E-commerce Product Photography: Lighting, Background and Angles

Three things decide the result in e-commerce product photography: soft, controlled light coming from one direction, a plain white background for the main image, and a planned shot list that shows the product from every angle. The camera comes second. A phone photo taken in good light will sell more than a photo from an expensive camera taken in bad light.

Below we walk through product photography step by step, from equipment and lighting to platform rules and file preparation, with a separate section for shooting at home.

What equipment do you need for product photography?

For small and medium-sized products, the basic kit is:

• Camera: the main camera of a recent phone, or an interchangeable-lens camera. A wide-angle lens distorts the product, so on a phone use the main camera, or the telephoto camera if it has one.
• Tripod: keeps every shot at the same angle and distance; it is the foundation of catalog consistency.
• Light: two continuous LED lights with softboxes, or a large window. Continuous light lets you see the result before you shoot, so it is easier than flash when you are starting out.
• Background: white backdrop card or paper. A single sheet curved from the wall down onto the table (a sweep) removes the corner shadow.
• Reflector: white foam board or card that bounces light back into the shadow side.
• Light tent: softens reflections on shiny products such as jewelry, glass and metal.

A turntable can be added later if you want to produce 360-degree views.

How do you set up lighting for product photos?

The most reliable starting setup is a single key light. Place the softbox to one side of the product, at roughly 45 degrees and slightly above. Put a reflector on the opposite side to open up the shadow. Do not remove the shadow entirely; a soft shadow gives the product volume.

For a white background to look truly white, it needs its own light. When you point a second light at the background, the gray tone behind the product disappears and background cleanup takes less time.

Three things to watch: do not mix lights of different color temperatures (window light and a warm ceiling lamp in the same frame distort colors), keep white balance fixed throughout the shoot, and on shiny products send light through a diffuser or tent rather than directly.

Should the background be white or lifestyle?

You need both, for different jobs. The main image is seen at small sizes in search results and category pages, and a plain white background separates the product clearly there. Lifestyle shots belong in the second and later images on the product page, where they show how the product is used and how big it is.

Google Merchant Center's product image rules are a good reference. Google recommends a fully white or transparent background in most cases, and that the product take up no less than 75% and no more than 90% of the image. The main image cannot include watermarks, promotional text (discounts, prices, "buy now"), barcodes or logos that are not part of the product. Google has announced that from January 31, 2027, all product images must be at least 500 × 500 pixels, and it recommends 1500 × 1500 pixels or larger for best results. Images can be up to 64 megapixels and 16 MB.

Each marketplace has its own size, ratio and background rules. Before shooting for Amazon, Etsy, Trendyol or any other marketplace, check the current image guide in the seller panel; planning the shooting ratio around it from the start avoids losing parts of the image to cropping later. We cover how images affect listings in our article on marketplace product listings.

Which shots should you take for each product?

Before the shoot, prepare a shot list for each product group. A typical list:

1. Front view on white (main image)
2. View from a 45-degree angle
3. Side and back views
4. Close-up of material, texture or workmanship
5. Scale shot: in hand, next to a piece of furniture or on a mannequin
6. In-use or setting shot
7. Box contents and packaging
8. Color options shot in the same layout, if any

Read your return reasons and the questions customers ask most. If reviews say "smaller than I expected", the scale shot is your priority; if they say "the color is different", color accuracy is. A short product video answers these questions well, especially for fabrics, moving parts and products that need to be used to be understood.

How do you take product photos at home?

If you do not have a studio, a large window is enough. Choose one that does not get direct sun, either north-facing or softened with a sheer curtain. Place the table side-on to the window, curve a white card from behind down onto the table as a backdrop, and set a second white card opposite the window as a reflector.

Put the phone on a tripod, shoot with the timer, and tap the product on screen to lock focus and exposure. Turn off ceiling lights and shoot at the same times of day. That way products photographed on different days look the same tone in your catalog.

How should you prepare the files after the shoot?

The point of editing is not to make the product look better, but to show it faithfully. Check the color on screen with the product next to it; a product that really looks a different color comes back as a return. Clean up the background, and crop all images to the same ratio with the product at the same size.

Follow platform rules on your own site too. Shopify says 2048 × 2048 pixels usually gives the best result for square product images, and recommends using the same aspect ratio for all images so collection pages look consistent. Google's image SEO guidance recommends short but descriptive file names instead of names like "IMG00023.JPG", and alt text that fits the page context. A name like "black-leather-backpack-front.jpg" tells both search engines and your team what the file is.

When do you need professional product photography?

A store with a few dozen products can get consistent results at home. A professional studio saves time and keeps things consistent when the catalog grows to hundreds of products, when products are shiny, transparent or very small, when you need mannequin or model shots, or when product video and social media content should come out of the same shoot. In that case, agreeing the shot list and platform sizes with the team before the shoot makes the shoot day productive.

In short

• Light matters more than the camera: one soft key light, a reflector opposite, and a separately lit white background.
• Main image on plain white; lifestyle and scale shots in later images.
• Google Merchant Center requires at least 500 × 500 pixels from January 31, 2027, and recommends 1500 × 1500.
• Prepare a shot list for each product group and prioritize it by return reasons.
• Color accuracy, consistent cropping, descriptive file names and alt text are part of the shoot.

For product shoots, promotional films, drone footage and social media video, see our photo and video service.