Believe me when I say that you do not need an expensive digital camera to capture photos like a professional. All you need is a good smartphone, a bit of skill, and these 18 mobile photography tips.
Which are the Best Mobiles for Product Photography?
While most budget smartphones are coming with a decent camera, only a few allow you to truly manipulate your camera setting for the best result. Call it among the most important Mobile photography tips or so, try to get your hands on the smartphones that allow you easily tweak most of your camera settings.
Here are some of the best smartphones for mobile photography:
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
iPhone 13 Pro & pro max
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
Google Pixel 6 Pro
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
These are some of the best smartphones for product photography that you can use, but in case you are not in the acquisition of any of these, no worries. We will be going through some of the best mobile photography tips that you can use anyway with the smartphone you have.
Best Mobile Photography Tips
1. Product placement
How you place your product puts a huge impact on your final results. So, one of the best mobile photography tips for you is to determine how you’ll be placing your product. The alignment of your camera and the placement of the product will decide the complete structure of your final image.
Make sure that the product that you are using is placed in a way that all its details and corners are clearly visible. Place it on a steady and flat surface for a perfectly balanced image. Also, if there’s anything written on your product that needs to be shown in the image must be visible clearly
2. Position your camera
The next mobile photography tip is to take care of your camera position. Smartphones come in all shapes and sizes and the placement of the lens is different too. You can always go ahead and check the angle, distance, and position that works best for your product photography.
you may even want to place your camera up-side-down to check if that angle works for your photography. Using the camera up-side-down is no biggy since this tip can also be used when using a regular digital camera.
3. Clean your product
You must keep your product clean for mobile photography. Most photographers do not understand the necessity of cleaning the product. the continuous handling of the product, and changing its position for multiple angles can leave a lot of smudges and scratches on your product.
Therefore, it’s essential to keep your product clean. The scratches, reflections, and other imperfections that can not be removed physically can be taken care of during post-production.
4. Clear your lens
Getting smudges and fingerprints is common in mobile photography. Keep your lens clean from smudges, scratches, and dust. Use a lens cleaning solution for the best results. Also, clean your lens frequently during a photoshoot to ensure that no external factors affect the quality of your images.
5. Choose your camera type
Every phone is different in terms of a camera. You can spot the difference in the area coverage, processing, and of course, the quality. I’d recommend that you use a good smartphone that comes with a good camera quality along with fulfilling your daily smartphone needs.
You can take reference from the list of smartphones for photography I’ve mentioned above. Mobile phones like iPhone, Samsung Galaxy editing, and Google Pixel are some of my best recommendations if you want to perform mobile photography.
6. Set the highest quality resolution
The best way to start the work is to set the highest quality resolution and largest file size in your smartphone specifications. Spacing won’t really matter here. This could be altered at the time of future edits. Also, keep the distance between you and your subject not too far for clarity.
With the advancement in cameras, you can even choose the file format for your product photography. One of the additional mobile photography tips would be to save your images in RAW format. It would save all information about your image and help you in editing.
Background plays a huge role in product photography. You want your product to look flawless and catch the most attention. Therefore, avoid using any distracting background that steals the focus from your product. Also, make sure that the background you are using is complementing your products.
Using complementary colors or carrying out a monochromatic theme can highly uplift the aesthetic of your product image. though, it completely depends on what your product is and how you or your client want it to be presented. However, it’s always advised to use something that keeps the product the center of attraction.
8. Make the correct lighting setup
Lighting is a crucial element in photography. The visibility, the reflections, the shadows, and every other factor that you need for a good product image depends on your lighting setup. You may choose to use artificial lighting like using a softbox, LED light bulbs, or lamps or you may work with natural lighting from your windows and balcony.
Make sure that your product is well-lit before capturing images – nobody wants dark and dull images. At the same time, you do not want over-exposure to light that creates too much reflection. Thus, your lighting setup must be optimum for your requirements. Using a softbox is best for smaller subjects, whereas using LED bulbs or ring lights is best for larger subjects.
9. Use A Tripod
Investing in a tripod is a must. It allows you to avoid shaky and blurry images and gives you the steadiness that you need to capture clear and detailed images for mobile photography.
If you’re not into buying the tripod so soon for smartphone photography, you may also create your own DIY tripod alternative.
10. Avoid using mobile flash
Flash is not your best choice for mobile photography. It can create an ugly glare and ruin the complete look of your images.
If you’re to use lighting in mobile photography, it’s much better to use other lighting equipment or natural light from windows as discussed above. This gives you more control over where you want to place your lighting setup and how many lights you wish to use.
Do not hesitate to shoot from multiple angles. Your viewers want to explore the product from every side and capturing images from different angles gives you the advantage to fulfill that wish.
Most customers who buy the product want to see product images clicked from all the sides and angles to better understand the product. It also allows you to focus on the details that might get missed when capturing the images from just one angle. Apart from covering the details, exploring multiple angles also adds a creative touch to your photography and adds depth.
12. Get familiar with your mobile camera settings
This mobile photography tip might sound weird. I mean, what does this even mean? But trust me, it means well. have you heard people saying – “only I know how to use my phone camera the best way” or people asking “Why am I unable to take such photos using the same smartphone?”. What I mean here is that no one can understand your phone camera better than you. Explore a few settings, experiment with different modes, use filters, and at the end – just get familiar with your phone.
After a dozen clicks and a few good photos, you’ll know what to do for your mobile photography. And if not, we are still on the way to learning more mobile photography tips.
13. Forget using the front camera
Your rear camera will always come with a higher and better resolution than your front camera. Do not use your front camera for product photography even when it seems that it’s capturing better-looking photos. Stick with the number of pixels and resolution that will always be higher in your back camera for mobile photography.
14. Use a mountable wide-angle lens
Using a wide-angle lens gives you the advantage to be closer to your subject while still ensuring that you’re not sacrificing a lot of the background space. It’s perfect for mobile photography when you’re capturing small products like small bottles of essential oils, jewelry, or mini toys.
You can simply find a mountable wide-angle lens on Amazon that can be attached to your phone camera. It increases the area that can be captured from a closer distance allowing you to capture details and writings on the products easily.
15. Be creative and make use of interesting props
Another great way to alleviate your mobile photography is to use props. Using interesting props in your photos can instantly uplift the look of your product photos. be creative and use unique techniques to add drama to your images.
You may choose to use relevant props for your product that directly reflect its nature or use contrasting props to add an edge. For example, you may make use of ingredients used in a product like orange peel in an orange facewash. Or, for products like gadgets, you may pair them with odd props like a fruit or a snack pack.
The whole idea is to add creativity and attract viewers by doing something out-of-the-box. You may also create levitating effects or ghost mannequin effects using some of the best product photo editing techniques too.
16. Use photo editing software
One of the most important things you’ll have to do for your mobile photography is to edit your product photos. like I said before, it’s impossible to avoid imperfections when working with a subject. You’ll always have the room to fix the imperfections, make tweaks, correct colors, adjust shadows, remove unwanted distractions, create white balance, and much more.
So, it’s always great to use a product photo editing software for mobile phones like Lightroom or Snapseed to make such changes to your images to make them look more professional, clean, and consistent.
17. Outsource post-production
Outsourcing post-production is perfect for you if:
You’re an eCommerce having thousands of product images that need to look professional and converting
A professional photographer who wants to focus on his/her photography projects and more clients instead of fiddling with Photoshop
A freelancer who has multiple projects, commitments, and deliverables that needs to be fulfilled on the given timeline
Outsourcing eCommerce post-production can help you save time and effort to allow you to focus on more creative things while still meeting the post-production deadline. When you outsource with eCommerce photo editing companies like PixelPhant, you get assistance from multiple professionals who are editing thousands of product photos daily and know what works well for your business.
Thus, if you’re performing mobile photography and lack expertise in photo editing or got no time to do it, then it’s best to outsource your post-production activities.
18. Keep practicing
Practicing is the key to perfection. If you’re a beginner reading these mobile photography tips, you might have the advantage of being prepared for what you might have to do. however, you’ll still need the practice to become good at mobile photography. Keep practicing while following these tips and I am pretty sure you’ll improve like never before✌.
BONUS READ
Mobile photography is a great way to capture product photos like a pro but with less investment. To capture product images that captivate your shoppers is a skill that comes in handy with time and consistent practice. With the help of the mobile photography tips mentioned above, you can start to polish your skills in the right way.
You can always look professional, clean, and consistent with PixelPhant’s professional product photo editing service. Try them for free now👇
mobile photographyproduct image editingproduct photo editingProduct Photography
How To Compose Great Photos. Great photos start with great composition: how you frame the shot and where you position different elements within the scene. ...
While outdoor photography may indeed require a higher ISO setting (because of the uncontrollable light and distance to the object), product photography aims at ISO 100. When the ISO value of 100 is hard to achieve, it is suggested to still use the lowest value possible, up to ISO 400 or ISO 800 in extreme cases.
Continuous lighting is often the most popular solution when it comes to product photography. The best examples of continuous lighting include: LED video lights. Fluorescent mercury vapor tubes.
A product photography lighting setup consists of three key components: a light source, which can be artificial or natural lighting. a reflector to reflect light from the source back into the scene, adding light and balancing shadows. and sometimes a diffuser is used to create more even light and softer shadows.
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What is the rule of thirds? The rule of thirds is a composition guideline that places your subject in the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two thirds more open. While there are other forms of composition, the rule of thirds generally leads to compelling and well-composed shots.
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The concept here stays the same, but rather than placing one light below a table, you should place two lights to either side of the object, again out of view. Placing them to the side of the product with reflectors ensures an even spread of light on the background, creating that pure white effect.
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It convinces your customer that your brand does care for their needs and wants, which will motivate them to become loyal customers who repeatedly purchase your products. Professional product photography not only testifies to the quality of your product but also reflects the credibility of your brand image.
You'd do great with 400-watt lighting. This also works for shooting larger products. Professional photography studios, outdoor shoots, group photo sessions with up to 20 people, and shoots for products as large as a vehicle, will usually require 600 watts.
The last hour before sunset and the first hour after sunrise are coveted by professional photographers. Referred to as “the golden hour” or “magic hour,” these times provide the perfect light to capture stunning photos.
If you're a product photographer, LED lights may be suitable for your work, as long as you don't mind working in a darkened studio. However, you won't be able to shoot products with splashes or any other form of movement as easily.
This is the main light source pointing directly at your product from the front. Alone, this is going to create a very contrasted and unnatural image. A second “fill” light removes this contrast. The fill light is placed somewhere on the opposite side of the product to fill in the shadows.
A third-party camera app can improve the quality of photos taken by the smartphone camera. For example, apps like Camera+ and Google Camera can provide features that a default camera app doesn't have. Installing Google Camera on your Android phone allows you to access features like Night Sight and Portrait Mode.
While you can just pull out your phone, a few clicks and you're good to go. Mobile photography lets you take pictures without much fuss. Besides that, it is much lighter to carry so there is endless angle possibility that you can explore.
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While you may complete a degree in photography or photojournalism, you may also choose to take individual courses that can benefit your career. During these courses, you may learn photography techniques or editing practices that allow you to produce high-quality photos.
So if your photos aren't great it means you're missing one or more of these four things.
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Hands down the most important aspect of any photograph is it's ability to invoke an emotional response. This response is what gets you to look longer at some photos than others, maybe even decide to buy a print and hang that photo on your wall.
Continuous lighting is often the most popular solution when it comes to product photography. The best examples of continuous lighting include: LED video lights. Fluorescent mercury vapor tubes.
Keeping your background plain and simple will ensure the product you are trying to sell doesn't get lost in the shot. While other light colors like pale blue, pink, and yellow can often work well, white is always a great option to ensure your product is the star against a crisp and clean background.
It convinces your customer that your brand does care for their needs and wants, which will motivate them to become loyal customers who repeatedly purchase your products. Professional product photography not only testifies to the quality of your product but also reflects the credibility of your brand image.
What is the rule of thirds? The rule of thirds is a composition guideline that places your subject in the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two thirds more open. While there are other forms of composition, the rule of thirds generally leads to compelling and well-composed shots.
Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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