Avoid these 5 e-commerce photography mistakes. Learn tips to improve your Melbourne boutique’s visuals and boost sales.
Bad photos can kill your e-commerce store. They scare off shoppers. They make your brand look cheap. And in Melbourne, where boutiques compete hard, that’s a problem. Most boutique owners don’t mean to mess up their photography. They just don’t know what to avoid.
This post covers five common e-commerce photography mistakes. I’ll explain what goes wrong and how to fix it. You’ll get practical tips to make your visuals pop. Whether you’re selling dresses or skincare, these steps will help your Melbourne store shine.
Your photos are your first impression. If they’re off, shoppers won’t trust you. They’ll skip your listing. A 2024 study showed 70% of online shoppers ignore products with poor images. That’s a lot of lost sales.
Bad photos also hurt your brand. They make you look unprofessional. I know a Mornington Peninsula based boutique that struggled with this. Their DIY shots were blurry. Customers thought their jewellery was low-end. After planning a shoot and switching to professinoal photos, their sales climbed not only in volume, but the cost they sold each piece for. The creative was so good, the pieces became more desirable.
Mistakes like this are part of the learning curve of being a business owner, but they're also just annoying. They cost you money.
Here’s what goes wrong and how to get it right.
Lighting is everything. Bad lighting makes products look dull. Shadows hide details. Colours get muddy. I’ve seen boutiques use dim rooms or phone flashes. It doesn’t work. Shoppers can’t see what they’re buying, and items just look flat and lifeless.
Fix: Use a studio with proper lighting. Softboxes and diffusers make products glow. Natural light can work, but it’s tricky. Hiring a professional commercial photography studio in Melbourne like us, Bohemia Bay Studio, has the gear you need. We also offer the ability to book a photographer who knows how to use it. Your photos will look clean and sharp.
Cluttered backgrounds are a mess. A busy room or wrinkled sheet distracts from your product. It looks sloppy. Even worse, inconsistent backgrounds confuse shoppers. One photo’s white, another’s wood. Your store feels disjointed. If you're clear on your stores overall aesthetic and image, your customer will be able to more clearly decide if they desire it. Not everyone will, some prefer earthy colours and natural fibres, whilst others are drawn to high contrast editorial vibes. By being consistent you'll capture your desired audience, rather than scaring them all away.
Fix: Choose clean, branded backdrops. White or neutral works for most boutiques, but if you really want to stand out start experimenting with your brands colours. If you want lifestyle shots, keep it simple—a plain wall or outdoor setting. Whilst creating similar looking creative all the time may seem 'boring', it keeps your brand consistent. People trust consistency.
Unedited photos rarely look good. Colours might be off. Backgrounds need tweaking. Small flaws stand out. Some boutiques think they can skip editing to save time. But raw photos don’t cut it for e-commerce. There are generally two options when it comes to editing. Your photographers time will often come with base editing included. This is colour correction, cropping and light retouching. This is generally more than enough for the 'volume' shots, your product and catalogue pages. If you're doing some more hero photos though, perhaps it's a hero banner on your website, or even going to print, spending a bit more money and time to improve the impact of the image can have a big impact. This doesn't always mean body manipulation and skin softening though. There's growing evidence that the more real, authentic, and imperfect a marketing image is, the more your customer can relate to it. Speak with your photographer about what they can do.
Shooting without a plan is chaos. You might forget key angles. Or end up with photos that don’t match. I've been int he studio during shoots where people 'wing it'. They got a mix of random shots. Half didn’t work for their site, and sometimes we see them back in here spending money again to reshoot it.
Fix: Create a shot list and mood board. List what you need—flat-lays, on-model, close-ups. Pin images for inspiration. Share this with your photographer. It saves time and gets you exactly what you want. A quick plan goes a long way.
To make your life easy, we've created a few template of our own in Canva you can use for your next shoot.
Cheap photographers sound tempting. But low rates often mean low quality. Inexperienced shooters miss details. Their gear might be basic. You end up with photos that don’t sell. Yes, the cheaper the shoot the more times you can repeat it without it hurting the balance too much, but one thing you can never get back is the time. Choose the professionals that fit your budget AND your desired aesthetic. We give you the option of skipping our agency fees if you're prepared to manage your own shoot. To ensure quality of work, we have recommended photographers on our "Friends of BOHBAY Creatives" page that you can book directly into their calendar.
Fix: Prioritise experience and portfolio. Look for photographers who know e-commerce. Check their work for quality. Do it once, do it properly.
Avoiding mistakes is just the start. Here’s how to nail your photography.
E-commerce photography mistakes can tank your boutique’s sales. Poor lighting, messy backgrounds, and cheap hires hurt your brand. But they’re easy to avoid. Plan your shots. Book a pro with studio access. Focus on quality over price. Your photos will look better, and your store will sell more.
Melbourne shoppers expect sharp visuals. Don’t let bad photos hold you back. Start with a solid photographer and a clear plan. Want to see what’s out there? Check out studio options in Melbourne to get your visuals on track.
We'll see you in the studio!
