Product photos for a shop need soft light, a steady phone or camera and a clean background. Below are the home setup, the shots a listing needs, the edit and the marketplace rules.
Updated · 9 min read
Short answer
For product photography at home, put the phone or camera on a tripod. Light the product from the side with one large, soft source, such as a window with a thin curtain, and fill the shadows with white card. Shoot the main image on a white or grey background, then other angles, details, a scale shot and the product in use. Set the white balance for true colour, then crop and export to the size the marketplace asks for.
Light
One large, soft light from the side, with white card on the other side, lights most products evenly
Tripod
A tripod and a timer keep every frame sharp and every product in the range in the same position
Amazon main image
A pure white background, with the product filling 85% of the image, according to Amazon's US help page
More than one photo
The main image, other angles, details, scale and the product in use
True colour
Set the white balance and compare the photo with the real product
How do you do product photography at home, step by step?
Read the platform's image rules first (see the table further down). The background they require decides how you light.
Prepare the product: remove stickers and dust, straighten labels, laces and seams, and handle glossy items in cotton gloves so they carry no fingerprints.
Set up the background and the light (next section).
Put the phone or camera on a tripod at the product's height for the main image.
Lock the focus, exposure and white balance.
Work through the shot list one product at a time.
Check sharpness at full size on a computer before you put the set away.
Edit, and export to the platform's size.
Product photography lighting: which background and light should you choose?
Backgrounds for product photos
Background
Best for
How to light it
Watch out for
White
Marketplace main images and catalogues
Light the background a little brighter than the product, so it turns pure white. At home, curve a sheet of white card or paper from the wall down onto the table, so there is no horizon line
An uneven, greyish white, which you correct in editing
Grey
A calm, consistent catalogue, and white or pale products, which keep their detail on grey
Easy to light evenly
If a platform needs white, you cut the product out later
Light the background separately and keep white light on the product
Coloured light reflecting onto the product
Lifestyle
Shop banners, social posts and "in use" frames
A scene from the product's world, with a few props
Props that steal attention or look as if they come with the product
Amazon requires white-background product photos for the main image, so check what your own platform asks for. For the light itself:
one large, soft source from the side: a window with a thin curtain, or a lamp through diffusion fabric;
white card or a reflector on the other side to fill the shadows;
every other light in the room switched off, so the colours don't mix;
continuous light, which shows the result before you press the shutter.
Our photo studio in Riga has continuous light with no flash, a grey curtain with RGB backlight in any colour, and plants and shelves with props for lifestyle frames. It rents for €35/h. For a white background there, bring your own white board or card, or shoot on grey and cut the background out in editing.
Should you take product photos with a phone or a camera?
A phone is enough for most online shops, as long as the light is good and the phone is on a tripod. Set it up like this:
use the main 1× lens, or the telephoto lens if your phone has one, and step back: the ultra-wide lens distorts the product's shape, and digital zoom is not worth using;
tap to lock focus and exposure, and lower the exposure a little for white products;
turn on the grid and keep the phone level;
use the timer or a remote shutter, so the phone doesn't shake;
keep portrait mode off for the main image, because it can blur the product's edges (it is fine for lifestyle frames);
shoot at the highest quality, in RAW if the phone offers it.
depth of field: f/8 to f/11 keeps a small product sharp from front to back.
Which shots does a product listing need?
To photograph products for an online shop, plan more than one picture per product:
A shot list for one product
Shot
What it shows
Tip
Main image
The whole product, front or three-quarter view, on white or grey. Buyers see it in search results
Fill most of the frame
Three-quarter view
Shape and depth
Turn the product, not the tripod
Back and sides
Labels, ports, fastenings
Keep the same light and distance as for the main image
Close-up
Material, texture, stitching, finish
Side light brings out texture
Scale
The size, in a hand or next to a familiar object
Pick an object everyone knows, such as a cup
In use
The product where it is used, with a person or a scene
Keep the product sharp and the scene simple
Packaging
What arrives
Only when it matters to the buyer
Variants
Each colour or size
The same position and light, so the range lines up
To keep a range consistent, mark the product's place and the tripod's feet with tape, keep the distance, height and light the same for every product, and shoot one product through the whole list before you move on to the next.
To plan the shots for a range in a studio, see the product section of studio photoshoot ideas.
How do you edit product photos?
Pick the sharpest frame of each shot.
Set the white balance, and compare the colour on screen with the real product beside it. A grey card in the first frame of a set helps.
Straighten the picture, and crop it to the platform's ratio with the same margin around every product.
Remove dust, scratches and loose threads.
Remove or whiten the background if the platform needs pure white. remove.bg says on its page that it removes backgrounds automatically, and many photo editors have their own tool. Check the edges on fur, glass and fine detail.
Export as JPEG in sRGB at the platform's size, and name the files by product and view.
Keep the product's real colour and shape, and add nothing that is not sold with it: both marketplace pages in the next section require this.
No colour specified; the main image must clearly show the exact item being sold
Product in frame
85% of the image; the whole product, one unit, shown once
75% to 90% of the image recommended; no product that is not sold with the main one
Size
500 to 10,000 pixels on the longest side; 1,000 pixels or more enables zoom
At least 500 × 500 pixels for all products from 31 January 2027; 1,500 × 1,500 pixels or more recommended
File
JPEG recommended; TIFF, PNG and non-animated GIF accepted; RGB preferred
JPEG, WebP, PNG, GIF, BMP or TIFF, no larger than 64 megapixels or 16 MB
Not allowed
Review images, badges, claims such as free shipping, and props that are not included with the product
Promotional text, watermarks, added logos and borders
Amazon's page applies to its US store, and Amazon's European stores have their own seller help pages, so check the one for the store you sell in. Amazon also recommends at least six more images and one video besides the main image. For any other marketplace, or for your own shop, find its image page before the shoot.
Should you do it yourself or hire a product photographer?
Doing it yourself works when you have:
a small range;
simple, matte shapes;
a phone and good window light, with time to learn.
A product photographer is worth it for:
shiny, glass or very small products;
a large range in one go;
advertising;
one look across a whole catalogue.
The cost depends on:
the number of products and shots;
background removal and retouching;
lifestyle sets and props;
studio time;
video.
To shoot in our studio yourself or with your own photographer, rent it for €35/h and estimate the hours on the pricing page. The studio does not provide a photographer.
Frequently asked questions
Can you photograph products with a phone?
Yes. Use a tripod, soft side light and the 1× or telephoto lens, and lock focus and exposure. The light matters more than the device.
White or grey background?
White where the platform requires it for the main image, as Amazon does. Grey for a calm catalogue and for white products, which you cut out later if white is needed.
How do you photograph shiny or glass products?
Let one large, soft light reflect as a clean highlight, and put black card at the sides to define the edges. Light glass from behind through white card. To control reflections, move the camera rather than the light, and keep the room out of the reflection.
Can you film product videos in the same session?
Yes. Continuous light works for both. Plan short clips: the product turning, in use, being unpacked. The guide to batch filming social video shows how to film many clips in one session.
How much does product photography cost?
It depends on the number of products and shots, the retouching, any lifestyle sets and the studio time. Our photo studio rents for €35/h, and a photographer is not included.
