Photography tips for pharmacies: make medication and supplement photos look professional
Good photos sell products and build trust. You don’t need fancy gear to make your pill bottles, boxes, or supplement jars look sharp and honest. Use these simple, practical steps to get consistent, clear images that work on product pages, social posts, and ads.
Simple setup & lighting
Start with your phone or a basic camera. Put the product on a clean, neutral background—white, gray, or a soft wood surface works well. Use natural light near a window or a softbox if you have one. Harsh direct sunlight creates strong shadows; diffuse it with a white sheet or curtain. A tripod stabilizes shots and helps keep the framing consistent across products.
Shoot from a few useful angles: front, 45-degree, top, and a close-up of the label. For pills and capsules, use a macro or the phone’s close-focus mode to show texture and color. Keep the camera level and make sure the label is readable in at least one photo. Consistent lighting and angles make your catalog look professional and make it easier for customers to compare items.
Framing, detail, and editing
Leave space around the product so the image can be cropped for thumbnails without cutting important parts. Include a scale or a common object (a coin or a credit card) in close-ups to show size. Don’t over-edit: correct exposure, crop, straighten, and remove dust spots. Save one clean, high-resolution image (1200–2000 px on the long side) and export a web-optimized version (compressed JPEG or WebP) for faster loading.
Keep color accurate. If you sell colored pills or natural supplements, a wrong hue hurts trust. Use white balance tools in your phone or camera app and, if possible, a small color card during shoots to match edits later.
Batch process similar products the same way—same crop ratio, same background, same brightness. This saves time and keeps your shop consistent.
Write clear file names and alt text. Use descriptive names like "pantoprazole-40mg-tablets-front.jpg" and alt text such as "Pantoprazole 40 mg tablets front view". That helps SEO and accessibility, and makes your images easier to manage.
Finally, think about safety and compliance. Never show patient info, prescriptions, or medical records in photos. Avoid making health claims in images—stick to neutral, factual presentation. Check local rules for what you can show in product images and labeling.
Quick checklist: stable camera, neutral background, diffused light, tripod, readable label, size reference, accurate color, high-res master file + compressed web file, clear filename and alt text, no patient data. Do that consistently and your product pages will look trustworthy and professional—without breaking the bank.
