Photographing your work with the phone you already own

Hobby Corner · Digital photography

A good picture in a post shows the thing, not the room around it. You do not need special equipment: daylight and a plain background do most of the work.

Quick tips

• Shoot near a window in daylight and skip the flash.
• Clear the background, or put a sheet of plain paper behind the object.
• Take one wide shot and one close-up of the detail you are proud of.
• Hold the camera level so straight edges look straight.
• Photograph the mistake too. It is often the most useful picture in a post.

The three things that ruin most photos

The flash

Flattens everything and makes shiny things unreadable

A cluttered table

The eye goes to the mess, not to your work

Your thumb

Mostly in the lower left corner

The most common object in hobby photography is a thumb.