip

Background Removal: If you want a clean, professional look, consider removing the background.

Apps like Canva and Adobe Express make it easy to isolate your product by erasing the background and replacing it with a plain white or transparent backdrop.

This creates a polished, studio-quality finish that focuses all attention on the product.

Watermarking: For brand protection, consider adding a subtle logo or watermark to your images.

This ensures that your photos remain identifiable as your brand’s work, especially if they’re shared on social media or e-commerce platforms.

Just make sure it doesn’t overpower the product itself.

Relevant FAQs