For online sales, it’s more effective to present a product clearly and honestly than to surround it with fancy decorations. By carefully planning the angles and lighting, you can shoot this kind of content yourself using your phone.
Put together a simple photography kit
For a small store an iPhone 15 Pro from stls.store can serve as both a camera for your catalog and a work phone for communicating with customers. The model features a 48 MP main camera and supports macro photography. These features will help you showcase both the overall look of the product and its fine details—from a seam on a wallet to an engraving on a piece of jewelry.
You can start with a table by the window, a solid-color background, and a stable stand for the iPhone 15 Pro. A white sheet of cardboard placed opposite the window will help illuminate the shaded side of the object. If direct sunlight casts harsh shadows, cover the window with a light, semi-transparent curtain.
Place a napkin and a lint brush nearby. In close-ups, dust, fingerprints, and lint become noticeable, so it’s easier to remove them before shooting than to retouch each frame afterward.
Answer buyers’ questions with photos
Before shooting, think about the most common questions people ask in messages. If people constantly ask whether a tablet fits in a bag, show that in the photo. For tableware, it’s helpful to show the depth, and for a sweatshirt, show how it looks on a person.
Put together a series of photos that show the product from different angles:
- overall view—so the shape, silhouette, and features are clear;
- important details—fasteners, seams, attachments, and inside pockets;
- scale—the item held in your hand or next to an object of a familiar size;
- usage—how the product looks and functions in everyday life.
It’s best to take the main shot of a bag or pair of shoes from a greater distance so that the entire item fits in the frame. Be sure to include the exact dimensions in the description anyway: a photo helps visualize them, but it doesn’t replace actual measurements.
Preserve the true color and shape
Turn off the room light if you’re shooting in daylight and notice it’s adding a yellow tint. Different lighting conditions make it difficult to accurately convey color. For a single series of photos, try to keep the item in the same position relative to the window.
Hold your iPhone 15 Pro steady and position the item closer to the center of the frame. Pay special attention when photographing tall bottles, boxes, and other items where the buyer expects to see straight lines.
After taking the photo, compare it to the actual product: has the beige turned pink, or the dark blue almost black?
During editing, simply crop the frame and carefully adjust the brightness. A filter that noticeably changes the fabric’s hue can create a misleading impression. It’s better to keep the natural color and show an additional angle.
Shoot content for multiple posts at once
While the background and lighting are set up, record a short video on your iPhone 15 Pro: open the bag, turn the cup around, and show how the bracelet fastens. This way, you’ll have content for both the product page and a post or Story without having to set up the scene again
Store the originals separately from the edited copies, and name the folders by model or SKU. Before uploading to the website, check the image size and format requirements so you don’t have to redo the entire series.
Олена Болган
