Guide
Product photography at home with mobile in Pakistan
Product photography at home with mobile phones takes a window, white chart paper and about Rs 1,400 of kit from Daraz. Here is the setup, the light, the camera settings to change, the shots each product needs, and what a light box or a photographer costs in Pakistan.
Product photography setup at home for Rs 1,400
Product photography at home with mobile phones needs four things you may not own yet: something to hold the phone still, a white surface, a white backdrop and a way to press the shutter without touching the phone. On Daraz, a well-selling version of each came to Rs 1,366 in total. Prices are listing prices on October 3, 2026, before delivery charges.
| Item | What it does | Daraz price, October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Small phone tripod | Holds the phone at the same height and angle for every product | Rs 399 |
| White chart paper, 220 g, pack of 10 | Surface for small items, and a bounce card to soften shadows | Rs 310 |
| White backdrop cloth, 5×10 ft | Background for clothes, bags and shoes | Rs 359 |
| Bluetooth shutter remote | Takes the photo without shaking the phone | Rs 298 |
| Total | Rs 1,366 |
The rest is already in your house: a table or a stool near a window, masking tape, clothes pegs to pull loose fabric tight, and a plain white bedsheet if you would rather not buy the cloth. Bend one chart paper sheet into a curve from the table up the wall and tape it there. With no line where floor meets wall, the product looks like it sits on endless white.
Light: one window, room lights off
Shoot beside a window with daylight that does not fall straight on the product, and switch off every bulb and tube light in the room. Daylight is white; most room lights are warmer or greener. Mix them and one side of a white kurta turns yellow while the other stays white, and no app fixes that cleanly.
- Time of day. Shoot when the sun is not shining straight through your window. A north-facing window gives the same soft light most of the day.
- Direct sun. If the sun does come in, hang a thin white dupatta or a sheet of muslin over the window. It spreads the light and softens hard shadows.
- Shadows. Stand a white chart paper on the side away from the window, angled toward the product. It bounces light back into the shadow side.
- Flash off. The phone’s flash flattens texture and leaves a bright spot on anything glossy.
A folding 5-in-1 photography reflector lists at Rs 4,299–7,560 on Daraz as of October 2026. For a white bounce at table-top distance, a Rs 310 pack of chart paper does the same job. Daylight has one more advantage: it keeps working through load-shedding.
Phone camera settings for product photography
The answer for every phone is the same: use the main camera at 1x, turn off anything that edits the photo for you, and lock focus and exposure so twenty shots in a row look alike. The steps differ by brand.
On any phone
- Main lens. The ultra-wide lens (0.5x) bends straight edges. Step closer instead of zooming out.
- Beauty, AI and filters off. They smooth fabric texture and shift colours. The buyer expects the colour that arrives in the parcel.
- Grid on. It keeps the edges of a box or a folded suit straight.
- Clean the lens. A thumbprint on the lens gives every photo a haze. Wipe it with a soft cloth before each session.
On an iPhone
- AE/AF Lock. Apple’s camera tools guide says to tap where you want the focus and drag up or down beside it to adjust the exposure. To keep both for the next shots, touch and hold until AE/AF Lock appears. Tap the screen again to release it.
- Grid and Level. Settings, then Camera, then turn on Grid and Level.
- No filter or Style. On iPhone 12 models or earlier, pick Original in the Filter menu. On models with Photographic Styles, Apple says a Style applies to every photo until you change it or close Camera.
- 4:3, not 16:9. The camera offers 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9. Shoot 4:3 and crop to square later, so you keep more of the picture.
- Macro for jewellery. On supported models, Apple says the camera switches to macro on its own when you get as close as 2 centimetres, and it does this by moving to the ultra-wide lens. That is the one time the ultra-wide helps. Use it for stones, stitching and print detail.
On a Samsung Galaxy
- Pro mode. Samsung’s camera modes page says Pro mode lets you set ISO, shutter speed, exposure, filters, focus and white balance yourself. With the phone on a tripod, a low ISO gives cleaner pictures in window light.
- Scene optimiser. The same page describes it as an assistant that detects what is in the frame and adjusts the camera settings. If fabric colours come out brighter than the real piece, turn it off and compare.
On Xiaomi, Infinix, Tecno, Oppo and Vivo
The menu names change by brand and by software update. Look in the camera for a Pro or Manual mode, an AI switch and a beauty or retouch setting. Turn AI and beauty off, and use Pro mode if you want to fix white balance on daylight.
Is your phone good enough?
Probably yes. Run this test before you think about buying a new phone. It takes ten minutes and needs one product.
- Put a product with small printed text, such as a cream jar or a clothing tag, by the window on white chart paper.
- Take one photo from about 30 cm away with the main camera, then open it and zoom in on the text.
- Photograph the empty white paper on its own. It should look white, not grey or blue.
- Photograph your darkest piece, such as a black shawl or navy fabric, and zoom in on the weave.
If the text is sharp, the paper is white and the dark fabric still shows its texture, your phone is not the problem. If the dark fabric turns into a flat patch, add light before you spend on a phone: a second white card, a brighter window or a light box.
The shots each product needs
Every product needs one clean hero shot, a detail shot and one picture that shows size. A buyer who cannot judge the size or the fabric either asks on WhatsApp or guesses, and a wrong guess comes back as a refused parcel.
| Product | Shots to take |
|---|---|
| Lawn or unstitched suit | Shirt front laid flat, dupatta spread out, trouser fabric, a close-up of the embroidery or print, and the three pieces folded together as they arrive |
| Ready-to-wear | On a hanger against the backdrop or on a person, front and back, neckline and sleeve close-ups, and the size label |
| Jewellery | The set on white, a macro shot of the stones, one worn on the ear, wrist or neck, and one beside a coin for scale |
| Shoes | Side profile, the pair at an angle, the sole, the heel with a ruler beside it, and the inside label with the size |
| Bags | Front, back, inside with compartments open, the strap at full length, and the bag next to a phone or an A4 sheet |
| Cosmetics | Front label, back label with ingredients and expiry, the product open to show texture, and a swatch on skin in daylight |
Shoot the same angles in the same order for every product, so your store page reads like one collection. Keep the phone on the tripod at one height for the whole session, and change only the product. Photograph the actual piece you will send, not a sample from last season: a print that looks different in the parcel is a refused order. Our guide to reducing COD returns covers the rest of that problem.
Light box, ring light or photographer: prices in Pakistan
A light box is worth buying when you sell small things in volume: jewellery, watches, cosmetics, phone accessories. For clothes it rarely helps: the biggest boxes listed are 80 cm, shorter than a lawn shirt laid flat. Prices below are Daraz listings for folding photo studio boxes and light tents with built-in LED strips, as of October 2026.
| Light box size | Fits | Daraz price, October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 20–23 cm | Rings, earrings, lipsticks, small jars | Rs 1,695–4,799 |
| 30 cm | Watches, perfume bottles, skincare sets | Rs 4,500–15,000 |
| 40 cm | Small handbags, a single shoe, gift boxes | Rs 13,190–17,500 |
| 55–80 cm | Larger bags, a pair of shoes, folded clothes | Rs 19,950–27,499 |
Most 20 cm boxes come with two LED panels, and the best-selling ones list at about Rs 3,000. Many of the listings at Rs 2,900–3,800 ship from overseas, so check the seller’s location and the delivery estimate before you order.
A 26 cm ring light with a 7 ft stand lists at about Rs 649–2,199 as of October 2026. It is made for faces and makeup videos. On a glossy bottle, a polished stone or a watch face it leaves a round white reflection, so for still product photos the window is usually better. Buy one if you also record try-on or tutorial videos.
Product photography rates in Pakistan
Photographers do not publish one standard rate, and prices change with the city, the number of products and whether a model is involved. Get two or three quotes for the same brief, such as five products with four photos each, and ask each one:
- How the price is set. Per product, per finished photo or per day, and how many edited pictures you get for each product.
- The model. Whether a model is included or charged separately, for clothes and jewellery shot on a person.
- What editing is included. White background, colour matched to the real fabric, and straightened edges.
- Turnaround. How many days from handing over the pieces to getting the files.
- The files. Full-size files that you keep and can use on your store, Instagram and Daraz.
A photographer earns their fee for a launch collection, a lawn line shot on a model, or a banner for the top of your store. For the everyday listing of a restock, your phone and the window are enough.
Clean up with free tools
Edit for clean and accurate, not for pretty. Crop and straighten, brighten a dull picture, and put the product on plain white. Do not push the colours: the buyer will hold the parcel next to your photo.
- White background: turns product photos into clean, centred, square pictures on white.
- Background remover: cuts the product out as a transparent PNG for posters and banners.
- Photo enhancer: brightens dull phone photos taken on a cloudy day and fixes a colour tint.
- HEIC to JPG: turns iPhone HEIC photos into JPG files that WhatsApp Web, Daraz and store uploads accept.
- Watermark photos: puts your store name or logo on up to 20 product photos at once, so copied photos still carry it.
- Image compressor: shrinks files to 200 KB or 100 KB so your pages open fast on mobile data.
Sizes for your store, Instagram and WhatsApp
Square works almost everywhere. Shoot at full size, then export a copy for each place you post. Shopify’s own product media help page says square product images of 2048×2048 px usually display best, and it accepts up to 5000×5000 px or 25 megapixels, smaller than 20 MB.
| Where | Size | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify product | 2048×2048 | Shopify help, read October 3, 2026 |
| Storelala store | 1200×1200 | Our image resizer preset |
| Daraz | 1000×1000 | Our image resizer preset; check Daraz Seller Center for the current rules |
| Instagram post | 1080×1080 square, 1080×1350 portrait | Our image resizer presets |
| Instagram story, WhatsApp status | 1080×1920 | Our image resizer presets |
The product photo resizer has each of these as a preset. When WhatsApp or Instagram crops a tall photo, no crop for WhatsApp and Instagram fits the whole picture into a square, 4:5 or story frame with a blur or colour around it. Daraz sets its own image rules, so read the image guide in your Seller Center before you upload a batch.
Good photos need words beside them. Our guide to writing product descriptions covers fabric, size and care lines, and the WhatsApp Business catalog guide shows where the same photos go on WhatsApp. For the feed and stories, see selling on Instagram. If you prefer Urdu, read موبائل سے پروڈکٹ فوٹوگرافی.
Questions sellers ask
How do I do product photography at home with my mobile?
Put a table beside a window with indirect daylight, turn the room lights off, and lay a white chart paper or cloth under and behind the product. Fix the phone on a small tripod, use the main 1x camera with the flash and beauty filters off, lock focus and exposure on the product, and take the same set of shots for every piece.
What is the price of a light box for product photography in Pakistan?
On Daraz in October 2026, a 20–23 cm folding light box with LED panels listed at Rs 1,695–4,799, with the best sellers at about Rs 3,000. A 30 cm box listed at Rs 4,500–15,000, a 40 cm box at Rs 13,190–17,500, and 55–80 cm boxes at Rs 19,950–27,499. A 20 cm box suits rings, earrings and lipsticks. None of them fits a lawn shirt laid flat.
What are the best phone camera settings for product photography?
Use the main camera at 1x, turn the flash, beauty and AI filters off, and turn on the grid. Tap the product to focus, then lock focus and exposure so they do not drift between shots. On an iPhone that is AE/AF Lock; on a Samsung, Pro mode lets you set focus, exposure and white balance yourself.
Which is the best mobile phone for product photography?
The one you have, if it passes a simple test: photograph a printed label by the window and zoom in. If the small text is sharp and a white sheet looks white, the phone is good enough, and better light will help more than a new phone.
How much do product photographers charge in Pakistan?
Rates vary by city, by whether a model is involved, and by how much editing is included, and photographers do not publish one standard price. Send three of your products to two or three photographers, ask for a price per finished photo with background cleaning included, and compare like for like.
How many photos should each product have?
Four to six is a good working number: a clean front shot, the back or side, a close-up of the fabric, stones or texture, one that shows size, and the label or packaging if the buyer will check it on delivery.
Storelala is the Shopify alternative in Pakistan, and it runs from your phone. Add your first piece with a photo, price and sizes, sign up with Google, and your store goes live at yourbrand.storelala.com. Buyers pay by cash on delivery, JazzCash, Easypaisa or card, PostEx, Leopards and TCS are built in, and each order keeps its courier and tracking number. It is free, with no card needed. Start your store today.
