Mobile phone photography has almost become an art form in itself and we are using it more and more to replace what only a couple of years ago we would of had one or two camera’s for.
There is an old photographer’s saying: “What is the best camera for …”, you can fill in the blanks with want ever type of photography you like – portrait, landscape, street, it doesn’t matter because the answer will always be the same. The camera that is closest.
Today the closest the camera for all us is our phone, and you can use it to take product images for your eCommerce store. Here are some photography tips to help you get great product images with just using the camera in your phone or tablet.
Steady the camera
Keeping the camera still is such a simple thing to do it, but the improvements to your product photography and speed to the shoot will greatly improve. There are so many affordable gadgets out there to assist in keeping your phone steady, be it a tripod, car phone holder or desk holder. As the cost for devices are under $100 I would be saying you should also be using one. Also, using a tripod for a shoot will always mean that your products will look consistently the same on your eCommerce store.
Hint: Go for a sturdy build over price.
Simplify the background
Simplifying the photograph background does two things, A: there is less mucking about with taking the photos, saving you time and money; and B: Your product is the hero of the image as there are no distractions for the viewer in the final image. For a really clean background, shoot the product on a large piece of white paper that curve uploads towards the back or use a shoot tent. Then have the product clipped/deep etched by a retouching service to digitally cut the background out of the image completely. Check out online clipping service.
Hint: Keep you background nice and clean, as it will require less retouching.
Light the product well
Phone cameras shoot a much better photograph when the subject is well lit. This will mean that the camera can shoot at a lower ISO which will give you a much higher quality image with less noise.
Ways to add more light to your photographs is shoot near a large window or use a product photography lighting kit. Lighting kits can range in price from $50 up to $2000, depending on your product size and the quality of the equipment. Kits that offer continuous lighting are better suited to phone camera photography.
Hint: Go for a price range between $199 – $799.
Don’t use digital zoom
For professional photographers, digital zooming is a big NO NO! All that you are doing is using less area of the camera sensor and then enlarging the image via software. This instantly decreases the quality of image and it is not recoverable. So don’t do it!
Do you have tips or advice on how to take better product images with your mobile phone camera?
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