How to photograph your crafts at home

Good photos of your prints, stickers, cards or crafts don't need a studio. A window, two sheets of white card and a phone on a steady surface get you most of the way. This guide covers light, backgrounds, angles and simple editing, plus when a digital mockup makes more sense than a photo.

Find the right light

Daylight from a window is the best free light source you have. A few rules make it work:

• Shoot beside the window, not facing it. Side light shows texture: paper grain, embossing, stitches, glitter.
• Avoid direct sun. Hard sunlight causes harsh shadows and burnt-out highlights. A bright, overcast day or a window that doesn't get direct sun is ideal.
• Diffuse when needed. Tape baking paper or a thin white curtain over the window to soften the light.
• Turn off room lights. Mixing warm bulbs with daylight gives colour casts that are hard to remove.
• Shoot at a consistent time. If you photograph a whole collection, similar light each time makes your shop or feed look consistent.

A two-card setup

You need two pieces of white foam board or thick white card:

1. Base card: lay it flat on a table next to the window. This is your background.
2. Bounce card: stand it up on the side opposite the window. It reflects light back into the shadows so the product looks bright but still has shape.

Want more contrast and mood? Replace the bounce card with black card: it deepens shadows instead of lifting them. For variety, swap the base for wood, linen, kraft paper or a textured wall, but keep it simple enough that the product stays the hero.

Phone camera basics

• Clean the lens. A fingerprint is the most common reason for hazy photos.
• Don't use digital zoom. Move closer instead, or crop afterwards.
• Tap to focus, then lock. Most camera apps let you tap and hold to lock focus and exposure, then slide brightness down slightly so white areas keep detail.
• Turn on the grid to keep edges straight, especially for flat prints.
• Keep it steady. Use a small tripod, a phone clamp or prop the phone on books. Use the timer to avoid shake when you press the button.
• Skip the flash. It flattens texture and causes glare on glossy paper.

Angles that sell

Most product listings benefit from a small set of consistent shots:

Flat lay (straight down)

Best for prints, cards, stickers and patterns. Keep the phone parallel to the table so edges stay straight.

45-degree angle

Shows thickness and shape: notebooks, boxed items, framed prints, ceramics.

Detail close-up

Paper texture, foil, stitching or finish. This is where buyers judge quality.

Scale shot

Place the product next to an everyday object (a pencil, a mug) so people understand its size.

In context

A print on a wall or a card on a desk helps buyers imagine it in their own space.

Planning to share on Pinterest? Pinterest recommends a vertical 2:3 aspect ratio (for example 1000 × 1500 pixels) for image Pins, so leave room above and below the product to crop vertically.

Edit lightly and consistently

A free editor is enough. See Free photo editors compared for options.

1. Straighten and crop so edges are parallel to the frame.
2. Set white balance so white paper looks white, not blue or yellow.
3. Raise exposure until the background is bright but not blown out.
4. Remove dust specks and fibres.
5. Keep colours true. A buyer who gets a different colour than pictured will be disappointed.
6. Save your settings and apply them to the whole batch for a consistent look.

When a mockup is the better choice

For digital products such as printable wall art, planners or SVG designs, you may not have a physical item to photograph. Or you want to show a design on a framed poster, a T-shirt or a mug before producing it. That's where mockups come in: template images where you place your own design into a ready-made scene.

Be honest with mockups. If you sell a physical product, show real photos too, so buyers see what they'll actually receive.

Need fonts and graphics for the designs themselves? Start with The Design Toolkit.