One of the things I see people struggle with when creating an online store are product photos. When you look at the big companies you know they can afford to get professional photography done on all the products they sell but if you're running a small business that's probably not the case. So in this article I'm going to share with you how you can take good looking product photos at home on a budget, with items you probably already have around the house.

To take product photos you're going to need a light source, two pieces of printer paper, some tape, and an iPhone (or Android). The goal is going to be to get a shot of your product with a pure white background. If you're shooting a larger item this method may have to be tweaked. For example instead of using a couple of sheets of printer paper you may have to get a backdrop roll. Which can be ordered on Amazon.

Now that yo have your supplies start by taping a sheet of your printer paper to the back of your montior, laptop, or a wall. Be carefull not to put wrinkles or creases in your paper. You don't want any of those showing up on your final photography. After you have the first piece of paper taped you'll want to lay your second sheet of paper so it's bending against it, creating a slight contour.

Now it's time to bring in your light source. If you have a halo LED great but really any bright white LED light will work. The brighter and the whiter the better. The goal here is to really light up the paper behind your object.

Place the object you want to photography on the sheet of paper, then hover the light near the other sheet you taped against your monitor or wall. Bring it as close as you can without getting it in the shot. Finally, take the photo with your iPhone. 

Once the photos is on your phone you can crop out the edges if you accidentally captured something more than the white paper in the background. Finally select to edit the photo on your iPhone and crank up the exposure all the way. This will really white-out the background and isolate the object you photographed. That's it, now you have a product photo you can upload your online store.  If you don't already have an online store you can create one for free at WebStarts.com.

Oh, and one more tip. If you're shooting mutliple shots of the same product in different positions, be sure to mark the center very lightly with a paper or pen so your shots are consistent.