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I have to admit that I do not like doing product photography with iPhone, for that the iphone is just not good enough. There are other relatively cheap camera solutions on the market that are far better than a phone and you do not need large investments to go many steps above the quality an iphone gives. Having said that I am as guilty of using a phone for camera as any other leather worker and when you just want to throw a picture up on instagram or twitter it is fine. If you on the other hand need to show the reality of the product the iPhone is not so fine but there is a way of getting decent exposure with just a little thought.

Here are 5 simple things to think about when you do your product photography with a phone.

1. Use a tripod. You do not have to use a large tripod but any kind of tripod be it gorilla pod or big Manfrotto, it is better than hand held, even though you think there is enough light.

2. Think about light. Best light for product photography is an lightly overcast day. It gives an even spread of the light and illuminates the product nicely. Direct sunlight gives harsh shadows and contrast that iphone has difculties dealing with.

3. Think about the shadows and light. Even on a cloudy day there are shadows and how you place them in the photograph has a deep effect on the outcome. Even if there is only a small slight hint of a shadow. Color of the shadow does also matter

4. Think about color of the light. Middle of a nice warm but cloudy summer day is ne for photography, but at the same time in winter the color of the light is totally different and a lot more blue-ish. A software that can help you with color correction is a must on such an occasions. Try using snapseed (its free ) if you are posting directly online or better yet get hold of lightroom and keep track of all your images as well as being able to work with them on desktop.

5. Use neutral background. Black or white is an easy thought of an background but because of the iPhone little dynamic range the contrast between the product and black or white background can be to much for the phone to handle. Consider using gray background. Any thing from light gray to middle dark gray is good. Light gray will seem almost off white as in the image here below.