Got a tight budget? Use your smartphone instead of a pricey DSLR or photography service to take product photos.

Some startup jewelry businesses do not have the means to hire a professional photographer for their products. A DSLR camera may be the cheaper option, as you can take professional-looking photos yourself, but this camera may cost a lot too. Did you know that you can use your smartphone to take product photos? It is the best and cheapest alternative a startup jewelry business owner can do to save money.

Want to try it out? Here are a few tips to using your smartphone to take photos of wholesale fashion jewelry pieces, as well as some useful product photography tips.

Good smartphone camera

There are many phones in the market today boasting cameras capable of taking high megapixel photos. If you are taking good selfies with your phone, then that means they can take good product photos too. Check if your phone has a macro function as you will be using it most of the time, especially for really close-up shots.

Simple background

Don't use a backdrop with a busy design; it should as clean as possible. If you really want to save, you can use your bedsheet or even a table cloth. Kitchen counters look great on photos too, as long as the tiles do not have an elaborate design. Oh, and a simple white paper will do too!

Lighting

No need to buy expensive lighting, go for the natural light! The warm light of the sun gives off a more natural look and feel instead of using light bulbs. If you need to take photos at sundown, you can use daylight bulbs that emit the same light as the sun. You can also use a DIY lightbox to diffuse the light.

Stabilization

Now that you got your backdrop and lighting ready, it's time to set your camera, a.k.a, your smartphone. To avoid blurry images, use a sturdy tripod. Make sure the grid function is on so it can help you align the jewelry in the middle of the frame.

Phone Camera Settings

I'm sure your phone has numerous camera options you can set to get the perfect shots. The options you need to consider are the following:

• Macro - As mentioned earlier, the macro function gives the perfect close-up shots.
• White balance - This is important if you are using a white background and for fixing the warm levels.
• Focus - You just need to tap the screen to focus on the subject.
• Exposure - Most smartphones have semi-automatic modes to help you adjust the exposure. You can also do trial and error shots with different shutter speed and ISO to get the perfect setting.
• Timer - Do not capture immediately; use a timer to take the photos. Don't take just one, make sure you have backup shots, as well as different angles.

Editing

Once you've picked the perfect shot, it's time to edit the image. You can use Photoshop, but photo editing apps on your phone work well too. Here are the three most important things you should do when editing photos:

• Crop - Square is the preferred size so you can easily upload on Instagram.
• Sharpen - Sharpening the image can make the small details more visible.
• Brightness and Contrast - Fix both the brightness and contrast. Make sure this setting is consistent among all your pictures.

And voila! You've saved on professionally looking product photos. All it takes is passion, patience, and creativity. Enjoy smartphone shooting!