Free Guide to Shoot Product Photography Like a Pro – Blog

Introduction

Good product photography is crucial to your e-commerce business. Displaying your products in a clean and consistent style, will take your business to a new level. In this how-to guide, we will be focusing on budget solutions that will use tools you probably already have like the camera on your phone. We will cover the types of lighting and backgrounds to use, along with camera settings and composition. We will also be covering how to get the right exposure, and how to edit the photos. With these simple tips and strategies you will improve your product photography making it look professional and ready to post.

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Why Does Product Photography Matter?

Product photography is used to show the items that you are selling. It is vitally important to show the product in a clear image (or images) so that your customers know exactly what they are getting. You can enhance your brand as a whole with high quality images of your products. Having good quality photos that are clean and professional can make your products look exciting and allow your customers to trust your business enough to make a purchase.

The End Goal

For the purpose of this guide, we will be focused on getting a pure white background. This is the best option for most e-commerce websites and retail platforms. That’s because it shows the product as clearly as possible without distracting backgrounds. It is a clean and professional look especially when displaying dozens of product photos together on a web page. 

Basic Equipment You Will Need for Product Photography

Having expensive equipment for product photography is not always necessary, but the right equipment is. For a product photoshoot, you will need a working surface, a background, lighting, camera, and an optional tripod. You might not need to purchase all of these items as we will describe how to use things like natural lighting and your phone as we give a breakdown and tips below for each.

Working Surface

If you have a small table that you can set up on, this will be ideal. You want something that your product will fit on with some extra space around it. Ideally you want a table that can easily be moved and that you can move around, for easier setup and workflow. 

Background

A white background can make a product stand out and you can see the edges of the product more clearly. There are a variety of household items or products that you can use to get this effect. Here are the most common:

1. A roll or sheet of white paper – this can be one of the best options because it can be very affordable (or already in your office). As long as you use a new piece of paper, it is guaranteed to be pure white without any wrinkles or imperfections. What you want to do is lay it flat on a desk or table. Then raise the far end of the paper to a vertical position and prop it up. This will ensure a seamless background, meaning the white paper goes from wall to floor without any edges, lines, or shadows.
2. A white cloth – This is another option but can be more difficult to get it wrinkle free. You may need to spend some time ironing it before the shoot to ensure the best results.  You can set it up from wall to floor for a seamless background as well but will need to pull it tight in order to avoid wrinkles. 

Lighting

Photographing your product without adequate lighting can leave your background looking grey and dull. However, if you point a light directly on your subject you can end up with harsh shadows and bright reflections. Here are some lighting options and tips to get the shot done right. 

1. Natural Light – set up your table next to a large window to utilise natural lighting. Be sure not to put it in direct sunlight because that will cause harsh shadows but close enough that the light brightens up your working surface. For best results, shoot on a cloudy day for a softer even lighting. 
2. Clamp Light – These are good because a clamp light is handy to place anywhere, they take any standard light bulb, they are very affordable, and you can find them at most hardware stores. If you get an LED light bulb they can be pretty soft but in most cases this option can be a little harsh. You may want to bounce the light off of a wall or ceiling, or use a diffuser to soften it. 
3. Photography Lights – The benefit of a more professional photography lighting kit is that they often come with a diffusing softbox and the ability to control the amount of light. The main downside of course is that they can get quite costly. 

Pro Lighting Tip: keep in mind that different lights have different colour temperatures. Without getting too technical, just know that most light bulbs you buy for your home have a warm, yellow colour to them. This can change the look of your product or make it difficult to get a pure white background. Natural daylight has a cooler, more white light that is best for capturing the colours of your product. So if you use sunlight, that is great but be sure to turn off any yellow bulbs or change them for daylight bulbs which are also easy to find at any hardware store. Those should have a colour temperature of around 5000 Kelvin to match the sunlight. 

Camera

Using the camera in your phone is often the best and easiest option. Getting the exposure right is done automatically, but here are some handy tips for the best possible results. 

1. Touch to focus and set exposure – Most people don’t know that when you’re in your phone’s camera app, you can tap the screen where you want to focus and set exposure. If you set up your shot and touch the product on the screen of your phone, this will ensure that you are focused on the right spot. Plus your phone will adjust exposure, meaning it will make your product brighter, knowing that it is the focal point of the image.  Furthermore most devices will also show a brightness scale which you can drag up for a brighter image; and in this case a whiter background.
2. Turn off the flash – A flash can result in washed out images with harsh shadows. It is not an ideal look. We recommend turning it off for best results. 
3. Reduce the image size – You may not realise but your phone’s camera is capable of taking very large images. In most cases, those product photos will need to be reduced in size before uploading to your e-commerce website. You can avoid that extra step by reducing the size of the image to only what you need for upload. This can save a lot of time in the final stage of preparing the photos and uploading.
4. Shoot A Square Photo – Again, this is a really simple step that you probably didn’t realise was an option. However, if you change your camera setting to shoot a square image, this will save so much time by not having to crop all of your photos before upload. 
5. Set a timer –  This is also helpful if you don’t have a lot of light in your shot. Low light means that your image might result in a blurry image, caused by camera shake. A tripod can help avoid this too but if you are touching the camera to take the shot, it can still cause minor blur. if you set a timer, you will definitely need a tripod or stabiliser but it will allow you to click to take the photo then remove your hands. This will ensure there is absolutely no movement when the photo is taken. 

Tripod or Stabiliser

To help steady and hold the camera or phone, you will want a tripod or stabiliser. This will prevent blurry images and will make the process easier and more consistent. Here are 2 options that you may consider. 

1. Tripod – Using a tripod gets the same angle every time. Having a tripod also lets you leave the camera in the same place if you are photographing multiple products in a row. This can be a very efficient way to get consistent results. Just note that a tripod can only work with a phone if there is a phone adapter clamp that can hold your phone securely in place. 
2. Phone holder with light – Another alternative to a tripod is a phone support on an adjustable arm. These are typically used for creating social media videos as they often have a ring light as well but this kind of device can be really handy for product photography as well. It will clamp to your desk, allow you to move your phone to whatever angle you need and best of all they are often very affordable.  

Additional Equipment for Consideration 

1. Painter’s Tape – This is just a handy thing to have at all times. But when it comes to product photography, painters tape can be like having 3 or more hands to hold things in place. Secure background paper, reflectors or even products in place. We recommend painter’s tape over other alternatives like scotch tape for example, because it is not likely to damage other surfaces or materials when you remove it. 
2. Studio Lightbox or Lighting Tent – This is a product ideal for small product photography. It is a small tent made of semi-transparent fabric designed to diffuse light. So it’s part background and part lighting tool because you place your product inside the tent and shine your lights through the walls. The duffusing walls of a lightbox will give a soft, even light across your subject. We do find that with most lightboxes, you will still want a piece of paper to create a bright, seamless background. 
3. Reflectors – While not always necessary, reflectors can be a cheap alternative to additional lighting. For example, if you only have one light, place a reflector on the opposite side of your product to reflect light back at it from the other side. Note that aluminium foil wrapped around a piece of cardboard can make for a useful reflector. 

Photo Editing

In the best case scenario, you’ve followed our tips above and the result is a square product photo with a pure white background and an appropriate size that is ready for upload. Avoiding the need to edit will save a lot of time. However, sometimes you need to make adjustments and that will be easier than shooting a new photo. Here are some software options to consider for editing your photos: 

1. Minor lighting and size adjustments – There are lots of apps and websites that are easy to use and give great results. These include GIMP, Canva, Adobe Photoshop Express, VSCO, Snapseed, and lightroom, to name a few. 
2. Removing background – If you’re shooting large items like furniture it may not be an option to get a pure white background in your photo. That’s where removing the background can help. It can be a bit of a process but apps like Photoshop Express, and Canva Pro, have background removal tools that will allow you to create your white background digitally.

Closing

Having these steps to create effective product photography for your online store will result in a lot of time saved, in editing and fixing poor photos. As you have learned, it doesn’t take a lot of expensive gear but just a few tools and the knowledge to use them. The end result is that you will have great product photography that will add professionalism to your website, trust to your brand, and hopefully an increase in sales too.

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