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Product photos that sell: white background vs. lifestyle
By Mike Johnson · Photographer & videographer in Logan, Utah
The short answer
Most businesses need both. White-background photos show exactly what you sell on product pages and marketplaces. Lifestyle photos show the product in real life, which works best for ads, social media and your homepage. Product photos are typically priced per product, with custom rates for larger catalogs.
White background
- Clean, consistent and easy to compare across products
- Required by many marketplaces and retailers
- Great for product pages, catalogs and spec sheets
Lifestyle
- Shows scale, use and the feeling of owning the product
- Stops the scroll on social media and in ads
- Tells your brand's story, not just the product's
Where we shoot
I can photograph products in the studio or at your location. On-location shoots are great for large equipment, products that need to be shown in use, or when you want your team or customers in the photos.
Plan a shoot that covers both
- List every product and the angles you need (front, back, detail, in use).
- Decide where each photo will live, so I can shoot the right shapes for web, social and print.
- Gather props and people for lifestyle shots ahead of time.
- Batch it: one planned session can cover white-background and lifestyle photos together.


