How to Photograph Your MOC With a Phone: Studio-Quality Brick Photos for Under $30

You spent forty hours designing your MOC. People will decide whether it's brilliant in about two seconds, from a thumbnail. That's unfair, but it's how the internet works, and it's also good news: great brick photography is a skill, not an equipment budget. With the phone in your pocket, two desk lamps and a sheet of paper, you can take photos that look like they came from a studio. Here's exactly how.

The 5 rules that fix 90% of brick photos

Soft light from the side, never the phone's flash.
A plain, curved background with nothing behind the model.
Step back and zoom in (2× or 3×) so the model isn't distorted.
Dust and fingerprints off before every session.
Edit lightly: straight, bright, true colours. That's it.

Why photos matter more than you think

Online, nobody can pick up your model. The photo is the product. On the BuyMeBricks MOC Store, your cover image is the thumbnail builders scroll past in the store and the preview that appears when someone shares your link. Two identical models with different photos will get completely different results.

Good photos do three jobs:

Stop the scroll. A clean, bright, well-lit thumbnail stands out in a grid of dark, cluttered ones.
Answer questions. What does the back look like? Is there an interior? How big is it? Every photo you add removes a reason not to buy.
Build trust. Real photos of a real build prove the model works, and true colours show buyers exactly what they'll get.

The kit: under $30, mostly things you own

Item	Why	Budget option
Your phone	Any phone from the last few years with a 2× or 3× lens is more than enough.	The one you have
A phone tripod or clamp	Sharp photos in low light, and identical framing for every shot.	A stack of books and a timer
Large white or light grey card	The seamless background.	A sheet of A2 paper or poster board
Two lamps with daylight bulbs	Controllable, consistent light. Choose the same bulbs, around 5000–5600 K.	A large window on a cloudy day
Diffusion	Turns harsh light into soft light.	Baking paper or a white shower curtain
White card reflector	Fills shadows on the dark side of the model.	A cereal box covered in white paper
Soft brush and microfibre cloth	Dust and fingerprints show up brutally in close-ups.	A clean make-up brush
Reusable putty	Holds figures, accessories and small props in place.	—

Build a seamless backdrop

Photographers call it a sweep or infinity curve: a sheet of paper that curves from the table up to a wall with no visible corner, so the model seems to float in clean space.

Push a table against a wall, or put a large box behind your model.
Tape the top of the paper to the wall or the box, and let it curve gently down onto the table. Don't fold it: the curve is what hides the horizon.
Place the model well forward on the flat part, so it's far from the background. That distance makes the background easier to light evenly and keeps shadows off it.

Which colour? White is the classic for store photos: clean, bright and easy to edit. Light grey is more forgiving and makes white models stand out. Black looks dramatic for spaceships and night scenes, but hides dark parts. Keep the same backdrop for every photo of a model, so the set of images looks like one series.

Lighting: three setups that work

Light makes or breaks a brick photo. Bricks are glossy, so hard light creates hotspots and harsh shadows. You want big, soft light, which means a large light source, diffused, close to the model.

🪟 Window + reflector

Free, beautiful, and perfect to start.

Set up beside a large window, with indirect daylight (no direct sun). Put baking paper on the glass if the light is harsh. Place a white card on the opposite side to lift the shadows.

💡 Two lamps at 45°

The reliable studio look, any time of day.

One lamp front-left at 45°, slightly above the model (the key light). A second lamp front-right, further away or dimmer (the fill). Diffuse both. The difference in strength gives depth.

✨ Add a rim light

The pro touch for dark models.

A small light behind and above the model, pointed back towards it, outlines the edges and separates dark builds from the background. Keep it out of the lens.

⚠️ Never mix light colours

A warm ceiling lamp plus cool daylight from a window gives one side of your model an orange cast and the other a blue one, and no edit can fully fix it. Turn off the room lights, close the curtains if you use lamps, and use identical bulbs.

Prepare the model

Close-ups magnify everything. Five minutes of prep saves an hour of retouching.

Dust it with a soft brush, top to bottom.
Remove fingerprints from tiles, windscreens and transparent parts with a microfibre cloth. Handle the model by the base from now on.
Press every part down. A plate lifted by a fraction of a millimetre throws a visible line of shadow.
Align the details: printed tiles straight, doors closed or fully open, figures facing where they should, wheels straight.
Check the back, even if you think it won't show. It will, in at least one shot.

Phone settings that make the difference

Use the 2× or 3× lens, and step back. The main wide lens up close makes the front of a model look huge and the back tiny. A longer lens from further away gives natural proportions, like a product photo. Avoid digital zoom past the lens's native range: it just crops and loses quality.
Tap to focus, then lock it. Press and hold on the model to lock focus and exposure (often labelled AE/AF lock), so it doesn't shift between shots.
Lower the exposure slightly. After locking, slide the brightness down a touch. A slightly dark photo is easy to brighten; a blown-out white tile can't be recovered.
Turn on the grid to keep horizons and walls straight.
Use the timer or a remote (or your headphone volume button) so tapping the screen doesn't shake the phone.
Avoid portrait mode for main product photos. The artificial blur often cuts into the edges of the model. It's fine for an atmospheric lifestyle shot.
Pro mode, if you have one: lowest ISO, white balance fixed (not auto, so every shot matches), and RAW if you're comfortable editing.
Flash off. Always.

The shot list: 10 photos every MOC needs

#	Shot	Why buyers want it
1	Hero: front three-quarter view, slightly from above	Your cover image. Shows front, side and depth at once.
2	Straight front	The "face" of the model, especially for buildings.
3	Side	Shows the profile and the depth.
4	Back	Answers the first question everyone asks: is it finished at the back?
5	Top-down	Layouts, roofs, vignettes and interiors.
6–7	Two or three details	Your clever techniques and nice part usage. Builders love these.
8	Interior or open view	Lift the roof, open the doors, separate the modules.
9	Scale shot	Next to a hand, a mug or a figure, so people understand the size.
10	Lifestyle	On a real shelf or desk. Helps buyers imagine it at home.

Bonus shots that perform well on social media: the part pile before the build, a time-lapse of the build, and the model with its instructions.

Angles and composition

Shoot at the model's eye level for drama. Lower the phone to the height of a figure standing in the scene and suddenly the model feels life-size.
Shoot slightly from above for clarity. Store covers usually work best a little above the model, where buyers can see the roof and the front at the same time.
Vehicles look powerful from low, front three-quarters, with the wheels turned slightly towards the camera.
Leave breathing room around the model. Thumbnails get cropped: the store cards show your cover in a 4:3 frame, and social networks crop to square or portrait. Keep the whole model inside the safe middle area.
Keep verticals vertical. Leaning walls make buildings look like they're falling. Hold the phone level and use the grid.
One subject per photo. Remove anything that doesn't help: spare parts, cables, the edge of the paper.

Tricky subjects: transparent, black, white and huge

🔍 Transparent parts

Light them from behind or the side so they glow, rather than from the front where they reflect. A black card just out of frame removes reflections in windscreens.

⬛ Black and dark models

Add a rim light and a reflector, and use a light grey backdrop. Expose for the model, then pull the background back to white in editing.

⬜ White and light models

Use a light grey or coloured backdrop so the edges don't vanish, and lower the exposure to keep detail in the white parts.

🏙️ Big builds and layouts

Shoot from further away with the longest lens, and light the whole scene evenly with two lamps bounced off the ceiling or a white wall. Photograph sections separately for details.

Editing in 5 minutes

Free apps like Snapseed or the free tier of Lightroom mobile do everything you need. Edit in this order:

Crop and straighten. Level the base, leave space around the model.
White balance. Use the eyedropper on the white background so it turns neutral, without a yellow or blue tint.
Exposure and whites. Brighten until the background is clean white, but stop before the white parts of your model lose their detail.
Shadows. Lift them a little so the dark side of the model shows detail.
Clean up. Use the healing tool for dust specks and the edge of the paper.
A touch of sharpening, and stop.

🎯 True colours beat pretty colours

Don't push saturation or use filters on store photos. Builders compare your photos with the parts they receive, and colours like dark grey, black, tan and dark tan are easy to confuse once a filter shifts them. Accurate colours mean happy buyers and fewer questions.

Renders or photos?

Photo-realistic renders from Studio look great and are perfect while a design is still digital. But builders trust real photos more, because a photo proves the model holds together. The best listings use a render or two to show build sections, and real photos for the cover and the rest.

Sizes for the store and social media

Where	Shape	Tip
BuyMeBricks MOC Store	Cover shown in a 4:3 frame	JPG, PNG or WebP up to 10 MB. Covers are resized to 1,600 px, so upload at least that wide. Add up to 8 more photos.
Instagram feed	4:5 portrait (1080 × 1350)	Portrait takes the most space in the feed. Carousels of 5–10 photos perform well.
Stories, Reels, TikTok, Shorts	9:16 vertical (1080 × 1920)	Keep text and the model away from the top and bottom, where buttons cover them.
YouTube thumbnail	16:9 (1280 × 720)	Big model, big contrast, three words of text at most.

Shoot with space around the model and you can crop one photo into all of these.

Use your photos to sell

Great photos deserve to be seen. On the BuyMeBricks MOC Store, you upload a cover and extra photos with your part list and instructions, and builders can order every part of your model in one click. You keep 85% of the designer fee on each sale. Our guide on selling your MOC takes you through it step by step.

Your cover is your ad. Use the hero shot. Test a new cover if a model gets views but few orders.
Encourage build photos. Buyers can post photos of their finished build on your MOC page, and every one is social proof for the next buyer.
Share with a purpose. Post your photos with a link to your MOC page. If you join the BuyMeBricks affiliate programme, your shared links also earn you a cash commission on the orders they bring.

Photos ready? Put your MOC in front of builders.

Publish it free or with a designer fee. Builders get every part and your instructions in one order.

Become a creator → Browse the MOC Store

FAQ

Can I take good MOC photos with just a phone?

Yes. Light, background and preparation matter far more than the camera. Any recent phone with a 2× or 3× lens, soft light from the side and a seamless paper backdrop gives store-quality photos.

What's the best background for brick photography?

A seamless sweep of white or light grey paper, curved from the table up to the wall. White is the classic for store photos; light grey suits white models; black suits dramatic spaceship and night shots.

Why do my photos look yellow or blue?

Mixed light sources or automatic white balance. Use one type of light, turn off room lights, and correct the white balance in editing with the eyedropper on the background.

How do I avoid reflections on transparent parts?

Light transparent parts from behind or the side rather than the front, and hold a black card just out of frame to absorb reflections.

Should I use renders or real photos to sell my MOC?

Both, but lead with real photos. Renders are great for showing build sections, while real photos prove the model holds together and show true colours.