Shooting your own product photos: where to start, and which route fits your shop

• Just a phone and the item: begin with placement, light and camera distance, before any tool comes into it

• The item but nobody to wear it: four routes need no model at all — a hanger, a display form, flat on the floor, or letting the system build the shape

• Flat-lay photos already taken: the fastest route is turning them into a worn shot or a ghost mannequin, with no reshoot

• The item has sold, or there was only ever one: a single old photo still works, and the item does not need to be in your hands

• Old photos not sharp enough to list: first separate blurry-because-small from blurry-because-out-of-focus. They do not fix equally

• Shoes are judged on shape: six angles, and a toe box that has not collapsed

• Bags and shoes differ from clothing in that they hold their own shape already, so buyers look at different things

• Sleepwear, lingerie and swimwear need different preparation, because straps, bows and hooks the photo cannot see are left for the AI to guess

This is the question small shops ask most, and it does not have one answer. The four routes below produce different-looking photos, cost different amounts, and suit different garments.

An old photo can fall short for two reasons, and they do not fix equally. One that is sharp but too small genuinely improves when enlarged. One that was out of focus at the shoot cannot have detail restored that was never recorded.