Jan 19, 2025
A Complete Guide To Product Photography Setup
You’ve got your products; now it’s time to get them in front of customers. But first, you need to tackle product photography, which is often easier said than done. Getting the perfect shot to make your products shine takes time, strategy, and, most importantly, practice. The good news is that the correct product photography setup can help you streamline the process and achieve consistent results that showcase your items' best features. In this article, we’ll help you get started with product photography setups so you can capture incredible images that boost sales.
Caspa's AI product photography platform can help you simplify the process of creating a stunning product photo to boost your eCommerce photography business. With our solution, you can get straight to shooting and let our technology take care of the rest, reducing your workload and helping you achieve your goals.
Table of Content
Why Product Photography Is an Essential Element Of Your Brand
Get AI Product Photos that Increase Your Sales for Free Today
What is Product Photography?
Product photography creates high-quality visual content that showcases products in the best possible light. It involves taking well-composed, aesthetically pleasing images that accurately represent the product.
These images are then used to attract and convert customers on e-commerce websites, social media, advertisements, and marketing materials.
To master product photography, it's helpful first to get familiar with a few fundamental concepts:
Lighting
One of the most critical factors, natural or artificial light, can define the look and feel of an image. Experiment with different setups to find the ideal balance.
Composition
Strategically placing the product and other elements within the frame creates a strong visual impact.
Background
Keep backgrounds simple for maximum product focus. Common choices include white, gray, or textured backdrops.
Camera settings
Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO all contribute to the final product image. Adjust to find the perfect combination for your product photos.
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• How to Edit Product Photos
• Midjourney Product Photography
Why Product Photography Is an Essential Element Of Your Brand
Selling online is all about building trust with your customers. As e-commerce websites don't have a physical location, that trust must be established through visual and written product details. In this case, product photos.
Key Stats on Why Product Photography Matters in ECommerce
According to a study conducted by BigCommerce, 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:
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.
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 customers feel more confident about buying your products.
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.
Enhance Credibility and Reputation
Product photography is the only way to build credibility and reputation if you are just starting your e-commerce business in this tough-as-nails market. People find it easier to trust a website that shows genuine photographs. It also looks inviting, as your customers will look for pictures first, then go for the relevant details later.
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 my reputation and drags them to shop from your website the next time. Get AI product photos that increase your sales for free today!
Essential Elements For Product Photography Setup
Start with the Product Itself: Prepare for Product Photography
The first thing to look out for is the product’s condition. It should go without saying, but blemishes, dents, scratches, and other imperfections should be avoided. We always communicate this with our clients: products they want us to shoot should be as close to as possible.
That’s not to say that problems can’t be fixed in post. Every photo that makes its way to the client goes through processing, but it takes time to make corrections look natural, and you know how that saying goes. Using pristine products for the shoot saves you time and money and results in better-looking photos. In short, make sure the item being shot is clean, clear, and blemish-free.
Lighting is Everything in Product Photography
Lighting is the key to making the product look good. Product photos should be taken with even, diffused lighting to avoid:
Hotspots
Glare
Reflections
It shouldn’t be too obvious where the light is coming from–the product should look as though it’s lit from within. Shadows can be a bit tricky, but in general, less is more. Shadows pull attention away from the product, hide detail, and are an eminent reminder that you’re looking at a picture, which interferes with the illusion of the idealized product.
Mastering Lighting, Shadows, and Exposure for Stunning Product Photography
That said, shadows can create a significant effect, set the atmosphere, or give products a more realistic and natural feel. The same can be said for lighting. What’s important is that these elements look intentional and suit the atmosphere of the shot. Exposure is a little simpler but runs along similar lines.
Colors should be rich and full rather than washed out, while highlights and shadows should retain detail without clipping. In short, look for even, diffused lighting, minimal, intentional use of shadows, and an exposure that brings life and richness to the product without sacrificing detail.
Avoid Distortion with Depth of Field
Depth of field is the range at which objects in the frame are in focus. It's what’s responsible for that pleasing ‘blurry background’ effect you sometimes see in pictures (in that case, a shallow depth of field). It determines what’s sharp and focused and what isn’t.
Typically, you want to see crisp detail throughout the product (i.e., the entire thing is within the depth of field), offering customers more excellent information and a more accurate representation of the real-life product.
Perfecting Depth of Field and Avoiding Distortion in Product Photography
In lifestyle or still-life-type shots, depth of field can be used intentionally to blur whatever is behind and in front of the subject. There should be no product distortion, which can happen due to specific lenses (like a fisheye lens) and the angle of the shot. As much as possible, the image taken should resemble the actual product.
The story’s moral: Look for a sharp focus that shows the product in all its glorious detail, keeping unimportant or distracting elements blurred. The product should never be optically distorted but true to life.
Composition and Framing: The Art of Product Photography
With the product often centered against a white background, framing and composition are less concerned for simple studio shots; however, they matter a lot for lifestyle or still-life photography, which incorporates many disparate elements into a single shot.
Framing refers to how and where the product sits within the image, while composition refers to how multiple elements within the frame are laid out about one another.
Crafting Attention-Grabbing Product Photography with Clear Focal Points
In terms of product photography, not only should the picture be pleasingly laid out, causing your eyes to roam over detail naturally, but attention should gravitate toward the focal point of the image: the product itself, the product in use, or the product being associated with the mood and feeling that the picture evokes.
In short, for simple studio shots, look for products centered on a white background suitable for highlighting detail and keeping attention on the product. For more creative and contextual lifestyle or still-life shots, the eye should naturally roam until it settles on a focal point that highlights the product.
Colors and Post-Processing in Product Photography
Last but not least, colors and post-processing. These are pretty straightforward–the colors should be true to life, primarily a function of lighting and white balance, while post-processing should be minimal and natural. Your products should look good, but be careful not to mislead.
Too obvious touch-ups might arouse customer suspicion and introduce hesitation to buying. Naturally, products that don't look as good in real life result in more returns. In short, colors should be rich, vibrant, and accurate to life. Post-processing, while necessary, shouldn’t make products look unrealistic and artificial.
Setting Up For Product Photography
Pre-Photoshoot Preparations: Setting Up Your Space
Setting up your product photography space is all about:
Preparation
Precision
Creativity
Whether you're capturing stunning visuals for an eCommerce store, a portfolio, or a product catalog, the proper setup can make all the difference in showcasing your products beautifully and authentically.
Here's how you can approach it step by step:
Before you even pick up the camera, you’ll want to create an organized and distraction-free environment.
Choose a space that allows you to control light, reduce clutter, and focus solely on the product.
Natural light is excellent, but if you're shooting indoors or working with artificial lights, ensure that you can maintain consistency throughout the session.
If you’re short on space, don’t sweat it.
Use a curtain rod or tension pole to hang backdrops—a compact and cost-effective solution.
Also, ensure your workspace is clean, as even minor distractions in the background can detract from the final image.
Product Photography Setup: Adjusting Lighting
Lighting is your best friend—or worst enemy—in product photography. Proper lighting enhances your product’s features, textures, and colors. Start simple: invest in continuous lights with daylight bulbs for a natural look.
Key Light: Place this leading light at a 45-degree angle to your product. It sets the overall tone of the photo.
Fill Light: Positioned on the opposite side, it softens shadows created by the key light.
Backlight: Use this for added depth, particularly for products that benefit from an outline or glow effect.
Experiment with the distance and angles of your lights. Too close, and you risk harsh shadows. Too far, and the product might appear flat. Depending on your glossy, matte, or textured product, you may need to tweak your setup for the desired effect.
Harnessing Reflectors and Diffusers
Reflectors and diffusers are lifesavers when it comes to controlling light. A reflector bounces light back onto your product, filling in dark areas and highlighting intricate details. This is especially helpful if your primary light source is directional.
Diffusers, on the other hand, soften the light to create an even, professional finish. This is particularly useful for reflective or intricate products, ensuring light is evenly distributed without distracting glare.
Styling and Arranging Products
Efficient styling elevates your product from ordinary to extraordinary. Start by grouping products logically—by size, color, or type—to streamline the shoot. Use a shot list to plan the angles and compositions for each product. This could include individual close-ups, group arrangements, or lifestyle shots with props. Props like small cubes or stands can elevate products, helping to showcase their best angles while keeping the scene visually interesting.
Executing the Photoshoot: Camera Settings and Techniques
To truly capture the essence of your product, switch to manual mode. This gives you complete control over your camera settings:
ISO: Stick to a low range (100-200) for sharp, noise-free images.
Aperture: Set it between f/7.1 and f/16 to keep the product in sharp focus.
Shutter Speed: Use a slower speed, like 1/13, when shooting on a tripod to avoid camera shake.
RAW Format: Always shoot in RAW to retain maximum detail for post-processing.
If you can, shoot tethered to your computer using software like Adobe Lightroom. This lets you preview images in real-time on a larger screen, making it easier to catch any issues before you shoot an entire series.
Post-Production: Elevating Your Images
Editing is where your photos come to life. Start with basic adjustments:
Brightness and Exposure: Ensure the product is well-lit and inviting.
White Balance: Correct color tones to ensure they match the real-life product.
Spot Healing: Remove dust, scratches, or minor imperfections. Consistency is key.
Streamlining Product Photography with Lightroom Presets and Attention to Detail
Use presets in Lightroom to apply the same settings across all your images. This saves time and ensures a cohesive look that builds trust with your audience. Setting up for product photography may seem meticulous, but every detail matters.
From arranging your space and perfecting your lighting to refining images in post-production, your effort will shine through in the final results. With some preparation and creativity, your product photos won’t just stand out—they’ll sell.
Related Reading
• Types of Product Photography
• Lifestyle Product Photography
• Product Photography Ideas
9 Best Tips For Product Photography Setup And Composition
1. Use the Rule of Thirds For Powerful Product Compositions
The rule of thirds is one of the most famous composition rules. Everyone interested in photography has heard of the rule, from landscape and nature photographers to food and product shooters. Even people who have never studied photography use the rule of thirds without knowing it. Why?
Many smartphones and cameras offer the rule of thirds grid as a default overlay! The rule of thirds says that you should divide the frame into nine equal segments, which you can do by tracing two vertical lines and two horizontal lines across a frame. The intersection points are the most important; you can use them to position your main product. That way, your composition feels well-balanced and dynamic.
When arranging additional items throughout your composition, place them along the gridlines. You can practice without much effort since the grid is included on most smartphones and cameras. Simply enable the grid overlay. Then, when doing a product shoot, position your main items along the rule of thirds grid!
2. Use the Rule of Odds to Group Your Products
The rule of odds states that a group of objects is more appealing when formed by an odd number of elements. It’s a composition guideline in art, interior design, graphic design, and photography. Why does the rule work? There’s no real consensus. Some say odd numbers force the eye to wander through the composition.
Enhancing Product Photography with Rule of Odds Composition
Others say that our brain groups things in pairs, so having an extra element attracts our attention. Whatever the reason, an “odd” composition usually looks great. So, the next time you create a product photo, try distributing elements in groups three, five, or seven.
You’ll likely end up with more interesting images! A three-item composition is the easiest way to satisfy the rule of odds, but seven is the favored number across cultures, genders, and age groups.
3. Use Composition Planes to Add Depth
Creating planes is another way to make an enjoyable and pleasing product composition. This will add depth and offer valuable context to the viewer. For instance, look at the image below. The memory card sits in the foreground, while the camera is blurry but recognizable in the background. The image has plenty of depth and tells a story, too: the memory card is an essential item when using your camera! When creating a composition, you can work with the following:
Front plane
The middle plane
The background
Mastering Depth of Field for Effective Product Photography Composition
That said, some photographs only have two planes: the foreground and the background. Neither option is better, and both can work well; choose between two or three jets depending on the story you want to tell. You can create planes while using a narrow aperture for a deep depth of field – but a good way to separate the planes and emphasize one item over the others is by keeping the depth of field shallow.
To achieve this, you must balance the aperture, the focal length, and the distance between the camera and the subject. You can use a DOF calculator to find the perfect combination or spend time testing different apertures and focal lengths.
Pro tip: If you’re using a smartphone, set it to Portrait mode. It’ll blur the background and give you a similar effect.
4. Use Patterns For Eye-Catching Compositions
Incorporating patterns into your product photos is versatile; you can create interest using the following:
Shapes
Colors
Textures
You can also add variety by arranging regular or irregular patterns. You can start with a regular pattern but break it to add a point of interest. That’s how I created this paperclip composition: Flat lay is a type of product photography that can benefit from patterns.
You have the entire frame surface to arrange your products to produce plenty of prominent (or not so noticeable) patterned compositions. Patterning is also very effective when photographing a product in many flavors or colors (e.g., lipstick or lollipops).
5. Use Diagonal Lines to Add Movement
Diagonal lines are a powerful way to create movement in your product photography compositions. I’m not talking about physical movement but visual movement – eye movement through the frame. Visual movement helps engage the viewer and encourages them to examine the entire scene.
There are different ways to incorporate diagonal lines into your images. You can arrange your products (or your products plus props) in a diagonal line. You can create a diagonal by tilting your product, creating a dynamic composition. You can use diagonals as leading lines to guide the viewer’s eye toward the product. Try placing props around the product, and make sure they point the viewer in the desired direction.
6. Use the Golden Triangle for Balanced Compositions
The golden triangle can help you arrange elements pleasingly. You’ve probably heard of the golden ratio, commonly used in art (often discussed about the Fibonacci spiral). The golden ratio is used to create a golden triangle overlay, which looks like this: Fortunately, determining golden triangle positions doesn’t require mathematical calculations; most camera apps and photo-editing software (including Lightroom) come with this overlay.
So, when arranging your products, use the overlay to position key elements along triangle sides or vertices. Notice how the roses tend to fall along the overlay in the image above? Using this technique, you can create compositions that convey stability but remain dynamic thanks to the diagonal lines.
7. Use Light and Shadow to Tell a Story
Learning to manipulate light to tell the perfect story is a fundamental skill a professional product photographer possesses. For instance, you can use light and shadow to draw the viewer’s attention toward the product. The eye will automatically be drawn to the area of the image with the highest contrast, so by lighting your product and letting its surroundings fall into shadow, you can easily guide the viewer.
Remember that you can’t just light your product, let shadows fall everywhere else, and call it a day. You need to balance the light and shadow areas for a pleasing result. By carefully combining light and dark, you can add depth to your compositions and pull focus toward the product.
Using Light to Set Mood and Enhance Product Photography
Remember that light also contributes to the general mood of the picture, so use it carefully. For example, high-contrast lighting is helpful to highlight the product, but it can be very dramatic. It might not be the most appropriate form of lighting if the product is, say, a baby item. Don’t just think about the direction of the light; also carefully select the lighting temperature and quality for the perfect result.
8. Use Composition Overlays with Live Shooting
Applying the composition rules and guidelines can be challenging when you’re just starting. Everything may sound good in theory, but knowing where to place your objects is difficult once you’re looking through the viewfinder. That’s one of the reasons why tethered shooting is helpful when doing product photography. Using programs, you can add composition overlays to your live view of the scene and arrange your compositions along the overlay before taking the picture.
Smartphone users can download camera apps with overlays, such as Wise Camera. Some apps allow you to superimpose other images as guides when shooting, such as Dittoed. After some practice, you’ll realize that you no longer need the overlays and can create powerful compositions instinctively.
9. Improve Your Compositions With the Crop Tool
Capturing the perfect composition in-camera isn’t always possible. You might forget to account for a distraction at the edge of the scene or keep my composition a little too loose and want to tighten it up later. Fortunately, there are simple ways to improve the composition in post-processing! For instance, almost every editing program has a crop tool, and many offer composition overlays (Photoshop and Lightroom, for example, offer plenty of overlays and easy-to-use Crop tools).
So, don’t be afraid to experiment with different crops and cycle through your overlay options for additional inspiration. That said, while cropping is undoubtedly proper, it’s never ideal. Every time you crop, you lose pixels. So, to get the best possible composition when shooting, only make minor tweaks with editing software. Make sense?
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:
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!
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