E-commerce product photography in Japan has specific requirements that differ from European or US markets. Platform guidelines, background standards, and colour accuracy expectations are stricter. Here is what to prepare before a product shoot and how to get consistent results across a large catalogue.

Platform requirements in Japan

Major Japanese e-commerce platforms including Rakuten, Amazon Japan, and ZOZOTOWN each have specific image requirements: minimum pixel dimensions, background colour standards (typically pure white at RGB 255,255,255), and restrictions on text overlays. Before a product shoot, we review the platform specifications for your primary sales channel and calibrate the setup accordingly. This avoids a reshooting round after upload.

Lighting setup for colour accuracy

Colour accuracy is the most common complaint in product photography. A product that looks warm amber in the image but arrives as pale gold creates returns and erodes trust. Our product setup uses a consistent daylight-balanced strobe configuration with a colour checker card in the first frame of every batch. The colour checker is used in post-processing to correct any drift between the physical product and the file.

Flat-lay versus three-quarter angle

Flat-lay works well for apparel, accessories, and lifestyle products where the relationship between items matters. Three-quarter angle works better for objects with depth: bottles, packaging, electronics, ceramics. For most catalogues, a combination of both is more useful than committing to one. We discuss the angle split during the pre-shoot brief and adjust the setup accordingly.

Handling large catalogues efficiently

For catalogues over 20 products, we group items by size, material, and background requirement before the shoot day. This reduces setup changes and keeps the session moving at a consistent pace. The minimum booking for product photography is 20 items. For catalogues over 100 SKUs, bulk rates apply and the shoot is typically split across two days to maintain quality across the full run.

Turnaround and file delivery

Product photography galleries are delivered within 72 hours of the shoot completing. Files are delivered as export-ready JPEG for web use and layered PSD for any client-side retouching. For clients with an existing brand colour profile on file, the batch is graded to match before delivery. No separate brief required.

If you are preparing a product catalogue shoot, get in touch with us with your SKU count and platform requirements. We will send a structured quote the same day.