Photographs Do More Than Copy

Images carry the decision

A shopper cannot handle the product, so they judge it from photographs. That makes photography the single most influential thing on the page, ahead of the description and frequently ahead of the price.

It is also the thing most small stores under-invest in, because supplier images are free and appear adequate.

Supplier images cost you

Every competitor selling the same product has the same supplier images. Identical photography makes you interchangeable, and it makes shoppers wonder whether you actually hold stock.

Your own photographs distinguish you, demonstrate that the product is real and in your hands, and are unique content for search purposes.

The shots that matter

1. The whole product, plain background, well lit
2. Detail — whatever indicates quality: stitching, finish, connectors
3. Scale — beside something familiar
4. In use or in context, so shoppers can imagine it
5. What is in the box, laid out
6. Anything that generates questions — the back, the underside, the fitting

You do not need a studio

• Daylight from a window, indirect, is better than most artificial lighting
• A plain background — a roll of paper is sufficient
• A modern phone camera, held steady
• Consistency between products, which matters more than absolute quality
• Editing only for brightness and background, never to change how the product looks

Size and compress them

Photography is where store speed goes to die. Resize to around 2000px, compress properly, and let the platform serve responsive versions.

A beautiful product image that takes four seconds to appear has already lost the shopper it was meant to convince.

Frequently asked questions