Jul 2, 2025

How to Take Pictures of Clothes to Sell Online?

When you're browsing an online store for used clothes, what catches your attention first? For most of us, it’s the images. If the product photos are clear and well-lit, we feel more confident purchasing the item. But if the pictures are dark or blurry, we’ll likely scroll right past them. This principle is especially true when selling clothing online. The better your product photos, the more likely you are to attract buyers and make a sale. Learning how to take pictures of clothes to sell online can help you create eye-catching images that showcase your garments’ best features, appeal to prospective buyers, and ultimately boost your sales. So, how to shoot product photography?

In this article, we’ll share tips to help you capture great clothing photos and improve your product photography skills.

How to Take Pictures of Clothes to Sell Online: Styling and Presentation

jackets on table - How To Take Pictures Of Clothes To Sell Online

Clothing photography is the art of capturing images of apparel, ensuring the garments are presented in the best possible way. Photographing clothing plays a crucial role in ecommerce marketing, ensuring products look appealing and are accurately represented online. This involves techniques that influence the customer's purchasing decision. These techniques include:

Lighting
Composition
Styling to highlight every detail

A 2023 survey reveals that more than half of shoppers consult retailer-provided imagery when deciding whether to purchase clothing. Here’s how to style your clothes to capture customers' attention:

Iron and Prepare Your Garments Before Photography

Shooting clothing product photos without properly preparing the garments is like baking a cake without preheating the oven. There’s a chance you’ll get decent results, but they won’t be nearly as good as they could have been. Start by checking for any wrinkles, lint, or imperfections. Armed with an iron or steamer, smooth out any creases to present crisp and clean garments. A lint roller will also be your best friend, removing any dust that could detract from the final image. Thorough preparation enhances product aesthetics and lends credibility to your online store’s professionalism.

Use Mannequins or Models to Showcase Your Garments

Mannequins offer a consistent and cost-effective option, enabling customers to visualize how clothing fits and drapes. They ensure a uniform look across product images. Nevertheless, models bring life and personality to clothing, showcasing natural movement and a more relatable fit. Consider your audience when deciding which approach best highlights the attributes of your garments.

Lay-Flat Photography of Clothing

By neatly arranging garments on a flat surface, you capture detailed textures and vivid colors while keeping a clean and minimalistic aesthetic. Flat-lay clothing photography effectively showcases casual or essential apparel, such as T-shirts and pants. It allows imbuing creativity with props or coordinated accessories, offering a complete, styled look without needing a model.

Pick the Right Background Color When Photographing Clothes

Would you like to keep the focus on the clothes? Do clothing photography on a background that complements the dresses. It can be either white or another colored background. For example, if you are photographing green-colored cloth, you can place it on a yellow background because they complement each other, making the image more visually appealing. You can research on Google to see which colored background looks the best with the colors. Additionally, you can opt for a white background, as colored cloth images look particularly stunning against it, highlighting their unique features.

Accessorizing and Background Choices

Consider using contrasting colors to make the products stand out. When it comes to backgrounds, opt for neutral or solid-colored backdrops to let your garments take center stage. Alternatively, consider a thematic setting that aligns with your clothing style. Utilize props to create a narrative that resonates with your brand, ensuring the focus remains on the product while adding visual interest and context.

Choosing the Right Equipment and Setup

different lenses - How To Take Pictures Of Clothes To Sell Online

When it comes to clothing photography, the camera is undoubtedly the most crucial piece of equipment. While taking clothing photos with a smartphone is possible, a DSLR camera or a mirrorless camera will provide the best results.

Megapixels, Lenses, and Manual Control for Sharp Images

A camera with at least 24 megapixels and a good-quality lens will ensure that your images are sharp and clear. You don’t necessarily need an expensive camera to get great results. Still, it’s essential to have a camera that allows you to adjust the settings manually. This will give you more control over the final image and enable you to achieve the best results for your specific setup.

Get Steady with a Tripod

A tripod is essential for ensuring that your camera is steady and that your images are sharp. When photographing clothing products, you want to make sure that your pictures are clear and focused, which can be challenging to achieve if you’re holding the camera in your hand. A tripod will help you achieve a stable shot, which is especially important when using slow shutter speeds or taking images in low-light conditions. If your camera supports a remote shutter release, you can use that as well.

Use Props to Tell a Story

Props can also add interest or context to your photos and can be used to create a story or mood that will help your products stand out. For example, if you’re photographing winter clothing, consider including props like snowflakes or a cozy blanket to create a wintery atmosphere. Nevertheless, make sure your props complement your product and don’t distract from it.

Brighten Up Your Lighting with Foam Boards

If you are short on budget to buy professional-grade reflectors, you can use foam boards to ensure an optimum level of brightness. Depending on your lighting requirements, you can use one or two white foam boards to reflect light, which can help improve lighting and reduce shadows.

Choose the Right Backdrop for Clothing Photography

Before capturing your apparel product photos, you’ll need a backdrop to help create a clean and visually appealing image. When choosing a background, opt for a neutral color, such as white, gray, or black, or a pattern that complements your clothing. Avoid busy or distracting backgrounds that draw attention away from the dress.

Marketplace Background Requirements

While textured backdrops can enhance the visual appeal of your product photos, it’s crucial to remember that many eCommerce marketplaces mandate white or neutral-colored backgrounds. Therefore, it’s essential to carefully review the guidelines of each platform before selecting a backdrop to ensure that it adheres to their requirements. Alternatively, you can use any backdrop and remove or replace the background by utilizing a clipping path service provider for added convenience and versatility.

Gather Your Clothing Photography Tools

Having a set of tools can save a significant amount of time and effort in fashion photography. For example, pins can be utilized to pin back folds or labels, while clothespegs can secure excess material for a wrinkle-free fit. Other valuable items include:

Tapes for securing the clothes for flat-lay photography
Clothing racks
White tack
Removable double-sided tape
Scissors
Spare bulbs
Additional batteries
Memory cards
A steam iron to eliminate wrinkles

These tools can help you achieve optimal results and streamline the process, making it more efficient and effective.

Elevating Sales Through Professional Imagery

Caspa helps eCommerce brands create stunning product photography with AI, eliminating the need for:

Multiple tools
Photographers
Models that traditionally eat up to 20% of revenue

End-to-End Solutions

From creating ultrarealistic product shots with human models to editing existing photos, Caspa's all-in-one AI product photography platform handles everything, from background removal to upscaling, allowing brands to produce professional marketing visuals in seconds.

From Stock Photos to Studio Edits

Whether you need custom stock photos or complete studio editing capabilities, Caspa streamlines the entire product visualization workflow into a single, cost-effective solution. Get product photos that increase your sales today!

Best Angles and Shots to Capture

woman with camera - How To Take Pictures Of Clothes To Sell Online

Clothing photography requires more than just pointing the camera at a garment; it’s about showing potential buyers exactly what they’re getting. That means capturing clear, consistent angles and visual details that communicate fit, fabric, quality, and design. Whether you’re shooting for an eCommerce platform, social media, or a lookbook, the right shots make all the difference.

Foundational Garment Shots

Start with the essentials. Capturing clean, well-lit shots of the front, back, and side of the garment ensures customers can see the whole silhouette. These shots establish the garment’s cut, length, and structure, and should be consistent across your catalogue for a professional and trustworthy presentation.

Get Up Close and Personal: Close-Ups of Texture, Stitching, and Details

Customers often can’t touch the garment before purchasing, so close-up shots help bridge that gap. Include detail-focused images that show:

Fabric texture (e.g., linen weave, knit pattern, silk sheen)
Seam quality and stitching
Design features such as buttons, embroidery, zips, and trims

These elements help convey the material quality and craftsmanship, reducing uncertainty and returns.

Show the Fit: Movement and Fit on a Model

Showcasing clothing on a model gives context to the fit and drape. Consider action or movement shots to illustrate how the garment behaves in real life, especially for pieces like dresses, wide-leg trousers, or flowy tops. Capturing natural poses or walking motion helps buyers imagine wearing it themselves. Include a variety of body types to reflect realistic fits, especially for brands offering inclusive sizing.

Show Size Tags or Brand Labels

While not always essential, photographing size tags or internal labels can be helpful for resale platforms or detailed listings. It reinforces sizing transparency and shows proof of authenticity or brand recognition, particularly important for designer pieces or second-hand garments.

Lighting Techniques for Clothes Photography

lighting of a photoshoot - How To Take Pictures Of Clothes To Sell Online

Lighting plays a crucial role in a successful clothing photoshoot. It can make or break the final image, so it’s critical to get it right. Natural light. When shooting outdoors, natural light can be a great option, but it’s essential to consider the time of day and the direction of the sun. Early morning or late afternoon can provide a soft, warm light that’s ideal for clothing photography. But if shooting during midday, the harsh, direct sunlight can create unflattering shadows and highlights.

Artificial lighting

For indoor shoots, artificial lighting can provide more control over the light source. A lighting setup that includes softboxes or diffusers can create a soft, even light that’s ideal for clothing photography. It’s essential to experiment with various lighting setups to determine the one that best suits the clothing and the desired style. Lighting is the most crucial element of your shoot, no question, but it doesn’t have to break your budget. Here’s the biggest not-so-secret lighting secret:

Natural Light Is Your Best Friend

To tap into natural lighting, set up your shoot next to a large window with light streaming through. You’ll want to place your product directly in front of the window, but with the light hitting your product from the side. This setup will help you avoid lighting that is too harsh, as well as any unwanted shadows that occur when you stand between the window and your product.

Experiment With Artificial Light

If you have more freedom with your budget, consider renting a lighting kit. You can find mono and strobe light kits for rent online. These kits can cost anywhere from $70 to more than $200. For indoor shoots, artificial lighting can provide more control over the light source. A lighting setup that includes softboxes or diffusers can create a soft, even light that’s ideal for clothing photography. It’s essential to experiment with various lighting setups to determine the one that best suits the clothing and the desired style.

4 Editing and Post-Processing Tips

person holding a camera - How To Take Pictures Of Clothes To Sell Online

1. Adjusting Exposure and Contrast

Proper exposure ensures your product is visible and detailed, while adjusting contrast emphasizes textures and patterns. Begin by using your camera's histogram to evaluate light distribution. Boost contrast subtly to make colors pop, but avoid overdoing it, as this can obscure finer garment details. Use software like Microsoft Photos to tweak brightness and contrast levels to achieve a balanced look.

2. Removing Wrinkles or Imperfections

Begin by steaming or ironing garments before shooting. If creases remain, post-processing is your best friend. Utilize editing programs like Adobe Photoshop to blend out wrinkles and retouch minor imperfections. Be careful not to overdo it—maintain the clothing’s texture and character. Such tweaks present clothing in its best light and ensure the product looks authentic.

3. Color Correction

Start by adjusting the color balance and hue to reflect the actual garment. Keep in mind that subtlety is key; avoid the temptation of oversaturating colors. Software like Microsoft Photos can help tweak contrast, clarity, saturation, and white balance. A well-executed color correction enhances the appeal of your clothing, ensuring your online customers see exactly what they're getting.

4. Streamline with AI Tools

For businesses managing high-volume content or seeking to expedite production, AI editing tools provide a practical solution. Tools like Caspa can handle tasks such as:

Background removal
Retouching imperfections
Upscaling resolution
Generating lifestyle or model-based images without the need for a physical shoot

Centralized Workflow for Creative Focus

Caspa simplifies what would typically require multiple software solutions and teams into a single workflow. This allows your creative team to stay focused on branding and merchandising while the software handles the repetitive technical steps.