Product Photography for E-Commerce: How We Shoot Kimaya Threads with a Phone
Professional product photography doesn't require a ₹2 lakh camera setup. We shoot all Kimaya Threads product photos with a smartphone, natural light, and ₹2,000 worth of props. This step-by-step guide covers the shooting setup, editing workflow, and consistency system.
The product photo is the product in e-commerce. Customers can't touch, feel, or try on your clothes — they can only see photographs. A mediocre product photo reduces a ₹1,200 dress to a ₹400 perception. A professional photo elevates the same dress to a ₹1,800 perception. The photo doesn't just represent the product — it IS the product experience until the package arrives. Here's how we shoot Kimaya Threads collections with a phone and achieve results that compete with studio photography.
The Setup: ₹2,000 Total Investment
Camera: Any smartphone from 2022 onward with a 12+ MP main camera. We use an iPhone, but recent Samsung, OnePlus, or Pixel phones produce equivalent quality. The lens matters less than the lighting.
Lighting: Natural window light — a large window providing indirect, diffused light is the best free lighting source available. Shoot between 10 AM-2 PM when natural light is strongest and most consistent. Position the product perpendicular to the window (side-lit) for dimension and texture, or facing the window (front-lit) for even, flat illumination. A ₹300 white foam board placed opposite the window acts as a reflector, filling shadows on the far side of the product.
Background: A 1.5m × 1.5m piece of muslin fabric (₹500) in off-white or light beige. This provides a warm, natural background that complements children's clothing and avoids the clinical feeling of pure white. For variation: wooden surfaces (₹200 cutting board), marble-patterned contact paper (₹300), or terra cotta tiles.
Props: Wooden toys, dried flowers, small fabric pouches, ribbons — items that suggest the lifestyle context without distracting from the product. Budget: ₹700-1,000 for a prop collection that covers dozens of shoots.
The Shooting Process
Flat-lay photography: Lay the garment flat on the background surface. Style it: fold sleeves naturally, fan out skirts slightly, tuck tags inside, and smooth wrinkles. Place 1-2 props that complement without competing (a small wooden block, a flower sprig). Position the phone directly above, parallel to the surface. Use a timer or voice command to avoid camera shake. Take 10-15 shots of each product, varying the prop placement and garment position slightly.
Hanging photography: For structured garments (dresses, overalls), hang on a child-sized hanger against a clean wall or fabric backdrop. This shows the garment's shape and drape — information that flat-lays don't convey. Ensure the hanger is invisible or aesthetically appropriate (wooden hangers, not wire).
Detail shots: Close-ups of: fabric texture (zoom to show weave quality), stitching (signals craftsmanship), buttons/closures (functional details parents care about), and fabric labels (composition, care instructions). These details build trust by showing that you're proud of the product's construction, not hiding it.
The Editing Workflow
Consistency is more important than perfection. Every product photo should have: the same white balance (warm, consistent across all photos), the same brightness level, the same contrast and saturation, and the same crop ratio (square for Instagram/marketplace, 4:5 for product pages).
Our workflow: shoot in RAW/ProRAW (if available), edit in Snapseed or Lightroom Mobile, apply a saved preset that standardizes white balance, brightness, and contrast, make minor adjustments per photo (exposure compensation, highlight recovery), crop to standard ratio, and export at high resolution (minimum 2000px on the longest edge for zoom functionality on e-commerce platforms).
The Consistency System
Create a "style guide" for product photos: background surface (muslin, wood, or marble — choose one per collection), prop palette (2-3 props that appear across the collection), color grading (warm/cool/neutral — consistent within collection), and layout template (where the product sits within the frame, where props are placed). This system means that new product photos match existing ones automatically — the collection looks curated rather than random, even when photos are shot on different days with different light conditions.
The total investment: ₹2,000 in props and backgrounds, ₹0 in camera equipment (your phone is already paid for), and 20-30 minutes per product. The return: product photos that look professional enough to compete with brands spending ₹5,000 per product shoot at photography studios. The secret to great product photography isn't expensive equipment — it's consistent, intentional lighting and styling.