High-quality product photos can make or break your website’s success. Whether you run an e-commerce store, a portfolio page, or a page showcasing your services, great images can dramatically influence buyer decisions. Luckily, taking great product photos doesn’t require a massive budget or a professional studio—just the right techniques and some smart gear choices. Here is my useful guide to getting the best product photos for your website. I’ve also included some affiliate links in this list, which means I can get some perks at no cost to you.
Why does it matter?
Before diving into the tips and gear recommendations, let’s talk about why good product photography is crucial:
- First impressions count: Online, your product images are often the first thing customers notice. If the photo doesn’t show the product at its best then they won’t buy it.
- Builds trust: Professional-looking photos increase customer confidence in the product’s quality. Businesses that don’t care about the quality of their photos and/or packaging might not care about the quality of their product. Of course this isn’t always the case but it’s how buying psychology works.
- Boosts conversions: Great images can increase the likelihood of customers making a purchase. Same as a great website, and great user interaction. Remove all the obstacles and make it easy for the customer to follow through with buying.
- Reduces returns: Clear, well-lit images that show all the details makes it really clear what the customer is getting, reducing misunderstandings about the product’s appearance.
Now, let’s break down how to take great product photos.
Teach Me!
Get your lighting right
Lighting is one of the most critical aspects of product photography. Whether you’re working with natural light or artificial light, the goal is to ensure even, shadow-free illumination, which doesn’t change the colour of the product.
- Natural Light: If you’re on a budget, natural light is your friend. Set up your shoot near a large window to flood your scene with soft, indirect light. Mornings and late afternoons work best for a diffused, even glow.
- Artificial Light: For more control over lighting, you can invest in softbox lighting kits or LED lights. These will give you the flexibility to shoot at any time of day and in any space.
Some of my fav gear:
- Ikea Ring Light: I love this thing. It wasn’t cheap but I find it handy to add some extra white light into my desk when I need to take photos and you can take the bendy phone hoper out and position it in different places. Or just use the light base with a tripod instead depending on what angle your trying to get.
- Clip on Ring Light: Similar to my Ikea one, this one comes on a bulldog clip, so great to attach to a pole or shelf when you need to add extra light into a dark corner. It also comes with a small bendy tripod which is a bit tricky to get stable but it sometimes handy.
- Clip on Square Light: Similar to the round one but in a square shape. Has 3 colour wars so you can add more white or more warmth depending on what you need.
Stop the wiggle
Shaky hands can lead to blurry images, even if you have the best camera. Using a tripod ensures stability and allows you to fine-tune your framing without worrying about holding the camera steady. This also allows you to set the scene and make slight adjustments to the photos without having to reset the camera position. These are also great for making reels for social media, especially if you talk to the camera.
Some of my fav gear:
- Mini Tripod: This one isn’t technically a tripod because it doesn’t have three legs, but its a great little device which magnets on to the back of your phone and can help to take great photos and videos while your using products. It is a bit pricey but there another product that looks like it works similarly but I haven’t tried it.
- Traditional Tripod: This one is great when you want something more steady and it can take a DSLR camera too if you’re using that. It takes up a decent amount of floor space which makes it more steady.
- Bendy Tripod: This little thing is super handy for when you need to be in a weird photo for taking a photo. You can wrap the legs around a shelf or pole to keep your phone steady while taking a weird angle.
Make the product the focus
Your background should enhance your product without overpowering it. Most product photos benefit from a clean, simple background that keeps the focus on the item. A white, black or neutral-colored backdrop is ideal for creating consistent and professional-looking shots. Having too many other things in the photo can affect the focus. You can always add more busy photos to a product listing, but the one that shows on the catalogue should be clean and simple.
Backdrops take up space, they can be really annoying. So plan your photo taking well. If you are a brick and mortar shop, then do it after hours when you can setup the best spot with the best lighting. Or have extra staff on so that you can concentrate on getting it done quickly in the right spot rather then the most convenient spot.
Some of my fav gear:
- Large Backdrop and Stand: This has a collapsible panel with white on one side and black on the other. Don’t be fooled by the collapsible part, it’s still very steady and I struggle to get it to collapse when I want to! The panel has loops that you can pin to a wall if you have a permanent location, or it comes with a stand to set up for mobile. This is great for taking photos of bigger items and of people.
- Small Backdrop and Stand: For small items that you can shoot on a table this backdrop and stands super handy. The panels you can clip up are longer so you can have them behind and underneath smaller items. The great thing about this one is that you can use the stand for other things as well like fabric and lace if you want to mix things up.
- Fabric: Go plain texture, in natural, black or white depending on your branding. Choose something non reflective so don’t use satin or silk. And get it big so that you can cover bigger surfaces. If you are choosing white or natural then buy multiple pieces so if it gets mark you have a spare.
Get the angle right
Often with product photography, shooting from a slight angle rather than directly from above or at eye level works best. It adds dimension to the product and makes it more visually interesting. However, it’s important to experiment with different angles and compositions to see what best showcases your item. Using a tripod makes this easier because you can make light adjustments to the product without having to adjust the camera position each time.
- Multiple Views: Provide various angles—front, side, back, and close-up shots—so customers can see every detail.
- Product Context: For some products, like lifestyle items or fashion, show them in use to give customers an idea of how they work or fit.
- Importance: Consider what’s most important about your product. Make sure the first photo shows that clearly to help convert a looker into a clicker (and then hopefully a buyer!).
Do not zoom!
If you are using a DSLR camera then this isn’t an issue, as those cameras use optical zoom which retains the quality. But most phones use digital zoom which reduces the quality of the image. So instead of using digital zoom, just get closer to the image. And try to aim for negative space around the focus of the photo so that you can have some room for cropping when you get to editing.
Editing is important
Post-production is key to making your photos pop. Basic adjustments like exposure, contrast, and color correction can transform your images from good to great. And cropping the image can remove some background issues. Consider some of these options and see if they work for your brand.
- Brightening up your images can make them easier to see on small devices.
- Cropping images to square can make a nice uniform shape for a shop catalogue.
- Adjust white balance can help to make your photos match each other, this is especially helpful if you are taking at different times of the day and some might be more warm because there’s more sunlight.
- Sometimes it’s easier to fix it in post. Is there something in the background that needs to go? Is there a shadow you don’t like? Is that some dirt or dust in the way? Spot healing tools can make fixing images super quick and easy.
You don’t need expensive software—there are plenty of free or affordable tools to help.
- Canva: Free and user-friendly, great for beginners needing quick edits.
- GIMP: An open-source, professional-level editing software.
- Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop: And of course there’s the top level photo editing tools but can be costly if you don’t have another use for it.
Or if this is too much for you, hire a graphic designer or photographer to do it for you!
Extra goodies
There is an unlimited amount of things you can find to make your photographer journey a bit easier. And some are a total waste of money! But here is some of my favs:
- Remote Trigger: When you need extra hands! I can move a product around in small increments and keep snapping photos, great for making videos with your photos. And for taking photos of yourself for your about page.
- Selfie Stick: This one also has a tripod on the bottom which makes it a handy backup. I take on camping trips so I can take some scenery photos for socials. It also has a remote trigger included which is great!
In Conclusion
Taking great product photos doesn’t require an expensive studio setup or years of experience. By focusing on proper lighting, stability, backgrounds, and editing, you can create professional-quality images that will showcase your products and help them sell. Start with basic gear like a smartphone and some inexpensive lighting, and as your skills grow, you can invest in more specialized equipment.
With the right approach and tools, you’ll be on your way to creating product photos that stand out and resonate with your customers.
