The Smartphone Photo Challenge - Part 1: Lighting
A few months ago, we wrote a blog post about how to take great product photos without spending a fortune on camera and lighting equipment. While that was a great place to start, we thought we’d give ourselves a challenge to take it one step further… creating great shots using only a smartphone. Over the next few months, we will be bringing you a series of tips on how to make your phone’s built-in camera work for you!
Smartphones have become a ubiquitous part of our daily life and not only provide us with a constant stream of apps, social media feeds, and connectivity, they also provide us with a camera that is always ready to use. However, smartphone cameras are notoriously tricky to get great shots from. Most of the time, our photos are grainy, improperly exposed, and questionably in-focus. While it is safe to say that if you have access to a better camera than your smartphone, you should definitely use it, it does not mean that you can’t get great shots using your phone.
One of the most challenging aspects of using your phone’s camera is lighting. If you have a choice, your best bet will be to take your item and a white piece of paper (to use as a backdrop) outside and use natural light. Even overcast days will provide more even lighting that your phone’s built in flash. The built-in flash is often too harsh to properly expose your image, and not using it results in a shot that too dark to use. If shooting outside is not an option, there is a simple trick to make your photos look a lot better!
Take a look at the two images below. The first, we can all agree, looks less than stellar. The flash has created harsh shadows and made the box appear bluish. The second photo, taken on the same phone, at the same distance, using the same flash settings, looks much better. The box is evenly lit, and the color appears much more natural and accurate.
So what’s the secret? When the second photo was taken, I put a Kleenex across the flash. By diffusing the flash’s harsh light, even through a single layer of tissue, I was able to create a much better image. If you don’t have a tissue available, try shooting through a thin piece of copy paper or even a shirt sleeve. Your goal is to diffuse the light of the flash without blocking out too much light. Trial and error is the key to figuring out what will work with your phone.
Next month, we’ll feature part 2 of our Smartphone Photo Challenge, concentrating on how to make your phone’s auto-focus feature work for you.
