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Shopify product photography: better product photos on a small budget

By the Shoply Apps team · 20 October 2026 · 8 min read

Shopify product photography is the set of photos on each product page that shows shoppers what they are buying. Online, nobody can pick the product up, turn it over or feel the material, so your photos have to answer those questions instead. This guide covers budget gear, a simple setup, a shot list for every product, basic editing and a weekend plan for photographing 20 products.

Why do product photos matter so much on Shopify?

Product photos matter because they replace touching and seeing the product in a shop. A shopper looking at a bag wants to know its size, what the inside looks like and whether the brown is warm or cool. If the photos do not show it, they guess, ask, or leave.

Clear photos also set honest expectations: when the colour or size looks different in person, customers feel misled and send it back. Good photos are one of the fixes covered in our guide to increasing your Shopify conversion rate.

What gear do you need for DIY product photography?

For DIY product photography you need a phone, something to hold it still, a plain background and a way to control light. Most of it costs little or is already in your home:

• A recent smartphone. Modern phone cameras are good enough for most product pages when the light is right.
• A tripod or stable surface. A small phone tripod is ideal; a stack of books works too.
• A white sweep or light tent. A sweep is a sheet of white poster board or paper that curves from the table up the wall behind the product, so there is no visible horizon line. A light tent is a fabric box that does the same job and softens the light for small items.
• White foam boards as reflectors. Placed opposite your light, a white board bounces light back into the shadows.

Natural light or inexpensive lights?

Both work. Natural light from a large window is free and soft, especially on a bright but overcast day or with a thin white curtain over the glass. But it changes through the day, so morning and afternoon photos may not match.

Inexpensive continuous lights (lights that stay on, unlike a flash) give the same result every time. Whichever you use, avoid mixing light colours: daylight from a window plus a warm ceiling bulb gives a product blue on one side and orange on the other, which is very hard to fix in editing. Turn off room lights, and if you buy lights, buy matching ones.

How do you set up a simple product photo space?

Set up a table next to your light source, curve a white sweep behind it, and place a reflector on the side away from the light. Step by step:

1. Put a table beside a window (light coming from the side) or set up your lights at about 45 degrees to one side of the product.
2. Tape white poster board or paper to the wall or a box behind the table so it curves down onto the tabletop without a fold.
3. Place the product in the middle of the sweep, a little forward from the curve.
4. Stand a white foam board on the opposite side to soften the shadows. Move it closer for lighter shadows.
5. Put the phone on a tripod and frame the product. Mark the tripod legs and the product position with tape.
6. Switch off other lights in the room and take a test shot. Check it on a larger screen before you shoot the whole batch.

How do you take product photos with a phone?

To take product photos with a phone, keep the phone still and the settings fixed so that every shot looks the same. These habits matter more than the phone model:

• Shoot from a fixed distance. Use your tape marks so products of a similar size appear at a similar size.
• Use the main lens, not digital zoom. Digital zoom crops and enlarges the image, which loses detail. Move the phone closer instead, or crop later.
• Lock focus and exposure. On many phones you can tap and hold on the product to lock both, so the brightness does not jump between shots. A white background can make photos look too dark; nudge the exposure up if so.
• Keep the camera level. Turn on the grid in your camera settings and line it up with the product so it does not lean.
• Shoot slightly wider than you need. Leave space around the product so you can crop to your chosen aspect ratio later without cutting anything off.

Which photos should every product have?

Every product should have a main image on a plain background, plus enough extra photos to answer a shopper's usual questions. Use this shot list and skip what does not apply:

How do you keep product photos consistent across your store?

Keep the same background, lighting, framing and aspect ratio for every product. Aspect ratio is the shape of the image, written as width to height; square (1:1) is a common choice for product photos because it lines up neatly in collection grids. Mixed backgrounds make a store look unfinished.

Write your settings down so every session matches. For pixel dimensions and file size, see our Shopify product image size guide.

What editing do product photos need?

Most product photos need only light editing: crop, straighten, correct white balance and clean up the background. Your phone's built-in editor can do all of it.

• Crop to your chosen aspect ratio, with similar space around each product.
• Straighten so edges are level and vertical lines are upright.
• White balance is the setting that makes white look white rather than blue or yellow. Fix it so the background is a clean, neutral white.
• Background clean-up removes dust, marks and the edge of the sweep.

Keep colours true to the real product. Hold the item next to your screen and compare: a product that arrives a different shade from its photo is a reason to return it. Save your edit settings and apply them to the rest of the batch so the photos match.

How do you photograph tricky products?

Tricky products need you to control what they reflect or how they hold their shape. A few general approaches:

• Reflective items (metal, glossy plastic, jewellery) mirror everything around them. Use a light tent or surround the item with white boards so it reflects plain white, and use diffused light rather than a bare bulb.
• Clear glass often looks best lit from behind: place the light or a bright white board behind the glass so its edges show up as clean lines.
• Clothing can be shot as a flat lay (laid flat and smoothed out, photographed from above), on a ghost mannequin (shot on a mannequin that is then removed in editing, so the garment keeps its shape) or on a model, which shows fit best.

Can dropshippers use supplier photos?

Dropshippers can use supplier photos only if they have permission, so check the supplier's terms or ask in writing before you upload them. Also remember that many stores sell the same product with the same supplier images, which makes your listing look identical to theirs.

When you can, order a sample and take a few of your own photos, especially scale and in-use shots. Our guide on how to start dropshipping on Shopify covers ordering samples and choosing suppliers.

Do product photos need alt text?

Yes. Alt text is a short written description of an image that screen readers read aloud and search engines use to understand the photo. Describe what each photo shows, such as "Brown leather tote bag, open, showing inside zip pocket", rather than repeating the product title on every image. Our product page SEO checklist explains how to write it.

Missing alt text and products with no image at all are easy to miss in a big catalog. Shoply: Item Scan & Analytics, free on the Shopify App Store, flags both as part of its scan of product content.

How long does it take to photograph 20 products?

For simple products, about one weekend: shoot on one day, edit and upload on the next. These are example numbers for small, easy items; adjust for yours:

That works out to 9 hours ÷ 20 products = 27 minutes per product. Shooting everything in one session is faster, and the photos match.

What should you check before uploading product photos?

Before uploading, check each product's photos against this list:

• The main image shows the whole product on the same plain background as the rest of the catalog.
• Every photo is sharp, level and cropped to the same aspect ratio.
• Colours match the real product when you hold it next to the screen.
• There are angles, a close-up, a scale shot and one photo per colour variant.
• Each variant photo is linked to the right variant in Shopify.
• You have the right to use every photo, including supplier images.
• Each photo has its own descriptive alt text.

Once your photos are up, add a photo review to your monthly catalog health checklist so new products get the same treatment.

FAQ

Can I take good product photos with my phone?

Yes. A recent smartphone is enough for most Shopify stores if you use soft, even light, a plain background, a tripod or stable surface, and the phone's main lens instead of digital zoom.

Is natural light or artificial light better for product photos?

Both work. Window light is free and soft but changes through the day; inexpensive continuous lights give the same result every session. Whichever you choose, do not mix light sources of different colours, such as daylight and a warm room lamp.

Can I use my supplier's product photos?

Only if you have permission to use them, so check the supplier's terms or ask in writing. Many stores use the same supplier images, so adding your own photos of the product helps your listing stand out.

How many photos should each product have?

There is no fixed number. Aim for enough photos to answer a shopper's questions: a main image on a plain background, other angles, a close-up, a scale shot, an in-use shot and one photo per colour variant.