Jan 17, 2025

How To Take Great Ecommerce Product Photos For Your Store

person setting up her items - Ecommerce Product Photos

Great product photos are crucial for your eCommerce success. They can make or break a potential sale. So, what's the best way to take great product photos? This article will help you answer that question. You'll learn how to take stunning eCommerce photography to boost your sales and make your online store stand out.

One of the best ways to improve your eCommerce photography is to use an AI product photography platform like Caspa. This solution can help you take beautiful product photos quickly and easily so you can get back to running your online store.

What Is Ecommerce Photography?

product photography - Ecommerce Product Photos

Ecommerce photography refers to the practice of capturing and presenting images of products for online stores. Unlike traditional photography, which often focuses on artistic expression, ecommerce photography prioritizes clarity, accuracy, and consistency. The primary goal is to provide potential buyers with a visual representation that accurately reflects the product’s appearance, features, and quality.

Typically, ecommerce photos are taken against plain backgrounds, using specific lighting techniques and angles to showcase the product in the best possible way. Each type of ecommerce photograph serves a unique purpose in the buyer’s journey, whether it’s:

A simple white background image
A 360-degree view
A lifestyle shot

Why Ecommerce Photography Matters for Your Online Store

The challenge is, in eCommerce, you have fewer ways to get your products in front of the right people—let alone prove the value of your wares. This is why having high-quality, intentionally shot product photos is vital to your online store’s success. With a growing number of sellers competing for buyers’ attention, you must nail first impressions right from the first product photo. Showcasing high-quality products on your site's homepage is considered an eCommerce merchandising strategy that can keep shoppers on your site longer and guide them toward a purchase.

9 Types Of Ecommerce Product Photos

1. White Background Photos: The Backbone of ECommerce Product Photography

You’ve seen white background product photos everywhere. They’re the standard for ecommerce photography, and there’s a good reason for that. White background photos showcase products without any distractions. They help shoppers focus on the item and visualize how it will look if they purchase it. White background product photos also have a professional appearance that builds trust with shoppers. They improve website performance and load quickly, so you won’t slow down your site with large image files. These product images comply with the requirements of most e-commerce platforms and marketplaces, including Amazon.

2. Contextual Product Photography: Show Your Products in Action

Contextual product shots feature items in use. These e-commerce product photos are ideal because they show shoppers how to use the products in their own lives and give them a sense of scale. People can imagine themselves using the product when they have these types of photos.

3. Lifestyle Product Photography: Capture the “Feel” of Your Products

There’s a lot of crossover between contextual and lifestyle product photos. One key difference, though, is that lifestyle photography includes and is often focused on actual people. Some contextual shots lack humans. Lifestyle product photography helps create a narrative about your products. They tell a story to help shoppers envision how the items will fit into their lives.

4. Scale Product Photography: Help Shoppers Visualize Size

Scale product shots are photos that give a frame of reference so people can envision how big the products are. While product specs and dimensions are descriptive, sometimes shoppers need an image to see how big or small they are compared to everyday objects.

5. Detailed Product Photography: Capture the Small Stuff

Detailed product shots show small elements that aren’t necessarily visible in a standard product photo. You’ll often see this with apparel, footwear, and accessories—especially as you enter luxury categories. Detailed product shots show small elements that aren’t necessarily visible in a standard product photo. You’ll often see this with apparel, footwear, and accessories—especially as you enter luxury categories.

6. Group Product Photography: Showcase Related Items

Group product shots feature multiple items. Typically, these products are related in some way. You might bundle them together as a promotion or feature the same item in different products.

7. Flat Lay Product Photography: Get Creative with Your Ecommerce Photos

Flat lay product photos hit their stride on social media, Instagram in particular. Flat lay photos are taken from a bird’s eye view. The layout lends itself to creative ways to arrange your products, so it’s a good way to have fun and add diversity to your site’s imagery. Plus, these high-quality images play particularly well on social media.

8. Packaging Product Photography: Don’t Forget the Box

Packaging product photos are the images that go on the box, bag, label, or whatever packaging holds your merchandise. These photos are important because they appeal to in-person shoppers. It’s essential to consider if the packaging hides the product, which you commonly see with food and beauty items.

9. User-Generated Product Photography: Embrace Your Customers’ Photos

User-generated content (UGC) includes product photos taken by anyone other than your brand or employees. These photos are typically shared on social media, so you can repost or feature the content on your website as a form of social proof. UGC product photography isn’t ideal as your primary photo, but it complements your product pages.

How AI-Driven Product Photography Like Caspa Reduces Costs and Boosts eCommerce Sales

Caspa helps eCommerce brands create stunning product photography with AI, eliminating the need for multiple tools that traditionally eat up to 20% of revenue like:

Photographers
Models

From creating ultra-realistic product shots with human models to editing existing photos, Caspa's all-in-one AI product photography platform handles everything from background removal to upscaling, letting brands produce professional marketing visuals in seconds. Whether you need custom stock photos or complete studio editing capabilities, Caspa streamlines the entire product visualization workflow into a single, cost-effective solution. Get AI product photos that increase your sales for free today!

Fundamentals Great Ecommerce Product Photos

a solo camera - Ecommerce Product Photos

Composition in photography refers to how elements are arranged in a frame. A picture's composition can make or break a photograph. In product photography for eCommerce, your goal is to present your products clearly and accurately to potential customers. That means avoiding distracting elements in the frame and centering your product in the composition. You can get more creative with lifestyle images. Here, aim to tell a story about how your product is used and enhance its visual appeal. Applying the rule of thirds to your lifestyle images can create even more interesting compositions for your customers.

Why Exposure Matters for Ecommerce Photography

Exposure refers to how much light reaches your camera's sensor to create an image. Correct exposure is vital for eCommerce product photos because it affects how details, colors, and textures appear. You can use your camera's manual settings for the correct image exposure. You can also rely on auto mode, which lets the camera determine your correct settings. For standard product images, aim for a balanced exposure that isn’t too bright or dark. Detailed shots, lifestyle photos, and other product images can benefit from more creative exposure techniques that help set the mood for your pictures.

The Importance of Focus and Depth of Field in Product Photography

Focus is another essential element of eCommerce photography. It refers to the clarity of your images and how much of the picture is sharp. The depth of field determines what is in focus and what appears blurry in a photo. When photographing products, you typically want the subject to be clear and the background out of focus. This technique helps eliminate distracting elements that may divert your customers’ attention from your product. You can adjust the depth of field by changing your camera’s aperture settings. A larger aperture (smaller f-stop) creates a shallow depth of field, while a smaller aperture (larger f-stop) produces a greater depth of field.

Why Lighting Is Critical for Ecommerce Photography

Light can make or break product photography images. This element affects not just the exposure of your photos but also their color and tone. Different types of lighting can create various looks and moods for your eCommerce product photos, so it’s crucial to understand how they work. Natural light can achieve great results, but be mindful of the time of day and how the weather can affect your photos. For instance, a cloudy day provides diffused lighting for product photography. On the other hand, direct sunlight can create harsh shadows that detract from your images.

Mastering Lighting and White Balance for Perfect Indoor Product Photography

Indoor studios give you more control over your lighting. You can adjust both natural and artificial light to suit your needs. Softer lighting is usually best for product photography because it helps avoid shadows. Both lighting and color temperature can impact how the colors in your photos appear. Pay attention to white balance to ensure your products look true to life.

Timing Tips for Capturing Lifestyle Product Photos

Timing is a crucial factor to consider when photographing moving subjects. This includes clothing, toys, and other products that may look more appealing. For instance, a photograph can capture the movement of a fluttering dress or a bouncing ball. These dynamic images can help create interest in your eCommerce product photos and draw attention to your product’s features. In lifestyle photography, use burst mode to capture the right moment. You can also experiment with different shutter speeds to achieve the desired effect.

How To Take Great Ecommerce Product Photos For Your Store

person taking photos - Ecommerce Product Photos

Capture the Product Story

Each product has a story. Your product images should detail how the consumer will experience the item. For instance, if you sell sunglasses, will the shopper wear them on a sandy beach? Or will they put their new shades on during a baseball game? Product photos should give consumers a clear view of what they will do with their purchase and how they will feel. And that feeling will depend on the product. Some product images will portray happiness, while others will emote comfort. The possibilities are endless when it comes to telling product stories. Start testing different story ideas with your products to earn more sales.

Set Up the Proper Lighting

Product photos are essential to gaining consumers’ interest and showcasing the benefits of your items. More than 80% of online shoppers rely on product photos when deciding on a potential purchase. Proper lighting is key when capturing your products. A well-lit product allows the shopper to experience every physical detail. No one wants to squint their eyes or resize their browser when online shopping.

Choosing Between Natural and Artificial Light for Consistent Product Photography

Sunlight is a good lighting source, especially when you want to shoot the product in its natural habitat. On the other hand, artificial light can offer more consistency in your photos on a limited budget. You’ll also want to consider the quality and quantity of light. Try moving the light closer or farther from your product to change the intensity. Keep practicing to find the proper lighting for your products.

Shoot With a Tripod

The novice photography approach is to grab your smartphone and immediately take pictures of your products. Instead, you’ll want to invest in a tripod, which ensures you capture clear and crisp photos every time. You can quickly get exhausted from taking product photos if you have hundreds of items in your online store. Your online store’s goal is to get uniform product photos. So, before clicking away, take pictures of other still objects, like a book or a plant. That way, you’ll know where to set up the tripod when it’s time to shoot.

Use a White Background

Your consumers want to get an up-close view of products. Meero reports that 78% of online shoppers prefer to take photos to bring products to life. With a white background, you can make the product the focal point without colorful distractions. White backgrounds offer consistency in your online product catalog. A rainbow of different backgrounds can impair the shopping experience. Consumers won’t have to adjust their eyes as they browse constantly.Plus, using a white background reduces the time spent in photo editing. When shooting, the light will reflect onto your product, minimizing the need for brightness and contrast adjustments.

Add Creative Props

Think of your product as part of a scene in a movie. You don’t want it staring at the camera, giving a boring monologue. Bringing in supporting characters, or in this case, creative props can add more excitement. Props give more personality to your product photos. It’s also an effective way to capture that product story. Depending on the product, you may add props like plants, picture frames, or party favors. Just ensure your props don’t overpower the main show: your product.

Take Shots From Different Angles

Looking at school photos from the '80s or '90s, you’ll notice a pattern amongst each student’s picture. They all posed the same way. School districts didn’t leave much room for creativity. You’ll want to strive to achieve the exact opposite for your product photos. You want to take pictures of your products from multiple angles to show a 360-view. Higher-quality images win customer trust more than lower-quality images. Consumers can see your product in action with various angles, making them feel more confident about their purchasing decisions.

What are the Benefits of High Quality Ecommerce Product Photos

data dashboard - Ecommerce Product Photos

Key stats on why product photography matters in eCommerce

According to a study conducted by Big Commerce, 78% of online shoppers want photographs to bring products to life.
A survey at Justuno shows that 90% of online buyers say photo quality is the most critical factor in an online sale.
According to Weebly Research, 22% of online products are returned because the ordered items look different from the photos. It shows that professional experts should take photographs.
One study reports that 75% of online shoppers rely on product photos to make purchasing decisions.

Key Benefits of Product Photography

Let’s dive into the key benefits of product photography and find out its importance for your e-commerce business:

1. Good Presentation

A high-quality image shows that your product is of the highest quality and implies a good first impression of your brand. Thus, you need a professional product photographer to capture the best shot for the presentation.

2. Establish Your Brand Identity

Product photographs are the best way to establish your brand identity. Renowned brands worldwide focus on brand name logos, creatively designed banners, product photographs, and photo editing to attract customers. To gain brand value, we (picsfast.com) provide product photography at home or anywhere you choose. We use our excellent service and creative skills to build your brand identity while ensuring your customers feel more confident buying your products.

3. Better Sale

Selling your product is the main objective of e-commerce marketing. To do so, you have to focus on the quality of the pictures. If your product photograph can catch customers’ attention, the sales will increase automatically.

4. Enhance Credibility and Reputation

Supposing you are just starting your e-commerce business in this tough-as-nails market, product photography is the only way to build credibility and reputation. Because people find it easier to trust a website that shows genuine photographs. It looks inviting as your customers will look for pictures first, then go for the relevant details later.

5. Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is the most powerful technique for your business, and it has a high probability of success. Once your customers are satisfied with your product and find it the same as shown in photographs on your website, it maintains your reputation and attracts them to shop from your website the next time.

Get AI Product Photos that Increase Your Sales for Free Today

Caspa helps eCommerce brands create stunning product photography with AI, eliminating the need for multiple tools that traditionally eat up to 20% of revenue like: