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Easy Phone Camera Product Photography Tips

by LaurenConrad.com

July 18, 2022

Easy Phone Camera Product Photography Tips

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Confession time: Many of the product photos for Lauren brands like LC Lauren Conrad, LOVED by Lauren Conrad, and The Little Market are taken in an itty bitty home studio setup! Whether you love taking photos for yourself as a hobby or need stellar photos for your small business, it’s never a bad thing to up your product photography knowledge with a few pointers. It’s a great thing that professional cameras are no longer required to take stunning photos. You really only need your phone. Even with a phone that features a stellar camera, however, you still need to understand basic principles of photography.

If you’ve been looking for more ways to up the ante with your pictures, listen up. We have five easy phone camera product photography tips that are going to change your life. We’re serious. You can create beautiful photos with just your device, so today, we’re showing you how with a little help from our friends at Replica Surfaces…

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1. Plan It Out

First things first: set up the shot. You can create a mini set by getting two poster boards and creating an L-shape with them, which will allow you to have a cohesive place to display your items. To maximize your lighting with your set up, place it next to a window {which should be on the side of your set up. This side lighting will make your lights and shadows easier to work with. Replica Surfaces actually has a ton of background options with a curated set-up if you’re interested in trying them out.

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2.Style It

Now, here’s where the fun part comes in: styling. This is where you can infuse your creativity into every shot, however, there are certain photo compositions that may be a good place to start to get your ideas flowing.

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The first styling composition, diagonal composition, creates a diagonal line through your photo by placing your lens at the same level as the item you’re capturing. The subject you are photographing will be in the center, while you place a smaller prop in the front corner and a larger prop in the back corner. This adds some pizzaz and depth to the photo without detracting from the subject. We’d recommend also utilizing any props related to the subject you’re capturing.

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“C” composition is another route you can take. Recommended for flat lay photos, “C” composition photos are taken overhead with your subject and props artfully arranged in what looks like a capital “C.” This may take some tweaking until you achieve the look you want, however remember to leave the middle empty to create some negative space.

These are just two compositions of many, but definitely a good place to start.

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No blur vs. blur

3. Create Depth

Another great tip to make photos more alluring? Creating depth. Depth helps to bring focus to your subject while slightly blurring the rest of the space in your photo. An easy hack to get this look on a phone camera is to shoot in portrait mode. This will make your subject pop against the surroundings. If you have a new iPhone model {12 and up}, you can specify the amount of focus and blur on your subject too!

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4. Turn It Upside Down

This tip is surprisingly helpful! Try flipping your phone over and shooting upside down for great eye-level shots. The goal here is to shoot at a lower and more flattering angle. This may seem a little weird at first, but it can make all the difference.

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Left: a photo taken right side up. Right: a photo taken upside down. See the difference?

5. Snap Away

Now that you are all ready to go, go ahead and start taking photos, and lots of them. Play around with angles, backgrounds, and props so that you can get the most out of your photoshoot. The benefits of taking a variety of photos with different backdrops and props is you have a wealth of content in your back pocket.