How to take studio shots without a studio (with your phone)
by Carla
With the advent of the camera phone in June of 2000 photography was changed forever. The phone in question was a Samsung SCH-V200 and boasted a 0.35-megapixel camera.
Today a growing number of people walk around with mad technology in their pockets. For example, I own a Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. I awaited this phone with such enthusiasm mainly because of the camera and also the fact that it is waterproof (I have been known to drop my phone in the toilet from time to time).
My Sony boasts a 20.7-megapixel camera. It is not surprising then that the digital camera market has not been growing as much since our phones became powerful cameras.
For the purpose of digital marketing it is important to ensure that the images you share are of a high quality. However, the nature of the industry means that many things will happen on the fly and you must therefore be prepared to improvise. Enter the camera phone.
Just to be clear – there is no replacement for a professional product shot, but a studio-inspired Instagram shot is always a possibility.
What you need:
- A clean white wall/wooden cube
- A large roll of white paper
- Your phone
- The product
White balance
The trick is to make sure your white balance is right. I prefer to take photos with the manual settings. So how do you know your white balance is right? You use your eyes – stuff that is white should look white in the photo. Use your white background (such as a wall/box/paper) as a reference and adjust your settings until they are correct. For a studio shot it is particularly important for white to look white.
Focus is your friend
If you are using a box, there is a possibility that it will come across too much like the inside of a box. So make sure you focus on your product. If your product stands out the background will fade back.
Infinity curves are fun
If you have a large roll of paper lay it against the wall and onto the floor. Place your product and voila! You have a pretty dimensionless studio!
Also the inside of the freezer is interesting:
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