Eliminating Negative Space And 8 Other Steps To Take In Getting The Best Product Photographs With Your Smartphone

Having great visuals of your fashion products for your social media pages, catalogue or lookbook is highly important for fashion entrepreneurs. The better your product photos look, the more likely you are to draw customers in. 

Last week, we reviewed a video by Ada-Uju Nwabuike of Stitchadress on how to get over the phobia of cutting and ruining fabrics, and, this week, we reviewed a video by Kemi Omorogbe of Kemafrik on ‘Smartphone Photography for Fashion Designers’. In it, she talks about how she uses her smartphone to get great photographs of her products.

The video aims to teach fashion entrepreneurs things they need to know about taking quality photos with a smartphone. In it, she shares steps to take to make your products look great in photos. 

This video review will cover;

• useful points fashion entrepreneurs can learn from,
• important points missed out,
• the relevance of the information provided to fashion entrepreneurs.

Smartphone Photography for Fashion Entrepreneurs.

1. Invest in a Phone with a Good Camera.

Be sure that the mobile phone you are using can take good pictures. Now, getting a phone with a good camera does not necessarily mean buying the most expensive phone on the market. Any phone with a camera that is up to 13 megapixels will do. 

2. Clean the Camera Lens Properly.

Before going ahead to take snaps of that product you are super excited about, make sure to wipe the camera lens down with a soft cloth. Not doing this can make your images come out looking blurry.

For most phones, the back camera is better than the front camera so this is the one you should focus on. 

3. Ensure Your Background is Clear.

Having a beautiful well-arranged background is key in taking great product photographs. Make sure that your background is clear enough and not crowded with fabrics, clothes, and other things that might cause distractions. 

A plain background with some visually appealing aesthetics like flowers, vases, or any other item of your choice will make a perfect background.

4. Ensure Yours have Good Lighting.

Natural light does a lot of good for taking photos. If you are taking your pictures outside, that can come in over handy because you will not need any extra source of lighting especially if the sun is high. 

If you are taking your photos indoors, make sure you have enough light sources to sufficiently light up the room. Also, placing a source of light behind the camera will provide a great effect on your clothes. 

5. Position Your Subject Properly.

Whether you are using a mannequin or a model, make sure that they are well-positioned in front of the background. 

When this is done, play around with the camera exposure options on your phone, the phone’s flash and the different modes your camera offers you. 

6. Shoot Your Shot.

While taking your picture, do not forget to play around with angles to give life to your photos. 

If you are your own model and you want to take photos of yourself in your products, you should get a tripod stand to help you with this. Position your phone on the tripod stand and connect it to a wireless Bluetooth remote device that you can press to take shots. 

7.Eliminate Negative Spaces and Digital Zoom.

Negative space refers to the way your background appears, that is, the volume of space you have behind your product. This can affect the general look of your pictures.

While negative spaces are great for outdoor photoshoots and the likes, when you are taking photos of your products, it is better to eliminate negative spaces. You don’t need a lot of negative space because you want the focus of your photos to be on the cloth.

Zooming in or out on your camera usually negatively affects the quality of photos, so, it is better to eliminate them. Try as much as possible not to zoom in when taking photos of your products. 

8. Edit.

It is not very advisable to post raw untouched photos of your products on your social media pages. You need to edit them. 

For editing purposes, you can make use of Snapseed and InShot. Snapseed allows you to selectively adjust some areas of your photos and smoothen out your background a lot. 

​​​Other Points Missed Out.

9. Attach Macro Lens for Close-Ups.

Since it is not advisable to use the zoom option of your phone, you can buy a macro lens to use for very close-up photos of a particular product. This macro lens should be placed over your phone’s camera to bring out very sharp close-up images. 

The Usefulness of the Information to Fashion Entrepreneurs.

The information provided in this video ensures that any fashion entrepreneur can take great photos of their products any day. The steps provided in the video are easy to understand and follow without any problem. 

Every fashion entrepreneur will find this video very helpful, especially if you are new to taking product photos using a smartphone.