Shooting products with a mini studio

A good product shot badly lit does not sell; the same product in a lightbox does. The good news: a studio that fits on a table is enough for the main image of a product page.

One light source

The biggest flaw in a phone photo is the ceiling light: it comes from above, flattens the volume and drops a hard shadow. A lightbox puts the source behind a diffusing fabric, so the product is lit evenly and the shadow falls away into the backdrop.

For an object larger than a 20 cm box, an LED panel does the same job: adjustable temperature, warm to cool, with a diffuser in front of the source.

A backdrop that says nothing

The backdrop is what separates the product from the room. White for a catalogue, black for a light object, grey for anything shiny. The box comes with its own; outside it, a reflector placed opposite the light fills the shadows instead of leaving them black.

A frame that does not move

A sharp photo is a still photo. A mini tripod holds the phone, the ball head locks to the degree, and a remote shutter removes hand shake. Frame at the product's height — never standing over it — and leave some air around it.

After the shot

Three views per product are enough: front, three-quarter and detail. Keep the same backdrop and the same light across the whole catalogue: repetition is what makes a shop, not the perfect photo.