How you present a garment affects both production cost and how well it sells. The four standard methods sit on a clear spectrum.

The Four Methods

1. Flat lay — the garment laid flat and shot from above.

  • Cheapest and fastest; no equipment beyond a surface and light.
  • Shows pattern, colour and construction clearly.
  • Doesn't show fit or drape, which is what buyers most want to know.
  • Best for: accessories, basics, marketplaces where speed and volume matter.

2. Mannequin — dressed on a visible form.

  • Shows shape and structure; consistent across a range.
  • The mannequin itself can look dated or distracting, and its proportions may not match your sizing.
  • Best for: structured items, tailoring, uniforms.

3. Ghost mannequin (invisible mannequin) — the garment appears to hold its shape with no body inside.

  • Shows fit and volume without a model, and looks clean and premium.
  • Requires compositing: shoot the garment on a mannequin, then shoot the inside of the collar/back separately, then combine so the interior shows through the neckline.
  • The industry standard for online apparel retail. More editing work, but repeatable and consistent.

4. Model — worn by a person.

  • Shows fit, movement, scale and lifestyle context; converts best.
  • Most expensive and least consistent; requires casting, styling and scheduling.
  • Best used *alongside* one of the above: a clean product shot for the listing, model shots for the gallery.

Most successful stores use two: a consistent product view (ghost or flat lay) as the main image, and model shots as supporting images.

Preparing the Garment

This matters more than the camera:

  • Steam or press everything. Wrinkles are the single most common reason apparel photos look cheap, and they're tedious to retouch.
  • Remove lint and threads with a roller and scissors; both are glaring at high resolution.
  • Pin and clip from behind to make the garment sit properly on the mannequin — clips out of sight at the back are standard practice.
  • Stuff sleeves and shoulders lightly with tissue for a natural fill.
  • Fasten buttons and align seams so the piece is symmetrical.

Colour Accuracy Is Commercial

Apparel returns are frequently caused by colour mismatch:

  • Use consistent, neutral lighting and one white balance across the range.
  • Shoot with a grey card or colour chart in the first frame of each setup as a reference.
  • Check on multiple screens before publishing; a colour that looks right on your calibrated monitor may not on a phone.
  • Photograph difficult colours carefully: blacks lose detail, whites blow out, and saturated reds and blues shift easily. Side light preserves texture in black fabric.
  • Mention fabric and colour in the description as a backup for what the photo can't guarantee.

Shot List Per Item

Front, back, detail (fabric texture, buttons, stitching), any special feature, and a scale or worn shot. Keep the framing, distance and lighting identical across the whole catalogue so the grid looks uniform — then batch-process the set with the same crop, background and compression.