# How to photograph a product for 3D modeling > Shoot the product straight from the front, back, left and right, then from the four corners at three-quarter angles, and from above and below if there are details there. Place a tape measure right against the product, step back a couple of meters and zoom in to avoid distortion. Use soft light without flash, and take separate close-ups of fasteners, joints, markings and texture. Send the original files, not copies compressed by a messenger. Source: https://gluke.ru/knowledge/photo-for-3d · Author: Alexander Glukhov · Updated: 2026-10-08 When there are no drawings and the sample can't be shipped, the model is built from photos. Good photos save days of back-and-forth: the 3D artist doesn't have to guess what's around the corner or how big a part is. Here is how to shoot so the photos can be used to build a model, not just to look at. ## Which angles to shoot The main rule: the lens points straight at a side of the product, at the height of its middle. That shot is the closest thing to a drawing, and proportions can be measured from it. > **Illustration:** Top view: the product in the middle of a circle with eight camera positions around it — four straight at the sides and four at three-quarter angles — plus separate shots from above and below. > > Four main shots straight at the sides, four from the corners at three-quarter angles. From above and below if there are details there. 1. **Four sides**: front, back, left, right. 2. **Four corners at three-quarter angles.** They show how one side turns into the next. 3. **Above and below**, if there are details there: feet, connectors, vents, markings. 4. **Moving parts**: a shot in every position, open and closed, folded and unfolded. There is no such thing as too many shots: dropping a photo is easy, reshooting after the product has gone is not. ## How to show scale A photo doesn't tell size unless there is something to compare against. Place a tape measure or ruler **in the same plane as the side you're shooting**, right against it. If the tape lies closer to the camera, it comes out larger in the frame and every dimension read from it drifts. > **Illustration:** Side view: a camera, a product and a tape measure of the same height. Top: the tape stands right against the product and matches it in the frame. Bottom: the tape stands closer to the camera and covers more of the frame than the product. > > The tape and the product are the same height. Against the product they match in the frame; closer to the camera the tape "grows", and the product looks smaller than it is. Also write down the overall dimensions — length, width and height — and a couple of key measurements: a hole diameter, a wall thickness, the distance between the feet. Three numbers measured with a tape beat any estimate from a photo. ## Why you should step back and zoom in The closer the camera, the stronger the perspective: the near part of the product swells, the far part shrinks, verticals lean. On a phone this is most visible with the ultra-wide lens (0.5×). > **Illustration:** Two diagrams. Top: the camera stands right next to the product with a wide field of view, and in the photo the top of the product narrows sharply into the distance. Bottom: the camera stands far away with a narrow field of view, and the product in the photo is almost undistorted. > > Up close with a wide lens the product is distorted. From a distance with zoom it is almost as flat as on a drawing. Step back 2–3 meters and zoom in on the product — 2× or 3× on a phone. In the frame the product will look almost like a drawing, and its proportions will be right. ## Light and background - **Soft light**: an overcast day by a window, a room with even overhead light, a softbox. Direct sun and flash create glare that hides texture and hard shadows that are easy to mistake for details. - **A plain background that contrasts with the product**: a light product on dark, a dark product on light. That keeps the outline visible. - **[Gloss](https://gluke.ru/knowledge/glossary#gloss)** reflects everything around it. To make clear what is a reflection and what is a pattern, take two shots from slightly different angles. > **Illustration:** Two diagrams. Top: the product shot with flash, with a bright glare on the front and a hard shadow. Bottom: the product lit by soft light from a window, with the faces readable by tone and a soft shadow. > > Head-on flash gives glare and a hard shadow. Soft side light shows the shape through the faces and doesn't hide the texture. ## Close-ups The wide shot shows the shape; close-ups show what makes a model look real: how the product is put together and what it is made of. > **Illustration:** The product in the middle with four magnified fragments around it: a screw, a joint between two parts, a label with markings and the surface texture. > > Four things that almost always need a separate close-up. - **Fasteners**: screws, rivets, latches — the head shape, whether it is recessed. - **Joints and seams**: where parts meet and how wide the gap is. - **Markings**: logos, lettering, stickers, nameplates. Better to send the logo separately as a vector file. - **Texture**: textured plastic, brushed metal, woven fabric. Shoot with light from the side so the relief casts a shadow. ## What about color? A photo is an unreliable source of color: a phone camera adjusts white balance and contrast on its own, and the same product looks different in two shots. For color you need a RAL or Pantone code, or better, a physical sample of the finish. The photos are still useful: they show where each color goes. More in [How to specify color and material](https://gluke.ru/knowledge/color-and-materials). ## How to send the photos - **Originals**, no editing or filters. - **In Telegram, as a file**, not as a photo, or the messenger compresses the images and wipes out small details. Or use a cloud folder. - **Labeled**: sort into folders or name the files — "front", "back", "fasteners". Nobody will make sense of a hundred IMG_4021 files a month later. ## What it looks like in practice In the [HouseGuru](https://gluke.ru/projects/house-guru) and [Alphatent](https://gluke.ru/projects/alphatent) projects the models were built from physical product samples rather than drawings: proportions and details were taken from the product itself. Which other source materials help, and what to do if you have drawings, is covered in [What materials a 3D artist needs](https://gluke.ru/knowledge/source-materials). ## Common mistakes - Sending only marketing photos from the website: they are retouched, shot in perspective and show one flattering side. - Shooting handheld, up close, with the ultra-wide lens. - Putting the tape measure in front of the product, closer to the camera. - Using head-on flash: the glare covers half the front panel. - Sending the shots as compressed images in a messenger. ## Checklist 1. Four sides, straight on, at the height of the product's middle. 2. Four corners at three-quarter angles; above and below if there are details there. 3. A tape measure right against the product, in the plane of the side being shot; overall dimensions as numbers. 4. Step back 2–3 meters and zoom in. 5. Soft light without flash, a plain contrasting background. 6. Close-ups: fasteners, joints, markings, texture. 7. A color code or finish sample, separately from the photos. 8. Original files, labeled by angle.