You don't need fancy equipment to get great photos and taking your own is always a nice option to have when you can't afford to hire a photographer to do them. So I'm taking on photographing random products from around my house today to show you how to take product photos with your phone!


Things you'll need:

  • Product
  • Props associated with your product/that enhance it
  • White poster board (Dollar Tree)
  • White tri-fold presentation board (Target)
  • Fully charged phone (+free space!)

1. Photo setup:

  • Find the best indirect natural light in your house (usually by a window or an open door)
  • Lay down your white poster board as close to the light as possible
  • Put your trifold presentation board towards the back of your poster board standing up as shown (it should be facing towards the light)

To take product photos with your phone, there are three important types of photos you'll want to get! The first type of Product Shot is a Standard Product Photo!

(For this experiment, I'm going to be using a random Xbox controller and a cat toy as my "products"!)


2. Standard Product Shots

  • Wipe off any smudges off of your products
  • Get all angles- front, back, all sides
  • Close ups of any distinguishing features

3. Styled Product Photo

  • This is a still a photo of the product with no people, it's just going to be styled
  • You can put your product in its “natural environment” or keep it simple and styled on your white background
  • Add in complimentary props that help enhance the product or communicate what it’s used for


For the Xbox controller I added in video games. For the cat toy I added in more toys, a bucket and my kitty cat, Shadow!

Finally, we're going to put our photos to use!


4. Product Being Used Photos

  • You want photos of your product actually being used by people or consumers
  • Determine the setting and background for these photos in relation to your Ideal Client (but always in good, natural light!)
  • Think of every single way somebody could possibly use your product
  • As a bonus type of photo, ask your clients for “review” photos of real-life users who can testify!

5. Editing

  • Use presets (either by your own creation or purchased) to help achieve consistency!
  • Make sure you edit the crop for whatever platform you will be sharing the photos on


6. Sharing

  • Share one (or more!) of each type of Product Shot so that customers can really get a sense of the product’s versatility and depth!
  • Mix and match shots to give more diversity in your social media feed!
  • Tag any other vendors who provided the rest of the props in your photos!

So there you have it!


The best and most diverse way to take product photos with your phone! It takes a little practice but it's so simple to start. I hope you found this helpful, and if you'd like to learn more, be sure to subscribe here and follow me on instagram to get more tutorials and photo tips!