Product photos: what an online store needs from you
A store can be designed well and still look weak if the pictures let it down. Online store product photos are the one part of the project that only you can supply, so it helps to know what to prepare before the design starts.
Why do the photos matter more than the layout?
In a shop the buyer picks the product up. Online, the photo is all they get. It has to answer what they would check with their hands: the real colour, the size, the material, the finish. A clean layout around a dark or blurry picture still leaves the buyer guessing, and a buyer who is guessing usually leaves without ordering.
How many photos does each product need?
There is no fixed count, so think in jobs instead of numbers. One clear shot of the whole product on a plain background. One or two from other angles. A close shot of the detail that people ask about, such as the stitching, the label or the connector. And one that shows the product in use or next to something familiar, so the size is obvious.
Which background should I use?
Pick one and keep it for the whole catalogue. A plain white or light grey background keeps a category page calm, because every card looks like part of the same shop. Mixed backgrounds make the same page look like a collection of adverts from different sellers. Pictures of the product in real use are welcome too, but as extra photos inside the product page, not as the main image in the grid.
Do I need a photographer?
Not always. A recent phone, daylight from a window, a sheet of white card and a steady hand go a long way for small products. What matters is that every product is shot the same way: same distance, same light, same framing. Reflective, very small or high-value items are harder, and that is where a photographer is worth hiring. Decide per product type, not for the whole store at once.
How should I hand the photos over?
Send the original files, not screenshots and not pictures saved from a chat app, which are usually shrunk on the way. Keep the same shape for all main images, square or upright, so the grid lines up. Name each file after the product it belongs to, and put the files in folders by category. That order removes a great deal of back and forth later.
What if the photos come from my supplier?
Supplier photos are a fair starting point, but check two things. First, that you are allowed to use them. Second, that they match what you actually ship, down to the colour and the packaging. A photo that promises more than the parcel delivers turns into returns and complaints. If the set is mixed in style, choose your best products and reshoot those first.
How I handle it
Every store I build is designed in Figma first, and the design is drawn around your real products, not around sample pictures, so the sooner your photos reach me the closer the design is to the real store. You approve that design before the build starts. After handover the dashboard is yours, so you replace or add product images yourself whenever a better shot is ready, and questions about editing are covered by the 180 days of support. Tell me what you sell and which photos you have today, and we will start from there.
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