Most gifts get photographed — for the group chat, for whoever contributed, for the person who could not be there, or just to have.
Four setups, none of which needs anything you do not have.
1. The object, on its own
Near a window, on a plain surface, indoor lights off.
Daylight from the side is the whole technique. A table by a window during the day beats every lamp arrangement, and switching the room lights off removes the orange cast that makes everything look cheap. Why indoor photographs print orange →
Shoot slightly from above, not straight down. Straight down is a catalogue photograph. About thirty degrees looks like something on a table.
2. Open, showing a page
For anything with pages — the shot that actually communicates what it is.
⚠️ Turn the flash off, and tilt the book slightly. A page photographed flat under a light throws a reflection back, which is exactly the problem non-glare paper exists to avoid — and a phone flash will produce a bright patch in the middle of the spread every time. Non-glare paper →
Choose a spread with something on it, not the title page.
3. Being held
The one that reads as real rather than as a product shot. Hands in frame give it scale and stop it looking like a listing.
Somebody else holding it, photographed by you, is easier than doing both.
4. The person with it
The shot everyone forgets, and the one that matters later.
Not posed with it held up — that is a certificate photograph. Just them, with it, looking at it. Take it from slightly to the side, without announcing it, in the minute after they opened it.
In five years this is the only photograph of the gift anybody wants. The photographs nobody thinks to take →
| Shot | Needs | For |
|---|---|---|
| Object alone, by a window | Daylight, plain surface | The group chat |
| Open on a spread | Flash off, slight tilt | Showing what it is |
| Being held | Somebody else’s hands | Scale, and realism |
| Them with it | Not announcing it | Five years later |
Before you send it to everyone
If contributors are in the group, send the photographs before the gift is given only if the recipient is not in that chat. It sounds obvious and it is a common leak. How to keep a surprise a surprise →
If it is a personalised object
⚠️ Check what is legible before posting it publicly.
A photograph of an open photo book can carry a full name, a date, an address on a printed ticket, or a child’s face — and a group chat is not the same as a public post.
Photograph a spread that shows the object without showing the contents, or crop. Photographs of other people’s children →
Frequently asked
How do I photograph a gift well? Near a window in daylight, indoor lights off, from about thirty degrees rather than straight down.
How do I photograph a photo book without glare? Flash off, and tilt the book slightly rather than holding it flat under a light.
What is the best photo to take? The person with it, taken from the side without announcing it, in the minute after they opened it.
Should I post it publicly? Check what is legible first. An open page can carry a full name, a date or a child’s face.
When should I send photos to the group chat? After the gift is given, unless you are certain the recipient is not in that chat.
Part of our guide to giving gifts well. See also: how to present a gift on the day and the photographs nobody thinks to take.
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