How to Photograph Pottery With Your Phone

Good pottery photos sell pots, win applications and help you remember what you made. You do not need a camera or a studio. A phone, a window and a plain background are enough.

This guide is about making your pots look the way they look in real life, not about fancy filters.

Start with light

Light is 90 percent of the picture.

Use window light. Put the pot next to a window with no direct sun hitting it. Soft, bright, indirect light is ideal.
Skip the flash. It creates harsh reflections and flat color.
Avoid mixed light. Turn off lamps so warm indoor bulbs don't tint the photo.
Diffuse harsh light. Hang a white sheet or thin curtain over the window if the sun is strong.
Add a reflector. A piece of white card on the shadow side fills in dark areas.

Cloudy days are better than sunny days for pottery.

Use a simple background

A plain background keeps attention on the pot.

White, light gray or a soft neutral works for most work.
A large sheet of paper curved from the table to the wall makes a seamless backdrop.
Dark glazes look good on a light background, and pale glazes on a mid-tone.
Avoid busy patterns, clutter and bright colors that bounce onto your pot.

Set up the phone

Clean the lens with a soft cloth.
Stabilize. Use a small tripod or lean the phone on a stack of books.
Shoot at the pot's level for the main shot, not from above.
Tap to focus on the pot and lower the exposure slightly if highlights are blown out.
Use the main camera, not the selfie camera, and avoid digital zoom.

The five shots every pot needs

Front view. The hero shot, straight on.
Side or three-quarter view. Shows depth, handle and shape.
Top view for bowls, plates and the inside of mugs.
Detail. A close-up of the glaze, texture or foot.
Scale. The pot in a hand, or next to a common object, so buyers know the size.

These also work well for your own records. In Claybook, add wet, glaze-day and fired photos to each piece. See how to add photos to your pottery journal.

Handle reflections

Glossy glaze reflects windows and lights.

Move the pot or yourself slightly to shift the reflection off the area that matters.
Put the light source to the side, not behind the phone.
Put a white card on the reflective side to soften highlights.
Try a slightly angled view so the reflection lands on a non-critical area.

Edit lightly and honestly

Crop to a consistent shape, such as a square.
Raise brightness a little if needed.
Check that the glaze color on your screen matches the pot in the room.
Skip heavy filters. Buyers feel cheated when a pot looks different when it arrives.

Keep a series consistent

If you sell online, use the same background, angle and lighting for all your pots so the shop looks like one body of work. Name your files by piece and view, such as "blue-mug-front.jpg".

Use the photos to track your work

A photo of every stage tells a story: wet clay, leather hard, bisque, glazed and fired. Photographing your pottery also helps you price your work and keep a record for repeat orders. Read how to document your pottery like a pro and how to price your pottery.