How to Photograph Your Own Nails (With Just a Phone)

You do a set you are pleased with, take a photo, and it looks nothing like it does in front of you. The colour is off, the shine has gone flat, and your hand looks strange. None of that is your nails, and none of it needs a better phone.

The four things that matter

Daylight, from the side. Face a window, or stand just beside one, in the daytime. Gel has a shine, and shine needs a soft broad light source to look like shine rather than glare. Overhead bulbs cast a yellow tint that ruins any pale or neutral shade in particular.

Flash off, always. A phone flash is a tiny hard light inches from a glossy surface, which is the worst possible combination. It flattens colour and produces a white hotspot exactly where the shine should be.

A relaxed hand. Most people stiffen their fingers and splay them, which looks unnatural. Let the hand curl slightly, as if resting it on something, and photograph at a slight angle rather than flat on. Resting your hand on an actual object, a mug or a book, solves it instantly because the hand does what it would normally do.

Plain behind it. A kitchen worktop, a jumper, a towel. A busy background pulls attention off the thing you are photographing.

Getting the colour right

Phones adjust brightness to whatever they think matters, which is usually your skin rather than your nails. Tap the screen on a nail before you shoot so it exposes for that, and if the whole photo is then too dark, slide the exposure down slightly rather than up: a marginally darker photo keeps colour, while a bright one washes shades out. Deep shades like reds and burgundies are the most affected, which is why they so often photograph brighter and flatter than they look.

1. Deep Cherry

Deep reds are the hardest shade to photograph and the most rewarding when you get the light right, which makes them a good one to practise on. See Deep Cherry.

2. Snow Pearl

Pearl and shimmer finishes only show their depth in daylight, so they are the clearest demonstration of why window light matters. See Snow Pearl.

If you are sending us a photo

Two practical notes. Photograph in the first few days, while the set is at its best, and take two: one close, one showing the whole hand, because the close shot shows the finish and the wider one shows how it actually looks worn. If you leave a review with a photo we send a free gift with delivery on us, and the details are on the review reward page. Honest photos of real nails on real hands are considerably more useful to the next person than anything we could stage.

Quick answers

Why do my nails look different in photos?

Almost always the light. Gel is glossy, and a phone flash or a ceiling bulb either blows out the shine or adds a yellow tint. Daylight from a window fixes most of it.

Should I use flash to photograph my nails?

No. A flash is a small hard light very close to a shiny surface, which flattens the colour and creates a white hotspot exactly where the shine should be.

How do I pose my hand for a nail photo?

Relax it rather than splaying your fingers, and rest it on something like a mug or a book so it falls naturally. Shoot at a slight angle rather than straight down.

Why do dark nail colours photograph badly?

Phones expose for your skin rather than your nails, which overexposes deep shades and washes them out. Tap the screen on a nail first, and lower the exposure slightly if needed.

Velvora makes semi-cured gel nail strips, nail polish strips and nail care in the UK. Gel sets are 20 strips for £11.99, pedicure sets £12.99 and no-lamp polish strips £5, all TPO and HEMA free. Free UK delivery over £35. Browse the full collection or start with the beginner guide.

Related reading: the review reward and choosing shades for your skin tone.