Product photography for marketplace listings: the shot list for every image slot

A product photography shot list for marketplace listings covers about ten photos of the real product: the front, back, sides, a three-quarter view, label close-ups, scale, detail, packaging, contents, the product in use and each variation. Taken once, in soft even light on a plain background, that set gives you the material for every image slot on Amazon, Walmart, Etsy, eBay, Wayfair and your Shopify store.

Every marketplace image starts as a photo of the real product. A main image on white is that photo, cut out. A size image is that photo with measurements beside it. Even a scene made with AI tools is only as true as the photo it started from. So the most useful hour you can spend on product photography is not on lighting gear or styling: it is on taking the right set of photos once, so every image a listing needs can be made from them.

This guide gives you that set: a shot list that covers the image slots on Amazon, Walmart, Etsy, eBay, Wayfair and your Shopify store, how to light and frame it with what you already have, and how to photograph labels so they stay readable.

Why does product photography start with the real product?

Product photography starts with the real product because shoppers judge the product from its images, and they notice when the images and the words disagree. Salsify's 2025 consumer survey of shoppers in the US and the UK reports that 54% had abandoned a purchase because of conflicting product information. On Etsy's community forums, sellers with plenty of views and no sales are often told the same thing: their photos leave questions unanswered.

The marketplaces ask for the real product too:

• Etsy asks for original photos of the actual item buyers receive, not renderings or stock photos.
• eBay does not allow added borders, text, artwork or watermarks on any photo, and asks for photos at least 500 pixels on the longest side.
• Amazon asks for the actual product in the main image, and recommends at least six images and a video.

A good set of real photos meets all of these, and gives you the material for every designed image you add later.

What photos should you take of a product?

Take every shot in this list that applies to your product: most products need around ten photos to cover every marketplace image slot.

Three habits make the shot list work:

1. Same light, same distance, same angle for variations. A shopper switching colours should see only the colour change.
2. Leave room round the product. Frame with a little space on every side. You can crop in later; you cannot crop out. eBay's photo tips suggest the product fills 80 to 90% of the final frame, and Amazon's main image asks for 85% or more, so the crop happens after the shoot.
3. Shoot more than you think you need. An extra angle costs a second now and a reshoot later.

Which image slots does each marketplace ask for?

Amazon's image set is the most specific of the marketplaces. Amazon asks each page to have at least three images: the product on a white background, the product in an environment, and one showing product information such as dimensions or nutrition facts. Amazon recommends at least six images and one video in total.

Two things follow for your shoot. First, shoot at your camera's full resolution: every marketplace above is happy with a large photo, and several need 1,500 to 2,000 pixels. Second, take your in-use and room shots even if your main marketplace does not ask for them. Walmart, Wayfair and Amazon all want the product shown in a setting.

How do you light product photos without a studio?

Product photos need soft, even light and a plain background, not a studio.

Light. A large window on a cloudy day gives soft light for free. Put the product beside the window, not in front of it, and hold a sheet of white card on the other side to fill in the shadows. Turn off the room's ceiling lights, which add a colour cast. If you shoot at night, two identical lamps either side, at the same distance, do the same job.

Background. A sheet of white or light grey card curved up behind the product, with no fold or line, is all you need. The background will be replaced for the main image, so it only has to be plain and different in tone from the product: a white product cuts out more cleanly from light grey than from white.

Camera. A recent phone is enough. Clean the lens, turn off any beauty or portrait filter, tap to focus on the product, and keep the phone steady, propped on books if you have no tripod. Shoot from the product's middle height for the front shot, and from slightly above for the three-quarter shot.

Colour. Check the colour on your screen against the real product in daylight. If they differ, the shopper will see the difference when the parcel arrives. Fix it in the photo before you build anything from it.

How do you photograph a product label so it stays readable?

Photograph a product label square on, flat, sharp edge to edge, without glare and filling the frame. Label photos are the shots most often done badly, and they carry the most weight. They prove what the product is, show the ingredients and warnings, and, for supplements and cosmetics, are part of what the marketplaces check. Our pages on supplement rules and cosmetics rules explain why.

To photograph a label so it stays readable:

• Square on. Hold the phone parallel to the label. Any tilt makes one end of the text smaller.
• Flat. For a curved bottle, take two or three photos as you turn it, so every part of the label is flat to the camera in one of them.
• Sharp edge to edge. Tap to focus on the text, and check the corners at full size.
• No glare. Move the light to the side until the reflection leaves the shiny parts of the label.
• Close enough. Fill the frame with the label. Small print should be readable when you zoom in on your phone.

Never retype, redraw or tidy a label in editing. The words in the photo must be the words on the product.

Should you take in-use photos yourself?

Yes, take a few in-use photos even if you plan to use designed scenes later: an in-use photo shows scale, use and who the product is for. A willing helper and a real setting are enough. A real photo of a hand on the product is the most reliable guide to its size.

Keep the setting tidy and plain, and keep the product the clear subject. A cluttered kitchen makes a kettle hard to see; the same kettle on a clear counter with one plant beside it reads at once.

For products with special rules, such as toys, baby products and children's clothing, who appears with the product changes which rules apply. Our page on toy rules explains how.

Which product photography mistakes cost a reshoot?

These seven product photography problems most often send sellers back to the camera:

• Mixed light. Daylight from a window and a warm ceiling bulb in the same photo give one side of the product a yellow tint that is hard to remove.
• A soft label. The product is sharp, the label is not. Always zoom in on the label before you put the product away.
• Cut-off edges. A handle, a cable or a corner just outside the frame. Every cut-out and every scene needs the whole product.
• Reflections of you. Shiny products reflect the room and the photographer. Move to the side, or hang a white sheet behind you.
• A different setup for each colour. Variations shot on different days, in different light, look like different products.
• Dust and fingerprints. They are invisible on the phone screen and obvious at full size. Wipe the product with a soft cloth before the first shot.
• Only one in-use photo. Take several, from different distances. The one that works is rarely the one you expected.

A five-minute check at the end of the shoot, looking at each photo at full size, saves most reshoots.

How do product photos become a full image set?

Each shot on the list becomes one or more listing images:

• The front shot becomes the main image on white.
• The scale and front shots become a Dimensions image with real measurements.
• The contents shot becomes a What's in the box image.
• The detail and label shots become feature and proof images.
• The in-use shots become lifestyle images, or the reference for designed scenes.

What can be made and what must stay real is the line to hold. A scene behind your product can be made. A label, a size, a colour, a count or a feature cannot be. Our guide to AI product photography covers where that line sits for AI images.

How Commicorn helps

Commicorn turns the photos on this list into the images every marketplace asks for:

• Your light, fixed without AI. Each photo you add is light-corrected as it arrives, never turned or cropped, and you can always go back to the original.
• A main image from your front shot. The Hero shot places your product on pure white, with your photo's pixels never redrawn.
• Every other slot. Lifestyle scenes, callouts, Dimensions, What's in the set, Detail and Size chart images, made from your photos.
• Your labels, as printed. On the Untouched product route the product's pixels are never redrawn, so the words on your packaging stay exactly as printed.
• Each marketplace's sizes. Every image is exported as a square of 2,000 pixels or more.

Take these photos once and turn them into images for every marketplace. Start free.

Questions sellers ask

How many product photos do I need for a marketplace listing?

Most products need around ten photos to cover every slot: the front, back, sides, a three-quarter view, label close-ups, scale, detail, packaging, contents, the product in use and each variation. Amazon recommends at least six images and one video on the listing itself.

Can I take product photos with a phone?

Yes. A recent phone is enough: clean the lens, turn off any beauty or portrait filter, tap to focus on the product and keep the phone steady. Shoot at the camera's full resolution, because Walmart recommends 2,200 pixels and Etsy about 2,000 on the shortest side.

What background should I use for product photos?

A sheet of white or light grey card curved up behind the product, with no fold or line. The background is replaced for the main image, so it only has to be plain and different in tone from the product.

How much of the frame should the product fill?

Leave a little space on every side when you shoot, and crop afterwards. eBay's photo tips suggest the product fills 80 to 90% of the final frame, and Amazon's main image asks for 85% or more.

Can I edit a label in a product photo?

No. Never retype, redraw or tidy a label in editing: the words in the photo must be the words on the product. Take a sharper photo of the label instead.