How to photograph products for marketplaces on a phone

You do not need a studio or an expensive camera to take product photos that sell. You need decent light, a clean background, and consistent framing. Here is how to get all three with a phone.

Light

Light is the single biggest factor. Soft, even light makes a product look true to life, harsh light creates distracting shadows and hot spots.

• Use a window. Daylight from a large window is soft and free. Place the product near it, not in direct sun.
• Light from the front. Keep the light source behind you, falling on the front of the product, so the face the buyer sees is bright.
• Skip the flash. The phone's built-in flash is small and harsh. It flattens texture and throws a hard shadow.
• Fill the shadows. A sheet of white paper or board on the dark side of the product bounces light back and softens shadows.

Background

A clean background keeps attention on the product and is required for some marketplaces.

• White is safest. A roll of paper or a foam board curved up behind the product gives a seamless white with no corner line. This is also the starting point for Amazon's pure white requirement.
• Keep it uncluttered. If you cannot do white, a plain, neutral surface still beats a busy room.
• Mind the shadow. Even on white, a product casts a shadow. Lift the product slightly or add fill light to keep the shadow soft.

For turning these shots into the white background a listing needs, see how to make a white background.

Framing

Consistent framing makes your listings look like a set rather than a pile of snapshots.

• Fill the frame. Get close enough that the product is the clear subject, with a little room to breathe. Amazon wants the product at about 85% of the frame.
• Shoot straight on. Keep the phone level with the product to avoid distortion, unless you are deliberately showing a top-down flat lay.
• Hold steady. Brace your elbows or prop the phone. Tap to focus on the product before you shoot.
• Shoot a little wide. Leave space around the product so you can pad to a square later without clipping it. This makes resizing for eBay and other square layouts painless.

Then size everything at once

Once you have clean shots, the technical part is sizing them for each marketplace: square, the right pixels, under the file limit, correct format. Drop the batch into SelfShot, pick your platforms, and download a ZIP ready to upload. Good photos plus correct sizing is the whole job.