January 04, 2019

[170] How to take product photos with your smartphone (iPhone or Android) with Chaitra Radhakrishna

51 minutes

So you want to take amazing product photos of your handmade goods, but you don’t have a DSLR.

Can you use your trusty iPhone or Android Smartphone to take Etsy-worthy photos?

The answer is ‘yes, absolutely’ and here to tell you exactly how to do it today’s guest, Chaitra Radhakrishna.

She is the founder of Pinkpot, a design and photography studio for creative handmade businesses.

She thrives on helping makers and product sellers grow their shop sales, revenue and impact through strategic, conversion-focused website design and product photography.

We had an in-depth discussion about all the apps, tricks, and outside-the-camera strategies to make sure you can create stellar product photos for your online shop with just your smartphone!

Listen below…

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Quotes and highlights from this episode:

You can definitely use your phone to take photographs that are good enough for your shop.

Not all phone cameras are equal – check your specifications.

Two great apps to turn your phone camera into a DSLR are:

Pro Camera

Camera +

Also – Camera FV-5

“If you are just using the automatic mode the whole purpose of using a DSLR is negated” {Chaitra}

F/Stop defines the focus of your photos. A lower F/Stop (1.2-1.8) creates a crisp focal point in the foreground with the background blurred.

ISO assists with exposure and lighting if your photos. Increase the ISO on cloudy days (400-800) and for brighter days use a lower setting (200).

Be aware if you increase the ISO too far your images will be grainy.

White balance ensures your colours show correctly. Use natural lighting (or a good artificial lighting set) where possible and avoid having any other electric lights on as these create a colour cast.

“No amount of editing can fix a poor-quality photo” {Chaitra}

Combat shaky hands and keep your product photos crisp by using a tripod.

There are two main styles of photos you will need for your business – studio and lifestyle.

Studio shots are the image you will use in your store. Keep these images as simple as possible.

Lifestyle shots show customers how they can use your product in their lives. These images can include props that support your product in the picture.

“Save yourself a lot of time and workflow by editing your photos on your phone” {Chaitra}

Snapseedis a great app to edit phone photos with.

Tools to explore in Snapseed include Tune Image, Brush and Healing.

Avoid using zoom on your phone photos as it decreases the resolution of your photos.

Use the camera on the back of your phone for product shots as the front camera resolution is lower.

Clip lenses: Ollo.

Get Chaitra’s free product photography course!

When you sell online, you simply cannot afford to have anything less than stellar photos of your work.

The Create & Thrive Guide to Product Photography has been written for the beginner-to-intermediate product photographer.

Written by a professional photographer, specifically for makers with little photography experience, this e-book will teach you all you need to know to get started on your product photography journey.

Find out more...

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