Any Tips for Taking Photos of Products for Your Etsy Store?
As the video, IT, and web guy at my school, I get asked this a lot:
“How can I take better product photos for Etsy (or my website) without buying expensive gear?”
The good news? You don’t need a fancy camera or studio. With a few simple habits and the right basic tools, you can dramatically improve your photos.
Good News: It’s Not About Expensive Equipment
Your smartphone camera is more than good enough. Modern phones have excellent sensors — the biggest difference between average and great photos is stability, lighting, and consistency, not megapixels.
Quick Wins for Better Product Photos
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Turn off the flash
Flash creates harsh shadows and shiny reflections. Use natural or soft light instead. -
Increase screen brightness
Turn your phone’s brightness up so you can clearly see focus and exposure. Plug your phone in so battery saving doesn’t dim the screen mid-shoot. -
Use a tripod (this matters most)
A tripod removes blur, keeps framing consistent, and lets you use a timer so you’re not touching the phone when the photo is taken.
Tripods I Actually Recommend
You don’t need many — just the right ones.
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Product photography / overhead shots:
NEEWER TP27
Perfect for flat lays, overhead shots, desk setups, and filming hands-on work. -
Video + still photography:
NEEWER 74″ Video Tripod
Solid, stable, and great if you ever film short videos or want smooth panning.
Lighting Matters More Than the Camera
The easiest lighting setup costs nothing:
- Choose a bright day
- Place a table near a window
- Use a white sheet or paper as a background
- A thin curtain helps soften direct sunlight
This gives you clean, even light with minimal shadows.
Editing Your Photos (Keep It Simple)
For basic edits — crop, straighten, remove backgrounds — I recommend Adobe Express. It gives you the essentials without a subscription and exports web-friendly images.
If your school provides Adobe licenses, even better. Otherwise, Photoshop Elements is a solid one-time purchase.
Back Up Everything
Your hard drive will fail one day.
Use an external drive that’s at least 2–3× larger than your computer’s internal storage, and back up regularly — especially before big edits or uploads.
Phone Grips & Flexible Tripods
A phone grip that screws onto a tripod is a small investment that pays off immediately. Cheaper ones snap easily — I’ve broken plenty.
Flexible “Joby-style” tripods are useful too, especially ones with magnetic feet. They stick to metal surfaces and don’t tip over easily outdoors.
When a Video Tripod Is Worth It
If you only take photos, any stable tripod works.
If you shoot video, a video tripod with a fluid head makes a huge difference for smooth left-to-right movement — and it still works perfectly for photos.
All the Gear I Use
All the photography and video gear I use for my Teachers Pay Teachers store and The Magic Crayons YouTube channel is listed on my Studio Tour page .
Questions?
If you’re unsure what tripod, lighting, or setup works best for what you sell, leave a comment — I’m happy to help.
