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What is Product Photography? How to Shoot a Product?

Writer's picture: Cumali FulkarCumali Fulkar

Updated: Feb 6, 2023

Especially those who serve in the field of e-commerce need to promote their products well. Today, people who shop from e-commerce sites evaluate the products according to the photos and descriptions of the products. For this reason, product photos also gain great importance. If you are also serving in the field of e-commerce or are planning to provide service, product photography is also an area that interests you closely. In this article, you can find all the details you are looking for about product photography.



photography. Product photography isn't just about taking pictures. A good arrangement of the photos taken is also an important step in product photography.


Product photography requires a good camera, a good lighting system, background materials and photo editing tools. With these equipments, product photography can be taken well.


Why is Product Photography Important?


The photo of the products should be professional, understandable and clear. Users should have a good impression of the product when viewing the photo. None of us would like to buy a product that has blurry, blurry, bad-angle photos. Bad photos do not make a good impression on potential customers. For this reason, businesses that pay attention to corporate identity, e-commerce websites should be interested in professional product photography. Having a good photo of the products can put you ahead of the competitors in your field. The better the photo of a product, the more it will attract the user. The photo quality of the product is directly proportional to the purchasing tendency of the users.


Good product photography will also move your e-commerce website forward. High-quality photos contribute to your SEO efforts . You are more likely to rank higher in the search engine. This helps you get more potential customers.


Product photos are as effective in the purchase as they are in the return process. The customer who bought the product will return the product directly if it is different from the photo. Returned products will also lower your score considerably. For this reason, the product in your hand and the product photo on your website should be the same.


How to Shoot a Product?

  • To shoot a product, you first need to have a good camera. Professional cameras will help you with this. Your photos should be of a high quality.

  • Then, make sure that the product you are photographing is clean and flawless.

  • After checking your product, choose a good background and place the product in this area aesthetically. Your background should be quite simple and elegant. Complex and flashy backgrounds will leave the product in the background.

  • Using a tripod for photographing will also make your job easier.

  • Do not take a single photo and leave it. Take multiple photos from multiple angles and make sure the angles are right.

  • Photograph the details in your product one by one. Small details can attract users and make them shop.

  • Make sure that the product you are photographing is in the foreground. For example, if your product is a necklace, do not choose a sweater that will leave this necklace in the background. Angle the necklace so that it draws attention, and avoid objects that will reduce interest in this necklace.

  • If your product is minimal, use a light box. This light box will allow you to find the right angle and light.

  • Light is of great importance in photographs. For this reason, pay attention to the points where the light comes from. Sometimes, products may appear in a different form and color than they are at the points where the light is opposite. This will cause question marks in your customers.

  • If you are working with a model for product photography, you should take care that this model is suitable for your brand image.



Product Photography Techniques Used in E-Commerce

Multiple techniques are used in product photography. Let's take a look at these techniques.

  • Ghost Mannequin Technique

  • White Background Technique

  • Lifestyle Photography

  • Amazon Photography

  • 360 Degree Product Photography

  • Fashion Photography

Ghost Mannequin Technique


When using this method, help is taken from photoshop techniques. The product is dressed on a mannequin and photographed. Afterwards, Photoshop is masterfully applied and the limbs of the live model are removed from the photograph with this method. Only the photo of the product remains and it is possible to see all the details of the product.


White Background Technique


It is one of the most used techniques. The aim of this technique is to bring the product to the fore. A completely white background is selected and the product is placed in the foreground of this background. Lighting is also performed in accordance with this white background. Thus, the product is photographed in a remarkable way.


Lifestyle Photography


It is possible to see this technique in many fashion, life and home magazines. The models look as if they were photographed doing a job in their natural life in a highly professional manner. Photos are like a slice of everyday life. Sometimes it is possible to see children playing, sometimes spouses chatting while sitting on the sofa, and sometimes people cooking. A skilled photographer is needed to take these poses naturally.


Amazon Product Photography


It is one of the newest and most popular types of photography. This technique gets its name from the Amazon website because it is a special technique developed for photographing products featured on Amazon. The reason for this is the conditions that the Amazon site puts on the product photos. Photos must be in .jpeg, .tiff, .gif format and 1000×1000 pixels.


360 Degree Product Photography


In this technique, photographers take photos of products from every angle and combine these photos into a 360-degree view. This allows users to examine the product from a 360-degree viewing angle. The product on the table is photographed by the camera placed on the tripod, with every angle clearly visible.


Fashion Photography


It is perhaps one of the techniques we come across the most. We often see the fashion photography technique on billboards, magazines, websites. It is known as photographing clothes worn by a live model. Usually shot with a good background. White background or living nature background is used mostly. It is also of great importance that live models carry clothes well.


Things to Consider While Doing Product Photography

  • Take care to be professional when taking photos of products. Adjust angles, light, product shape well. Get professional equipment to make photos editable and easy to transfer.

  • One of the biggest mistakes made in product photography is using duplicate photos. Duplicate photos undermine your customers' trust and reduce their purchase rate. The quality of duplicate photos will also be poor. For this reason, do not copy photos from other websites or web pages and put them on your website.

  • Make sure there are no shadows in your photos. The shadows seen on the product will not create a pleasant image. Having a shadow in the photo will reduce the interest of the product.

  • Low resolution photos may cause customers to have negative thoughts about the product. For this reason, make sure that your photos are of high resolution .

  • Make sure that the focal point of the photo is the product you are going to sell. Overly complex backgrounds will cause the product to be overshadowed and unobtrusive.

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