Your product photos aren't just pretty pictures—they're your storefront, your sales team, and your first impression all rolled into one. While shoppers in physical stores can pick up and examine products, online visitors have to rely entirely on what they see in your photos.
When you learn how to take great product photos, you’re also building trust with potential customers. They show that you care about quality and presentation, which makes shoppers feel confident about buying from you. Plus, great photos help your products stand out in a sea of mediocre images from other sellers.
Unfortunately, many talented artists and makers undersell themselves with blurry, dark photos that don’t do any justice to showcase their amazing products.
Your photos should be working 24/7 to sell your products, so let's make sure they're doing their job for you, not against you.
Essentials you need to get started taking professional photos at home
You don't need a fancy studio or thousands of dollars in photography equipment to make your products shine. Armed with just your smartphone, some natural light, and a few supplies, you’ll be creating photos that stop people mid-scroll and make them reach for their wallets.
The best part? You likely already have most of what you need.
- Camera: Most modern smartphones will work perfectly for your online shop and are the go-to option for small shop owners. If you want to take your photos up a notch, consider investing in a Digital SLR (DSLR) camera.
- Tripod: The secret weapon for sharp, consistent photos.
- Lighting: Natural, indirect sunlight from large windows is great for beginners, but you can also use household lamps with daylight bulbs.
- Backgrounds: White, black, or colored paper works give you a consistent background for your photos, but you can also look into faux wood or patterned vinyls to use instead to add your own flair
Finding the perfect light source in your home
The key to professional-looking product photos is to have great lighting. Try to find the biggest window with indirect light that you can use as your studio area. Set up your photo area to the side of the window (not directly facing it) to get that nice directional lighting that makes products look three-dimensional.
Cloudy days are your friend—clouds act like a giant light diffuser, giving you even, beautiful light without harsh shadows.
If you don’t have suitable windows, that’s okay. Not everyone is lucky enough to have perfect windows, and you may not have time to take product photos when the natural light is at its best. You can easily mimic natural lighting with a desk lamp and a daylight bulb. If your light is too bright, diffuse it with white fabric or even parchment paper placed over the lamp—just make sure the bulb doesn’t get too hot.
Whatever you do, resist the urge to use your phone's flash. It's tempting when lighting isn't perfect, but phone flash creates harsh, unflattering light that'll make your products look cheap and amateur. The flash sits too close to your camera lens, creating flat lighting with no dimension, and often causes weird color casts that make editing a nightmare. Even bad natural light beats phone flash every time—you can always brighten photos during editing, but you can't fix the harsh, artificial look that flash creates.
Creating the perfect background for your handmade products
Decide whether you want your product photos on a plain white background or if you prefer to add a little more personality and visual interest by using different types of backgrounds, such as:
- Solid colors: Let your products stand out against white, black, or other solid colors
- Patterned: Use subtle patterns like marble, tiles, low-contrast stripes, or polka dots to liven up the background while letting your products stand out
- Wood Textured: Add warmth and texture with reclaimed or faux wood for rustic, cozy, or artisanal products
- Stone or concrete: Look for slates, tiles, and textured laminates for industrial, modern, or masculine themes
- Fabric and textiles: Avoid busy prints and go with neutrals or very light, low-contrast patterns in linen, felt, or burlap for handmade, eco-friendly, or lifestyle products
- Nature and foliage: Add greenery or flowers to emphasize freshness, organic ingredients, or eco-friendly branding
No matter which background option you choose, keep it consistent with all your product photos to help with brand recognition and make certain that your product is the star of the show, not the background.
Creating your product backdrop sweep:
Once you've chosen your background material, create a professional "sweep" by taping it to the wall behind your setup, then curving it smoothly down onto your table surface. This eliminates the harsh horizontal line where the wall meets the table and makes your product appear to float seamlessly against the background.
Use painter's tape or removable adhesive to secure both ends of the background sweep in place—this simple technique is what separates amateur photos from professional-looking ones.
If you're using rigid materials like wood boards or tiles that can't be curved, position them so they meet at a 90-degree angle and use careful lighting to minimize the shadow where they connect, or crop your photos to focus on either the horizontal or vertical surface.
Setting up your home photo studio area
Once you've set up your photo studio area in your home, it's time to start taking professional-looking photos of your products. This is where you turn your well-lit setup into professional product photos that make people want to buy.
Before you start clicking away, you’ll want to position your camera and set the settings for success.
- Set up your tripod: Always use a tripod to keep your camera steady and eliminate any blur from shaky hands. The key to professional-looking photos is consistency, and a tripod is your best friend for achieving that.
- Mark your product spot: Use a small piece of removable tape or even a coin to mark exactly where your products should sit on your background. This ensures every product photo has the same positioning and framing, making your shop look cohesive and professional.
- Lock in your settings: If you're using a DSLR camera, choose your focal length and aperture settings and stick with them throughout the entire session. For smartphone users, make sure you're shooting in the highest quality setting available.
Get close, don't zoom: Instead of using digital zoom (which reduces image quality), physically move your camera closer to your product when you need tighter shots. Your photos will be much sharper and cleaner.
The five essential camera angles to highlight your products
Now for the fun part—capturing your products from angles that show them off in the best possible light. You'll adjust your tripod height and position for each of these angles, but always keep your product in that marked spot for consistency.
1. Eye Level
This straight-on view shows your product exactly as people would see it in real life. It's perfect for main product photos, giving shoppers the most accurate and honest view of what they're buying. Set your camera at the same height as the center of your product and shoot straight across.
2. High Angle
Position your camera above your product, looking down at an angle. This adds dimension and works beautifully for flat products, jewelry laid out, or showing multiple items together. It's like giving shoppers a bird's-eye view of what they're getting and helps show scale and context.
3. Low Angle
Set your camera below the center of your product, looking up. This makes products appear more substantial and impressive, conveying quality and importance. It's especially great for tall items or when you want to make something look premium and desirable.
4. Overhead Shot
Position your camera directly above your product for that perfect flat lay look. This angle is Instagram gold and works amazingly for showing what's included in a set, displaying packaging, or creating those satisfying arrangements that make people want to double-tap.
5. Detail Shots
Get up close and personal with your camera, positioning it to capture textures, materials, and craftsmanship. These shots answer the question "What does this actually feel like?" and justify your pricing by highlighting the quality and care that goes into your work.
Remember, the goal isn't just to snap a quick photo of your product—it's to make people fall in love with it through your photos. Each angle tells a different part of your product's story, so use them all to create a complete picture that gets shoppers excited to buy.
Composition tricks that make your product photos pop
Taking professional-looking photos is more than great lighting and a complementary background. The way you position your products within the photo frame can help to make them more visually appealing. Instead of positioning your products in the very center of the frame, try these tips instead:
- Use the rule of thirds. Imagine your screen is divided into a tic-tac-toe grid. You want to place your product along one of these lines or at one of the intersections, rather than at the center of the screen.
- Don't cram everything into the frame. White space is your friend—it makes your product the star and gives eyes a place to rest. For multiple products, arrange them in odd numbers (3, 5, 7) because our brains find that more pleasing.
These tips help create more visual interest, and your product images will feel more natural.
Professional tips for better product photos
These quick tricks will take your photos from good to great without any extra equipment. Master these techniques and you'll be shooting like a pro in no time.
- Turn on grid lines in your camera settings to achieve a rule of thirds composition, placing important elements along these lines.
- Use portrait mode on your smartphone for detail shots to blur the background and make your product pop against a softer backdrop.
- Tap to focus on your product before shooting (smartphones) or use single-point autofocus (DSLRs) to ensure your product is tack-sharp.
- Use the timer function or a remote to avoid camera shake when pressing the shutter button.
- Rotate your products, not your camera for each angle to show different sides while maintaining consistent framing and lighting.
- Shoot in the highest quality setting available—you can always make images smaller later, but you can't add detail that wasn't captured originally.
- Take multiple shots of each angle with slight variations in product position, lighting, or composition. You can always delete the ones that don't work later.
Shoot more than you think you need—it's easier to have too many photos to choose from than to realize later you missed an important angle or detail.
Ready to make your products shine?
You've got everything you need to transform your product photos from "meh" to "must-have"—just your phone, good light, and the techniques covered here.
Start with one product, set up near a window, and take shots from different angles. Experiment and see what works best for your style. Remember, consistency beats perfection every time. Your shoppers want to see your products clearly and honestly, not magazine-level perfection.
Your products are already incredible—now your photos will be too.