5 Product Photography Tips for E-Commerce Success

Online shoppers can't pick up your products, so the photos have to do that for them. The photo is how someone decides whether to buy, and it's most of what they know about your brand.

That holds for handmade ornaments and for the latest gadget. These five tips will help your photos do their job.

5 Product Photography Tips

1. Lighting: The Base of Every Good Photo

Lighting does more for a product photo than anything else you control. It sets the mood, shows the detail and decides how a product reads.

Natural light. A window gives soft, diffused light that shows true color and texture. Keep the product out of direct sun, which throws hard shadows and burns out detail. For simple setups, see our easy one-light setups for product photography.

Artificial light. When window light isn't an option, a basic kit with a couple of softboxes or umbrellas gives you even light that's the same at every hour.

Backlighting. For translucent products, glassware or liquids in clear bottles, a light behind the product shows its shape and gives it a glow.

2. Backgrounds: Setting the Stage

The background should keep attention on the product and fit the brand.

White backgrounds. Pure white is the standard for e-commerce product photos, especially on Amazon. Nothing competes with the product, and the whole catalog looks like one set. Our white background product photography is where most online sellers start.

Contextual backgrounds. For lifestyle products, show the product where it gets used. A blanket on a couch. A backpack on a trail. These help a shopper picture owning the thing.

3. Composition and Styling

Composition is how you arrange the frame so the picture feels balanced.

Rule of thirds. Three rows, three columns. In lifestyle and banner images, a product on one of the lines or crossings usually looks better than dead center.

Leading lines. The edge of a table or a row of props can walk the eye to the product.

Negative space. Don't fill the frame. Room around the product looks cleaner and gives it more weight.

Styling. Props add appeal and a bit of story. A watch beside a pair of cufflinks, utensils on a styled counter. Keep them few. The moment a prop competes with the product, it goes.

4. Image Quality and Editing

Shoppers zoom in. Shoot at high resolution so the detail holds up close.

Sharpness. The whole product in focus, and a tripod so nothing blurs when the light is low.

Color accuracy. Customers expect the product to match the photo, especially clothing, jewelry and home decor. Calibrate the monitor and correct color when you edit.

Retouching. Dust, scratches and blemishes go. The product stays as it is. An over-retouched photo gets the sale and then gets the return.

5. Consistency: One Look Across Your Store

Consistency is what makes a store look professional and a brand easy to recognize.

Consistent lighting and backgrounds. Same light, same background across the catalog.

Uniform styling and editing. Edit every photo in the same style, so the store reads as one place rather than a flea market.

Branding elements. Where it fits, a subtle touch of your brand colors. Keep logos off marketplace main images, which have their own rules.

For more ideas, read our ecommerce product photography tips.

If you'd rather send your products to a studio, see our e-commerce product photography services and pricing.