Simple ways to take product photos that sell on WhatsApp and Instagram: formats, light, backgrounds, a home set-up, and when to hire help.
Product photos that sell on WhatsApp and Instagram are clear, well lit, shot on a plain background and consistent across your catalogue. You can take many of them yourself with a phone, and this guide shows you how.
Why it matters in Kenya
Social media is where Kenyan small businesses sell. A Caribou survey found that 92% of Kenyan SMEs sell through social media. Small businesses also rank WhatsApp as their top sales tool.
On both apps, your photo does the job of a shop window. A customer scrolling quickly decides in a moment whether to stop. A clear photo earns that stop. A dark, cluttered one gets scrolled past.
Get the format right
Use square 1:1 or portrait 4:5 for feed posts. Portrait 4:5 fills more of the screen, so it works well for single products. Square suits grids and carousels where every image should match.
WhatsApp Business catalogue
Catalogue images often appear small, inside a chat or a product list. Use square images with the product filling most of the frame. Check every photo at phone size before you upload it. If you cannot tell what it is at a glance, reshoot it.
Seven tips for better product photos
- Use a plain background. A sheet of white manila paper, a clean wall or a plain cloth all work. Busy backgrounds pull the eye away from the product.
- Shoot by a window in daylight. Soft daylight from the side is the best free light you have. Avoid direct sun, which makes hard shadows. Switch off room bulbs, which add a yellow tint.
- Take three angles. Shoot the front, the side or back, and a close-up of the detail that matters. Customers have fewer questions when they can see the product properly.
- Show scale. Hold the item in your hand or place it beside something familiar. This answers "how big is it?" before anyone asks.
- Keep the phone steady. Rest it on a stack of books or use a small tripod. Tap the screen to focus on the product.
- Clean the product and the lens. Wipe away fingerprints and dust from both. It sounds obvious, and it makes a visible difference.
- Keep one look across the catalogue. Use the same background, light and angle for every item. A consistent catalogue looks like a real shop and builds trust.
A simple home set-up
Clean results are possible at home with four things you probably already have.
- A table next to a large window.
- A sheet of white manila paper, curved from the wall down onto the table so there is no visible edge.
- A piece of white card on the side away from the window, to bounce light back into the shadows.
- Your phone, with the lens wiped clean.
Set it up once and leave it in place. Shooting every new item in the same spot keeps your catalogue consistent with no extra effort.
Edit lightly. Brighten a little and straighten the frame, then stop. Heavy filters change the product's colour, and customers notice when the item arrives.
Make the catalogue work for you
Good photos do more when the details around them are complete. Add a price and a short description to every catalogue item. Group items into collections, such as new stock or best sellers. Remove items as soon as they sell out, so customers do not ask for something you cannot supply.
When phone photos are enough
A recent phone and the tips above will carry many small shops a long way. Phone photos are often enough when:
- you sell a handful of items and add new stock often;
- your customers already know you and buy through chat;
- you are testing a product before investing in it.
In those cases, you may not need us. Spend an afternoon by a window and build your catalogue yourself.
When to hire a photographer
- You sell premium products, and the photo has to match the price.
- You have shiny, reflective or very dark items, such as jewellery, glass, phones or black packaging. These are hard to light well.
- You are launching a website, a new range or paid adverts.
- You want styled lifestyle images, with props and settings, that a plain background cannot give you.
- You simply do not have the time.
Our product photos cost KES 500 per item for plain shots and KES 1,500 per item for styled shots. See examples and details on our product photography page.
Our Shop-ready kit
For businesses that sell mainly on social media, we offer a Shop-ready kit from KES 15,000. It includes:
- 10 product photos;
- 8 designed posts, ready to share;
- WhatsApp catalogue images.
It gives you a consistent catalogue and a first batch of posts in one go. If you would like help with posting and replying too, see our social media management service. All our packages are on the pricing page.
Get a quote
Tell us what you sell and how many items you have, and we will send a quote. Contact us through our contact page or on WhatsApp at +254 748 220 249.
