Product Photography prompts

Help me plan a product shoot.

THE PRODUCT: [WHAT IT IS, SIZE, MATERIALS, FINISH, COLOUR]
WHERE THE IMAGES GO: [own site / marketplace / social / print catalogue]
HOW MANY PRODUCTS: [COUNT AND VARIANTS]
EQUIPMENT: [camera, lights, backdrop, tripod - or just a phone]
SPACE: [WHERE YOU WILL SHOOT]
BUDGET AND TIME: [WHAT IS AVAILABLE]

Produce:

1. THE SHOT LIST per product - what each image must show:
   - Main image: the whole product, clean background, the angle that best identifies it
   - All sides, including the back and base
   - Detail: the texture, finish, stitching, joint, or whatever signals quality
   - Scale: with a familiar object or in a hand
   - In use or in context
   - What is included: everything in the box, laid out
   - Any variant, colour or size difference

2. THE SETUP - for my equipment and space:
   - Lighting: how to get soft, even light. Window light with a reflector is often better than cheap artificial light, and free. Say what to use and where to position the product relative to it.
   - Background: what to use and how to keep it clean and consistent
   - Camera position and height, and why it matters for this product's shape
   - Stabilisation: a tripod matters more than the camera for product work

3. THE MATERIAL CHALLENGES - specific to what I described. Reflective surfaces show the room and the photographer; glass needs light through it rather than on it; matte black loses all detail without edge lighting; fabric needs raking light to show texture; white on white needs careful separation. Address the ones that apply.

4. THE CONSISTENCY SETUP - if shooting multiple products, how to keep the setup identical: marked positions, fixed camera and lights, manual exposure and white balance locked. Anything on automatic will drift between shots and the set will not match.

5. THE SETTINGS - aperture for adequate depth of field (product shots usually need more than portraits), manual white balance, lowest usable sensitivity, and shooting RAW if possible.

6. THE COLOUR REFERENCE - include a neutral grey or white card in one frame per setup, so colour can be corrected accurately later. This is the single most valuable habit for product photography and it costs nothing.

7. THE ORDER - group by setup, not by product, to avoid relighting repeatedly.

8. THE TIME ESTIMATE - realistically, for my product count and shot list.

9. THE CHECK BEFORE WRAPPING - review on a large screen, not the camera back. Check focus, dust on the product, reflections, and that nothing is missing from the shot list.

Help me photograph my product with a phone.

THE PRODUCT: [WHAT IT IS, SIZE, MATERIAL, COLOUR]
PHONE: [MODEL, if you know it]
WHAT I HAVE AVAILABLE: [any surfaces, paper, lamps, window, clips, boxes]
WHERE I AM SHOOTING: [ROOM AND LIGHT AVAILABLE]
WHERE THE IMAGES GO: [PURPOSE]

Produce:

1. THE LIGHT - the single biggest factor, and free. Find a window with indirect daylight. Place the product to the side of it, not facing it directly. Use a sheet of white paper or card on the opposite side to bounce light back into the shadows. Avoid direct sun, avoid mixing window light with room lights of a different colour, and turn the overhead light off.

2. THE SURFACE AND BACKGROUND - what to use from what I listed. A large sheet of white paper curved from a wall down onto a table gives a seamless background with no visible horizon line. Say specifically how to set this up with what I have.

3. THE PHONE SETTINGS - what to change from default:
   - Lock focus and exposure on the product by tapping and holding
   - Turn the flash off, always
   - Use the main camera, not the ultra-wide, which distorts at close range
   - Step back and zoom slightly rather than moving very close, which distorts shape
   - Turn off portrait mode for product shots; it blurs things you want sharp and produces edge errors
   - Shoot in the highest quality setting available, and RAW if the phone offers it

4. THE STABILITY - anything that holds the phone still: a stack of books, a clip, propped against something. Camera shake is the main cause of soft phone product photos, more than the lens.

5. THE DISTANCE AND ANGLE - for this product's shape, where to shoot from and at what height. Shooting down at an angle is the default and is often wrong; many products look better shot at their own height.

6. THE PROBLEMS TO WATCH - your own reflection in anything shiny, shadows cast by the phone, dust and fingerprints on the product, and colour cast from a coloured wall or carpet bouncing light.

7. THE MATERIAL-SPECIFIC ADVICE for what I described.

8. THE EDIT - the minimum afterwards: white balance correction, straightening, cropping consistently, and brightening the background to clean white if that is the requirement. Keep the product's colour accurate.

9. WHAT A PHONE CANNOT DO WELL - very small products needing macro detail, highly reflective items, and anything needing precise colour matching. Say if my product falls into one of these and what the workaround is.

Help me create lifestyle product images.

THE PRODUCT: [WHAT IT IS]
WHO BUYS IT: [CUSTOMER AND THEIR SITUATION]
WHERE IT IS USED: [THE REAL CONTEXT]
WHAT I WANT TO COMMUNICATE: [THE FEELING OR BENEFIT]
RESOURCES: [location access, people available, props, equipment, budget]
WHERE THESE IMAGES GO: [PURPOSE]

Produce:

1. WHAT THE LIFESTYLE IMAGE MUST DO - it is not decoration. It should answer a question the clean product shot cannot: how big is it, how is it used, who is it for, and what does it look like in a real space. Name the specific questions my product raises.

2. THE SCENARIOS - three or four situations to shoot, each chosen because it answers one of those questions. For each: the setting, what is happening, who is in it, and what the viewer learns.

3. THE PRODUCT PROMINENCE - the product must be clearly visible and identifiable. The most common failure in lifestyle photography is a beautiful image in which the product is a small blurred object in the corner. Say where the product should sit in each frame.

4. THE AUTHENTICITY PROBLEM - staged images read as staged. What makes them credible: real use rather than posed display, natural light, a slightly imperfect setting, and hands doing something real. What gives it away: perfectly tidy surroundings, a model smiling at nothing, props arranged symmetrically, and everything colour-coordinated.

5. THE PROPS AND SETTING - what should be in frame to establish context, and what should be removed. Everything in frame says something about who this product is for.

6. THE PEOPLE QUESTION - whether you need people, and what that involves: finding someone, releases and permissions, and the fact that a badly cast model is worse than no model. If people are not feasible, the alternatives: hands only, the product in a space, or evidence of use.

7. THE LIGHTING - natural light suits lifestyle work and is usually the right choice. What time of day, and how to position relative to windows.

8. THE SHOT LIST - specific frames to capture in each scenario, including verticals for social and horizontals for web, and both tight and wide versions.

9. THE RIGHTS - if shooting in a location or with people, what permissions are needed.

10. THE LOW-BUDGET VERSION - if my resources are limited, what is achievable at home with available light, and which scenario gives the most value for the least effort.

Help me use AI to create product scenes.

THE PRODUCT: [WHAT IT IS, MATERIAL, SHAPE]
WHAT I HAVE: [a clean product shot on white / a cut-out with transparency / nothing yet]
WHAT SCENE I WANT: [DESCRIBE THE SETTING]
TOOL: [generative background tool / image model with inpainting / other]
WHERE IT GOES: [PURPOSE AND PLATFORM]

Produce:

1. THE RULE THAT GOVERNS THIS - the product itself must be a real photograph of the actual product, unaltered in shape, colour, texture and proportion. Only the environment around it is generated. Generating the product itself misrepresents what the customer receives, and it is both a returns problem and, in many jurisdictions and on most marketplaces, a rules problem. State this plainly before anything else.

2. THE SOURCE SHOT REQUIREMENTS - what the product photograph needs for this to work:
   - Lighting that can plausibly match the intended scene. A product lit flat and frontally cannot convincingly sit in a scene with strong side light.
   - A clean, separable edge
   - The right perspective and camera height for the scene
   - Shot at sufficient resolution
   If my current shot does not meet these, say what to reshoot.

3. THE SCENE PROMPT - describing the environment, with the properties that must match the product shot: light direction, light quality, colour temperature, perspective, and depth of field. Specify a clear placement area for the product.

4. THE MATCHING CHECKLIST - what makes a composite convincing:
   - Light direction consistent between product and scene
   - Colour temperature matched
   - Contrast and black levels matched
   - Perspective and horizon consistent
   - Depth of field appropriate to the apparent distance
   - Grain and noise level matched

5. THE SHADOW - the product needs a contact shadow where it meets a surface, and a cast shadow consistent with the scene's light. Without these it floats. This is the element that most determines whether the image reads as real.

6. THE REFLECTION - if the surface is reflective, the product needs a reflection, and if the product is reflective, it should show something of the scene.

7. THE SCALE CHECK - generated scenes frequently render the product at an implausible size relative to its surroundings. Verify against real-world proportions.

8. THE MARKETPLACE RULES - many platforms restrict main images to plain backgrounds and have rules about what may be shown. Say what applies to my platform, and that generated scenes usually belong in secondary images only.

9. THE DISCLOSURE QUESTION - whether the context requires noting that the setting is not a real photograph.

10. THE ALTERNATIVE - a simple, clean, well-lit shot is often more persuasive than a generated scene that looks slightly wrong. Say when that is the better choice.

Help me photograph this difficult material.

THE PRODUCT: [WHAT IT IS]
THE MATERIAL: [glass / polished metal / matte black / white / mirror / fabric / liquid / food / jewellery]
WHAT IS GOING WRONG: [DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM]
EQUIPMENT: [WHAT YOU HAVE]
SPACE: [WHERE YOU ARE SHOOTING]

Produce advice specific to my material:

1. WHY IT IS DIFFICULT - the physical reason. Understanding this makes the technique obvious rather than a rule to memorise. Reflective surfaces act as mirrors and show whatever is around them; transparent objects are defined by what is behind them; matte black absorbs light and loses all form; white loses its edge against a white background.

2. THE PRINCIPLE - the approach that solves it:
   - GLASS AND TRANSPARENT: light the background, not the object. The object is defined by the bright or dark field behind it and by edge highlights.
   - POLISHED METAL AND MIRROR: it reflects its environment, so you control the environment. Large soft light sources, and cards positioned to create the reflections you want. What you see in it is what you are showing.
   - MATTE BLACK: needs edge and rim light to define its shape against the background, or it becomes a silhouette.
   - WHITE ON WHITE: needs separation, either a slight tonal difference in the background or edge lighting.
   - FABRIC: needs raking light across the surface to reveal texture and weave.
   - LIQUID AND FOOD: needs to look fresh and is time-sensitive; backlighting reveals translucency.
   - JEWELLERY: small, highly reflective, and needs macro focus plus controlled reflections.

3. THE SETUP with my equipment - practical, using what I have. Where light sources go, what to use as diffusion and reflectors, and where the camera sits.

4. THE IMPROVISED VERSION - what to use if I do not have proper equipment: tracing paper, white card, a window, a sheet, a cardboard box. Most of these problems are solvable with paper and a window.

5. THE REFLECTION CONTROL - for reflective materials, what you and the room will show up in the shot, and how to avoid it: a card with a hole for the lens, black cards to create dark reflections, and wearing dark clothing.

6. THE FOCUS PROBLEM - where depth of field is short, what to do: a smaller aperture, focus stacking, or a greater shooting distance.

7. WHAT TO FIX IN THE EDIT rather than in camera, and what must be got right in camera because it cannot be fixed afterwards.

8. THE REALISTIC EXPECTATION - some of these materials are genuinely hard and are why product photographers exist. Say honestly how close my setup can get and whether this warrants professional help.

Help me build a consistent product image system.

HOW MANY PRODUCTS: [COUNT, AND HOW OFTEN NEW ONES ARE ADDED]
PRODUCT TYPES: [DO THEY VARY IN SIZE, SHAPE, MATERIAL?]
WHERE THE IMAGES APPEAR: [PLATFORMS]
WHO SHOOTS THEM: [YOU / A TEAM / VARIES]
CURRENT PROBLEM: [WHAT IS INCONSISTENT]

Produce:

1. THE SHOOTING STANDARD - the specification every product is shot to, written so someone else could follow it:
   - Camera height and distance relative to product size
   - Product orientation and angle
   - Background and its exact tone
   - Lighting setup, with positions measured
   - Camera settings, all manual: aperture, shutter, sensitivity, white balance
   - Where the product sits in the frame, and how much margin around it

2. THE SCALE PROBLEM - if products vary in size, shooting each to fill the frame makes a small item look as large as a big one, which misleads customers and looks wrong in a grid. Decide the rule: consistent framing, or proportional sizing that preserves relative scale. State the trade-off and recommend one.

3. THE REPEATABLE SETUP - marked positions for the camera, lights and product so the setup can be recreated exactly. Photograph the setup itself as a reference.

4. THE COLOUR STANDARD - a grey card in the first frame of every session, a fixed white balance, and a defined background value. Colour drifting between sessions is the most visible inconsistency in a product grid.

5. THE PROCESSING STANDARD - a fixed edit applied to every image: the same white balance correction method, the same background treatment, the same crop ratio and margin, the same export settings.

6. THE SHOT TYPE TEMPLATE - the standard set of images every product gets, in the same order, so the library is predictable and gaps are visible.

7. THE FILE SYSTEM - naming convention encoding product identifier and shot type, folder structure, and where originals are archived. This matters more as the count grows.

8. THE QUALITY CHECK - a review step before images go live: viewed together in a grid at the size customers see, checking for tonal, colour and scale consistency.

9. THE NEW PRODUCT PROCESS - how a new product joins the library matching the existing standard, including when the setup has to be recreated months later.

10. THE DRIFT PROBLEM - over time, standards slip: equipment changes, people change, shortcuts appear. What to document and review periodically so the library stays coherent.

Help me decide what product images I need.

THE PRODUCT: [WHAT IT IS AND PRICE]
WHERE IT SELLS: [PLATFORMS]
WHAT CUSTOMERS ASK BEFORE BUYING: [PRE-PURCHASE QUESTIONS]
COMMON RETURN REASONS: [IF KNOWN]
WHAT I HAVE NOW: [EXISTING IMAGES]
BUDGET: [WHAT IS AVAILABLE]

Produce:

1. THE QUESTION-TO-IMAGE MAP - this is the method. Every pre-purchase question and every return reason I listed should be answerable by an image. Map each to the specific shot that answers it. A question customers keep asking is an image you are missing.

2. THE ESSENTIAL SET - the images that must exist, ranked. Typically: the identifying main shot, scale, the key detail that signals quality, the back or underside, what is included, and in use. Say which are non-negotiable for my product and price point.

3. THE PRICE-POINT CALIBRATION - a higher-priced product needs more images, more detail, and more evidence of quality, because the buyer is doing more due diligence. Say what my price point warrants.

4. THE PLATFORM REQUIREMENTS - for each platform I listed: image count limits, the main-image rules, dimension requirements, and whether text or graphics are permitted. These are hard constraints.

5. THE GAP ANALYSIS - against what I already have, what is missing and what is redundant. Several similar angles is a common waste; one scale reference is a common gap.

6. THE RETURN-REDUCTION PRIORITY - images specifically targeting my stated return reasons. These have the clearest financial return of any image in the set, because a prevented return saves the shipping, the restocking and the customer.

7. THE ORDER OF INVESTMENT - given my budget, which images to produce first. Usually: fix the main image, add scale, add the detail that answers the most common question.

8. WHAT CAN WAIT - the images that are nice to have and are not changing anyone's decision.

9. WHAT I CAN SHOOT MYSELF versus what needs a professional, for this product and material.

10. THE MEASUREMENT - how to tell whether new images worked: conversion rate on the listing, return rate, and the volume of pre-purchase questions. Capture the baseline before changing anything.