Product photography for e-commerce: what to plan before the shoot

Product photos often decide whether someone adds to cart. Planning ahead makes shoots faster, cheaper and more consistent.

Know where the images will be used

Your store, marketplaces, social media and ads all have different size and background requirements. List them before the shoot.

Write a shot list

For each product: front, back, side, detail, scale reference and in-use shots. Consistent angles across the catalogue make your store look organised.

Decide on backgrounds and styling

Plain backgrounds for catalogue images; styled or lifestyle sets for hero images and social. Collect reference images to agree on mood.

Prepare the products

Clean, steam, remove stickers and have spares ready. Small blemishes become very visible in high-resolution photos.

Plan for video too

Capturing short clips during the same session is far cheaper than a separate shoot later.