Why Product Photography Makes or Breaks Sales
Online shoppers cannot touch or try your products. Photos are the next best thing. Research shows:
75% of shoppers rely on product photos when deciding to buy
Products with high-quality images see 94% more views than those with poor photos
22% of returns happen because products look different than expected in photos
The good news: you do not need a professional studio or expensive camera. Your smartphone and a few simple techniques can produce images that rival professional photography.
Essential Equipment (Under $50)
You likely already have everything you need:
Smartphone with a decent camera (any phone from the last 3-4 years works)
Natural light source (a window)
White poster board or foam core ($5-10 for background)
Tape or clips to secure the background
Tripod or phone stand ($15-25, optional but recommended)
That is it. No studio, no ring lights, no professional lenses required for getting started.
Lighting: The Most Important Factor
Natural Light Is Your Best Friend
Position your setup near a large window. Natural light produces soft, even illumination that makes products look their best.
Best time: overcast days or indirect sunlight
Avoid: direct sunlight (creates harsh shadows)
Direction: position the window to the side of your product for depth
Diffusion: if sunlight is too strong, hang a white sheet over the window
The DIY Light Box
For small products like jewelry, cosmetics, or accessories, create a simple light box:
Cut the sides out of a cardboard box
Cover the openings with white tissue paper
Place a white backdrop inside
Position the box near a window
The tissue paper diffuses light for even, shadow-free illumination
Avoid These Lighting Mistakes
Mixed lighting (window light plus overhead fluorescent creates color casts)
Overhead-only lighting (creates unflattering top-down shadows)
Flash (phone flash produces harsh, flat lighting)
Low light (leads to grainy, noisy images)
Backgrounds and Composition
White Background Shots
Every product needs clean white-background images for your main product listing:
Tape white poster board to a wall, letting it curve onto a table
Place your product on the curved section (no visible crease)
Position your phone on a tripod 2-3 feet away
Ensure the product fills 80% of the frame
Take photos from directly in front at product height
Lifestyle Shots
Lifestyle images show your product in context and help customers imagine owning it:
Fashion items: flat lays on textured surfaces, or on a model
Beauty products: bathroom counters, vanity setups, natural settings
Home decor: styled room settings with complementary items
Food products: table settings, kitchen environments
Angles That Sell
Capture each product from multiple angles:
Front view -- the hero shot for your product listing
45-degree angle -- adds depth and dimension
Detail shots -- textures, labels, unique features
Scale reference -- show the product next to a common object or in someone's hand
Back and side views -- builds confidence that the product matches expectations
Phone Camera Settings
Before You Shoot
Clean your lens -- fingerprints cause hazy photos
Set to highest resolution -- you can always resize down
Turn off flash -- always use natural or continuous light
Enable gridlines -- use the rule of thirds for better composition
Lock focus and exposure -- tap and hold on your product to lock settings
Shooting Tips
Use the rear camera -- it has better optics than the selfie camera
Do not zoom digitally -- move closer instead (digital zoom reduces quality)
Take many shots -- capture 20-30 photos per angle and pick the best ones
Use burst mode -- helps capture the sharpest moment
Keep the phone steady -- use a tripod or rest your elbows on the table
Editing Your Photos
Free Editing Apps
Snapseed (Google) -- best free all-around editor
VSCO -- great for consistent filters and color grading
Lightroom Mobile -- professional-grade editing with a free tier
Canva -- easy background removal and resizing
Essential Edits
Every product photo needs these basic adjustments:
Brightness -- increase slightly for a clean, bright look
Contrast -- add subtle contrast to make the product pop
White balance -- correct any color casts from lighting
Sharpness -- sharpen slightly for crisp detail
Crop -- ensure consistent framing across all products
Consistency Is Key
Your product photos should look like they belong together. Use the same:
Lighting setup for every shoot
Background style
Editing preset or filter
Image dimensions and aspect ratio
Optimizing Photos for Shopify
Great photos need proper optimization to look good AND load fast on your store.
Image Sizing
Follow our Shopify image sizes guide for exact dimensions. Key specs:
Product images: 2048 x 2048px (square)
Collection images: 1024 x 1024px
Blog images: 1200 x 628px (for social sharing)
Slideshow/banner: 1920 x 1080px
File Optimization
Large image files slow down your store. Optimize every image:
Save as WebP format for the best quality-to-size ratio
Keep files under 200KB for product images
Use Shopify's built-in image compression
Read our image optimization guide for detailed steps
Alt Text
Every image needs descriptive alt text for SEO and accessibility. Use our alt text generator or follow our alt text guide to write effective descriptions.
Good alt text: "Navy blue merino wool beanie with fold-up brim, front view"
Bad alt text: "beanie" or "IMG_4532"
From Photos to Sales
Product photography is one piece of a larger conversion puzzle. Pair great images with compelling product descriptions using our product description generator, optimize your product page titles, and ensure your entire product page is optimized for both search engines and shoppers.
Obsess AI helps Shopify merchants complement great product photography with AI-generated descriptions, blog content, and social captions that drive traffic and conversions.
Ready to pair your photos with compelling content? Try Obsess AI free for 7 days and turn great product images into great product pages.