The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Product Photography

Having high-quality product photos is the key to promoting your company’s offerings, whether you’re creating product listings for your website, sharing advertisements on social media, or creating print materials for an in-store display. While anyone can take a simple picture, it takes some skill and strategy to capture a crisp, professional product photo that fits with your brand.

In this guide, we break down the art of product photography so even beginners can take stunning product photos that drive sales.

• Why Is Product Photography So Important?
• The Elements of Successful Product Photography
• Key Product Photography Tools and Equipment
• How to Take Professional Product Photos
• How to Create Product Photos Without a Professional Setup

Why Is Product Photography So Important?

Product photos are often a customer’s first impression of a brand. When shopping online, customers rely on quality photos to learn more about the product and determine if it fits their needs. In fact, 75% of online shoppers will make purchasing decisions based on product photos.

A single picture can emphasize your key selling points and help customers feel confident in their purchase. For instance, if a photo is blurry, inaccurate, or unappealing, your target shopper may simply click away. That’s why products with high-quality photos have a conversion rate that’s 94% higher than those with low-quality pictures.

Product photography is also a cornerstone of your company’s overall branding. It features in everything from packaging to social media posts. Creating a consistent visual brand for your company all starts with using polished, well-edited product images for your advertisements and promotional materials.

The Elements of Successful Product Photography

A few key details can make or break any product photo. Before you get started, it's essential to understand the pillars of product photography to stand out from competitors and meet your audience’s expectations.

Photo Quality

Quality photos are critical for showing customers the fine details of your products. High-quality photos also indicate the overall professionalism of your business. If you want to edit your photos, you’ll need to start with a crisp, high-definition image to ensure they look good in different formats.

Lighting

Well-lit photos are critical for any product photography. Good lighting will effectively illuminate each part of the product, showcasing details that might not appear in low lighting. It also ensures you’re sharing the most accurate representation of what your product looks like.

Your lighting impacts the consistency of your product photos. Similar, high-quality lighting throughout your pictures will help create a more uniform, appealing brand image on your website or social media.

Composition

Photo composition refers to how each picture element is organized within the frame. Even if you’re just taking a picture of a single object with a plain white background, you’ll want to ensure the product is framed as the photo's focal point. This involves balancing positive and negative space, filling the right amount of the frame, and placing the product in an eye-catching position within the frame.

If you want to use extra props to add personality and character, you’ll need to be even more strategic about your composition. A quality composition will highlight the product and harmonize it with the props and the background.

Key Product Photography Tools and Equipment

As a product photographer, the equipment you use can significantly impact the quality and appeal of your photos.

It’s important to note that you can still get stunning results with just a few basic items, especially with the right post-production tools. With modern editing software tools, you can mimic the results of pro-level cameras, lights, and more. AI-powered apps, such as Promeo and Photoshop AI, are designed to give you professional results regardless of the equipment you use. By pairing the right AI product photography software with quality equipment, anyone can get great results, whether you’re an experienced product photographer or a small business owner launching your first website.

Cameras and Lenses

Product photography starts with choosing a camera to capture your images. Photographers have many options when it comes to cameras. Depending on the settings and features you want, a basic digital camera can be quite cheap, while high-end DSLRs can cost well into the thousands. Many cameras also come with their own add-ons, such as special lenses for different kinds of shoots. Typically, a 50mm macro lens will work well for most product photography.

If you’re a DIY creator running a one-person show, take a look at your smartphone before buying a camera.

As a more established small business owner, investing in a more traditional setup can help set your business up for long-term success. Look for an affordable DSLR camera that balances the features you need with your budget. For example, you might look for a Canon EOS DSLR camera — you may even find a used one for a fraction of the price.

If you're a professional, full-time product photographer, you’ll need something more advanced. Consider a Sony A7 camera, known as one of the best product photography cameras. Depending on which generation you choose, the cost can range from $500 to over $1,500. Pair it with a full-frame 20-70mm zoom lens for maximum versatility.

Tripods

Using a tripod helps avoid getting a blurry image. While tripods aren’t necessary, they’re an affordable add-on that can elevate your product photography and make your shoots easier. They’re especially useful during long shoots with multiple products — you’ll be able to keep the same exact perspective as you swap out objects on your set.

There are many reputable tripod producers, so it’s important to focus on the specs when you make your purchase. The ideal size of your tripod depends on the size of your product.

Lights

Customers expect product images that have compelling, attractive lighting. A well-lit photo can be the difference between a customer clicking on your ad or scrolling straight past it.

Natural lighting can be a great choice, as it illuminates your product in an attractive way that accurately reflects how it looks in real life. However, natural light often has limitations.

Another option is to purchase professional photography lights and backboards. These lights often come with different settings to give you cool, warm, or neutral lighting, depending on the aesthetic you want to achieve. FlashPoint and Godox are some of the most trusted brands for both lights and accessories, such as diffusers.

As a DIY creator, you might start with a simple photo tent or lighting box that will keep your lighting consistent throughout each shoot, such as this model from NEEWER. If you own a small business, you may want to focus more on your brand and showing products in action, making studio lights like the Lume cube more practical. Meanwhile, professional photographers will want a whole arsenal of strobe lights and diffusers, such as this comprehensive kit.

Backdrops

A professional background will make your photo stand out while expressing your brand identity. The best background for your product photos depends on how you want to use the image. You may want a neutral, white background when posting photos for your product listing. With a plain background, your customers can focus on the product’s details. However, when advertising on social media, you may want to choose a background with eye-catching patterns and other designs.

If you're starting as a DIY creator, look for items you already own that could make a good backdrop, such as butcher paper, patterned sheets, or even pieces of decor you have at home. Once you own a full-on small business, look for a more consistent, professional option like the Flashpoint 10’ background support system, which is perfect for hanging large backgrounds to complement large product showcase scenes. If you want to become a professional product photographer, slowly build a collection of backdrops you can use to offer different scenes to your client. By setting up backdrop paper with different tones and designs, you can completely transform the feel of your shoot. This portable backdrop kit from Westcott is a good place to start if you want to come straight to clients and capture product photos on the move.

Props

Along with plain product photos that focus solely on a single object, you may want to take lifestyle shots with props in the background. Adding a few branded props can emphasize your brand, add context to your photo, and create an attractive shot that grabs your audience’s attention. You can keep it simple, such as advertising a coffee maker by adding cups of coffee, coffee beans, and a pastry to your photo shoot. Or, create complex, artistic layouts with funky objects that focus more on your brand’s vibe.

Editing Software

As a business owner, your editing software is one of your most crucial photography tools. Post-production software tools like Promeo, Adobe Lightroom, Cyberlink PhotoDirector, and Affinity are all popular options with different strengths.

Lightroom, for example, is a popular choice for experienced editors who want to make detailed manual adjustments to their photos. Meanwhile, Promeo is an easy-to-use option with an emphasis on AI, so even beginners can get professional results. Its AI-driven features can take even the most basic images and turn them into crisp, attractive advertisements that are ready to post. Tools like AI Enhance and AI Product Background automatically find the right adjustments on your behalf, so you don’t need tons of editing experience to make manual changes.

How To Take Professional Product Photos

Once you have your tools in place, it’s time to start shooting, whether you’re planning a DIY product photography shoot with just a smartphone or a full studio setup with all the bells and whistles. To get started on the right foot, follow this simple guide with best practices for getting the perfect shot:

Set Up Your Shooting Area

Find a space to set up your at-home product photography shoot. Give yourself enough space to maneuver around the product and get different angles. Although post-production apps can eliminate clutter in any background, starting with a plain backdrop will simplify editing. Even laying down a plain sheet or a large section of butcher paper can make a great neutral backdrop for your photos.

Stage Your Product

Next, position your product against the backdrop. Even if you plan to use props for some of your images, start by setting up a plain shoot with the product on its own. Then, you can add props and other embellishments to achieve different kinds of product photos.

As you set up your product, make sure the best possible version of the product shows up on camera. Wipe down any surfaces, remove dust or lint, and ensure unsightly stickers or leftover packaging components aren't in the frame. Making your product look great in real life is the first step to making it shine in photos.

Adjust the Lighting

If you plan to shoot in natural light, pay attention to the time of day to ensure you get the best lighting possible. Shooting at different times can produce different effects, but many photographers aim for the “golden hour,” either just after sunrise or before sunset. For clear, direct lighting, aim for the late morning or early evening. You’ll still have plenty of sunlight without the light being too harsh or casting unattractive shadows on your product.

When relying on indoor lighting, you might want to block out any sunlight to prevent lighting changes from impacting your photos. Then, you can carefully curate how you want to light your scene.

Remember that when you shine your light against one side of your product, you’ll create shadows on the opposite side. You can use stark light from one direction for a dramatic effect or set up lights from multiple angles to create softer lighting. If you’re a beginner, start by illuminating your product from multiple sides to give your customers the best possible look at your image’s details without casting distracting shadows. You’ll be able to adjust your lighting using a software feature such as Promeo’s Relight, but starting with a well-lit image will make your job even easier.

Configure Your Camera Settings

Whether you’re using a digital camera or a smartphone, you’ll want to make sure your camera is set up for success. Typically, the automatic settings will work well for beginners, but manual mode can give you more control over the outcome of your image. Here are a few recommended settings to get the best results when shooting manually:

• If your photos are too dark, slow the shutter speed to allow more light into the camera.
• If your photos are too bright, increase the shutter speed to prevent as much light from entering the camera.
• If you have a plain background, set your aperture between f/4.5 and f/7.1 to ensure your product is in clear focus.
• When working with a more dynamic background, you’ll want to use a wider aperture.
• For still product photos, use a low shutter speed to get a sharp image.
• Turn off the automatic flash to avoid interfering with your lighting setup.

Start with these key settings to ensure a crisp shoot without getting too overwhelmed with other options. You can experiment with the white balance, exposure, and other settings as you get more comfortable behind the camera.

Plan Your Composition

Before taking pictures, set up your product and any props to envision the composition. You can always crop and edit your photo in post-production to refine the final product, but planning out your composition will give you a good starting point.

Test out different configurations of products and props to see which options are the most enticing and attractive. There are countless ways to compose your photos; you might prop the product up to show off different angles, suspend the product in the air, or keep the product in the dead center of the photo. To get you started, try following one of these popular composition tools:

• The Rule of Thirds: Imagine a grid over your image with two vertical lines and two horizontal lines, dividing the shot into nine equal parts. The rule of thirds dictates that by placing your product at one of the places where those lines intersect, you can create a balanced image with a compelling focal point.
• The Golden Spiral: This method involves imagining a large spiral over your composition using mathematical ratios to create an appealing focal point in your photo. By framing your main subject in the center of the spiral and aligning other elements along the curve, you can capture a balanced composition with plenty of movement.

Take Test Photos and Make Adjustments

Once your photoshoot is set up, start taking test photos. Don’t worry too much about getting the perfect shot — at this point, you want to get a general idea of how your lighting, angles, and composition look on camera. Based on your test images, you can make small tweaks to where you position your props or how you’re angling your camera. You can also take the opportunity to change the lighting or backdrop.

Capture Final Product Images

After adjusting your lighting, layout, and other aspects of your shoot, start taking your final product images. Take pictures from multiple angles to give yourself plenty of options from which to choose. While you’re shooting, remember to take both close-up and wide-frame photos so you’ll have different perspectives of your product for all your marketing needs.

Consider Lifestyle and Demonstration Photos

Once you’ve shot the product alone, you may also want to plan a photoshoot showing it in action. For example, you might use a tight frame to show someone squeezing toothpaste onto a toothbrush or pouring a beverage into a glass.

Demonstration photos are especially helpful if you sell wearables, like clothing or accessories, as action shots will help your customers envision how your product looks on a real person. You could take a wide shot of someone wearing your product in a social setting, helping customers imagine themselves using your products in their lifestyle while also reinforcing your branding.

Edit and Retouch Photos

Once you have your raw images, upload them to your chosen editing program and make adjustments. During this phase, you can transform your photo by changing the background or just using a few simple tweaks to make your product shine.

Begin by enhancing the quality, then adjust the lighting as needed. While editing, you may notice imperfections that you missed during the shoot; luckily, editing apps make it possible to eliminate these flaws. In AI-powered apps like Promeo you can use retouching features to remove flaws, replace backgrounds, remove objects, and more! Download Promeo below to edit a product photo for free:

Prepare the Photos For Upload

After you’ve refined your photos in Promeo, it’s time to prepare them for upload. Carefully crop your images to fit size guidelines for social media, your website, or product listings. For example, a square 1080 by 1080 pixel image is ideal for your Instagram grid, but you’ll want a photo with a 16:9 ratio for your story posts.

To simplify future uploads, carefully name each file with a concise description. Having a system for naming your product photography files will make it easier to access the right images in the future.

How To Create Product Photos Without A Professional Setup

Many small businesses start on a shoestring budget, which makes a professional product photography setup out of the question. But that doesn’t have to stop you from creating pro-level photos to promote your brand! Here’s how to take attractive, polished product photos with basic and affordable tools.

Take Photos With Your Phone

Instead of a professional camera, use any smartphone you have available. Use a microfiber cloth to clean the lens and ensure you get a clear picture. Then, open your camera app and start shooting.

To get the best results from your phone camera, turn off the flash. You’ll be able to create the perfect lighting with Relight in Promeo or another AI editing tool after the fact.

With a smartphone, look for options like portrait mode to get the highest-quality image possible. While you can adjust the brightness and exposure within the camera app, you can also save those adjustments for post-production. Take bursts of photos for each angle of your product, then sort through them to pick out your favorites.

Enhance Photos With AI Image Enhancement

Once you upload the photo into your preferred editing software, look for an automatic quality enhancer tool like Promeo’s AI Image Enhancement. You won’t have to worry about having a high-resolution camera on your phone — the software will increase the quality of your image using smart AI technology to keep the image looking natural while enhancing any details. This can help remove blurriness or graininess, giving you the best possible representation of your products.

Even if you already have crisp, detailed photos, AI Image Enhancement can take those small details to the next level, making your product photos even more versatile. This is ideal for companies that offer products with intricate design details. Whether you’re a clothing retailer or an electronics manufacturer, AI-enhanced photos can help showcase your product close-ups while maintaining a crisp image quality.

Relight With AI

Next, explore the AI lighting features to achieve studio-quality lighting without all the extra equipment. With AI lighting, you can take full control of your lighting, adjusting the color, intensity, and strength of your lighting. For example, in Promeo, you can adjust where the light source is coming from using the Relight feature, effectively highlighting different areas of your product with ease. Relight can even add multiple light sources, giving you a brilliant, well-lit image that will easily grab your audience’s attention.

While any company can benefit from a well-lit product, this is especially useful for products that include their own lighting elements. For example, tech tools and LED-enabled devices will emit their own light, which can disrupt your studio lighting. With a bit of adjustment in Promeo, you’ll be able to showcase the details of the product while also showing off its natural glow.

Replace Background With AI

When you use AI to generate your backgrounds, the sky’s the limit when it comes to your product photography. If you can imagine a background, AI tools such as Promeo’s AI Product Background can turn it into reality.

Promeo comes with multiple pre-set background options, so you can toggle between silk, marble, or wooden backgrounds. You can also use the custom AI prompt feature to add alluring landscapes and backdrops. Whether you own a lifestyle brand or sell more practical products, being able to set the mood with the right backdrop makes a difference. When crafting your prompts, you can ask AI to create different textures, settings, and scenes that fit in perfectly with your brand.

Adjust Photo With AI Remove or Replace

After crafting your perfect background, you can use AI to refine your photo by eliminating or replacing specific items. If there’s an aspect of your backdrop you want to eliminate, these tools can immediately take it out of the photo, filling in the blank space with a realistic, seamless background. Promeo’s AI Remove tool doesn’t require any meticulous editing or reworking, so you can rely on AI to produce a natural-looking result right away.

With AI Replace, you can add extra props to enhance the scenery and storytelling of your photo. Include complementary items to help your product shine, or use AI Replace to adjust aspects of the background that just need a little tweak.

Customize Your Product Shot With Stickers and Text

Your fully edited product photo may be ready to upload to your product listing, but you’ll want to add a bit of extra flair if you’re creating a social post or online advertisement. Editing software tools often come with a large library of stickers and fonts to level up your designs. If you’re using Promeo, you can also use the AI Cowriter tool to come up with quippy captions to complement your product photos, then look for fun stickers and designs to bring life to each post.

Add to a Template With Magic Designer

The AI Magic Designer in Promeo is an all-in-one content designer that can turn a simple picture into an eye-catching advertisement. With AI Magic Designer, you can add your photo to countless customizable templates. Input a simple prompt describing your product and related keywords, then watch as AI Magic Designer creates promotional images, social posts, flyers, and more. Plus, all designs are fully customizable, so you can refine your AI creations to express your unique branding.