Product Photos

[LashJubilation]

How do you take product photos to list on my site? I was told using a ring light is very important, but besides that what else should I use? I bought a silk pillow case to be use as the background. Do I need anything else? I’m really worried about how to make the background look professional.

[Moira]

Hey, @LashJubilation!

This is Moira from the Social Care team at Shopify.

Thanks for taking the time to reach out to us here in the Shopify Community. You've definitely posted in the right place!

Why Is Product Photography Important?

E-commerce product photography is crucial for one reason! It allows online shoppers to get a full, accurate picture of what they will be spending their hard-earned cash on. Unlike in brick and mortar stores where shoppers can touch, feel and get a 360-degree view of any product they’re thinking of buying, the decision to purchase online relies heavily on the product images used to convey this same information. The perceived value of your products and the trustworthiness of your brand are often judged based on the quality of your visual presentation. That means having high-end, beautiful product photography can go a long way.

What You Need

• A camera - Start out with whatever you have handy whether that's a DSLR or your iPhone and see what the results are. It’s a common myth that it’s the camera that takes the pictures. In reality, the camera is only one piece of the whole. A photograph is made up of a series of choices that incorporates lighting, exposure, styling, and post-processing decisions.

• A tripod - Tripods bring consistency, stability, and focus. It is easy to end up with blurry images when you try to get your entire product in focus while holding your camera in your hand without moving.

• A white background - There are lots of options for a white background, a really cheap option is to go to your craft store and buy some poster board. Remember to look for pure white, as off-white or cream will be more difficult to make pure white.

• White bounce cards - When you’re lighting with window light, there will be a bright side where the light is striking the product and a shadow side. This shadow side will typically be too dark and so we use something white to reflect the light back into the shadows and brighten it up. Foam board makes a great bounce card because it’s rigid and white. Keep in mind, this is just a white card, so you might be able to simply balance a sheet of white printer paper or use a piece of poster board.

• A table - A standard folding table works best

• Tape - Depending on the table you end up with, you can use tape or clamps to secure down your board.

• The right room with a window - A room with windows next to a wall is perfect, and the bigger the window, the more light you’ll get in. Being closer to the window will create a softer light with darker, softer shadows. Being further away will give a more even light but with sharper, lighter shadows.

 

How To Take Perfect Product Photos

The visual appearance of products is a key deciding factor for 93% of consumers. If customers can understand and envision the products you sell, they’ll feel more comfortable giving you their money. Let’s get into the step-by-step process for shooting your product photos with these tutorials below:

• How To Take Product Photography At Home With A Smartphone - YouTube

• How to Take Perfect Product Photos With Your Smartphone (2021)

This course is designed to go at your own pace and on any device:

• Product Photography for Ecommerce by Jeff Delacruz

  

TOP TIP: It's important that the media that you add for your products are high quality and meet the required specifications so that they are displayed properly. Your Shopify images can be any size up to 4472 x 4472 pixels, or 20 megapixels. Keep in mind there’s also a maximum file size of 20 MB.

• Shopify Product Media Guide

Additionally, whilst being on the topic of optimizing your product pages, you may like to have a look at our article on Writing Product Descriptions That Sell. One of the points in the article is to focus on your ideal buyer when you write your product descriptions. What kind of person are they, and what language can you use to ensure they feel like you're talking to them directly? Increasing the font size for readability and using easy to scan bullet points is also a good point.

I do hope this helps! Let me know how you get on with the suggestions above and feel free to let me know if I can clarify anything further.