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Stor-Mor
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Taking Great Shed Photos: Boost Your Online Sales Without Breaking the Bank
RC
Ryan Chatterton20 May 2025 • 8 min read
Let's face it – customers buy with their eyes first. In the shed business, great photos can make all the difference between a quick sale and a building that sits on your lot for months. Your online listings are often the first (and sometimes only) chance to grab a customer's attention before they decide to visit your dealership.
We've pulled together some practical advice from Chad McMiller, a creative director who's not only worked with shed dealers, but with us at ShedSuite, to help you take better photos – even if you're just using your phone.
This guide was distilled from a live webinar between Chad and Jason Graber, Shed Suite’s CEO. To watch the entire live webinar, click here.
You Don't Need Fancy Equipment
Your Smartphone Is Probably Good Enough
Good news! That phone in your pocket is likely all you need to take solid shed photos. Today's smartphones take amazing pictures when used right.
As Chad puts it: "I'm still blown away at what iPhone and Android can do nowadays. So just because you only have a phone doesn't mean you can't be a really good photographer."
Know Your Phone's Camera Settings
Most newer phones give you a few different zoom options:
- 0.5x (Super Wide): Perfect for getting the whole interior in one shot
- 1x (Normal): Your go-to for most outside shots
- 2x or higher (Zoomed in): Great for detail shots like door handles or trim
Stick with the normal 1x view for most shots and only deviate for special cases like full interior or zoom shots.
Quick Camera Tips
Your phone has different shooting modes that come in handy:
- Regular Photo Mode: Use this most of the time
- Portrait Mode: Creates that professional "blurry background" look for highlighting details
For your listings, take most pictures horizontally (landscape). But grab a few vertical shots too – they work better for Instagram and other social media.
One of the handiest tricks: tap different parts of your screen to adjust brightness. "If it's super bright outside and you want to half-expose your images for the sky and make sure it's not blown out, tap on the sky but make sure you're backing up and capturing the shed as well," says Chad.
When we say "blown out," we mean areas that are so bright they lose all detail and just look pure white. "Exposure" is simply how bright or dark your photo is. Getting the right exposure means making sure you can see details in both the bright parts and dark parts of your photo.
Lighting Makes or Breaks Your Photos
Timing Matters
When you shoot can matter as much as how you shoot:
- Early Morning/Late Afternoon: Gives you softer, prettier light. Known as “The Golden Hour”
- Middle of the Day: Creates harsh shadows – avoid if possible
- Cloudy Days: Actually perfect for taking pictures! Acts like a giant softbox
"Cloudy weather is honestly perfect for photos," Chad explains. "It just acts as a big diffusion for your light so everything's kind of even."
Setting Up Your Shots
Think Like a Customer Tour
Imagine walking a customer through your lot:
- Start with a pulled-back angle showing the shed in its setting
- Walk them around each side
- Step inside
- Point out the cool features and craftsmanship
"It's like you're taking these photos in order of how you would show it to a customer," notes Chad.
Watch Your Backgrounds
Keep an eye on what's behind and around your shed:
- Clear away trash, equipment, or distractions
- Make sure the grass is cut and area looks neat
- Try to avoid having other buildings or eyesores in the background
Also important: keep your phone level! Crooked horizon lines make photos look amateur. "The more level you can keep that, the easier it is later on," advises Chad.
Making Interiors Look Good
Interior shots can seal the deal – they show customers the space they're buying.
Clean Up First
Before you start shooting inside:
- Sweep out sawdust, packaging, nails, etc.
- Wipe down surfaces
- Check corners for cobwebs
Get the Whole Space
This is where that wide-angle (0.5x) setting on your phone really shines. "If you get back in the middle of a shed, you'll be able to see from top to bottom to sides, and that's a great photo for your listing," says Chad. "It's like seeing it through the customer's eyes when they walk in."
Take shots from multiple spots:
- Standing in the doorway looking in
- From the back looking toward the door
- From corner to corner
- Looking up at ceiling features
For bigger buildings like cabin shells, get separate shots of different areas.
Dealing with Window Glare
Windows can be tricky – they're often too bright compared to the interior. Try:
- Tapping to focus on the inside, letting windows look bright
- Taking another shot focused on the outside view
- If you work with an editor later, they can combine these
Keeping Your Photos Organized
Don't Skip This Part!
Having a system from day one will save you major headaches:
"I would name the folder in my Google Drive the serial number of the shed," Jason explains. "So it would be 'lofted barn 1016 or whatever serial number you have,' as a subfolder of my lofted barns."
A simple structure might be:
- Inventory
- – Lofted Barns
- – – Serial# UT2045
- – – – Raw Photos
- – – – Edited Photos
- – – – Videos
- – Garages
- – – Serial# UT2045
- – – – Raw Photos
- – – – Edited Photos
- – – – Videos
Using Google Drive means you can access your photos from your phone or computer, and easily share them with your team.
Put this playbook on autopilot
Shed Suite gives your team the leads, follow-up, and order pipeline this article describes — all in one place, trusted by 2,800+ shed businesses.
Book a DemoMaking Good Photos Great with Editing
Why Editing Helps
A little editing can take your photos from "meh" to "WOW" by:
- Evening out bright and dark areas
- Making colors pop
- Cleaning up the yard or background
- Making the sky look better
- Removing distractions
"I challenge you to try hiring an editor," says Chad. "Send them what you would have uploaded and then look at the difference of what an actual editor is going to do to your listing."
Affordable Editing Options
Hiring a photo editor doesn’t need to break the bank:
- Services like Fiverr offer pro editing for affordable rates (varies between $1-10 per photo)
- Contractor region and bulk orders affect price
- Quick turnaround times
"You can hire people on Fiverr that are specialists in real estate and product photography editing," Chad points out. "And you can even get them lower than a dollar a photo."
Be strategic: "You've got a $3,000 utility shed that a person just probably wants to put a mower in, and then you've got a $15,000 cabin shell," Jason notes. "You don't have to do these edits for a $3,000 utility shed... but a little investment in editing photos for a $15,000 listing makes a lot more sense."
Putting Together a Great Listing
Photo Order Matters
The sequence of your photos can make a big difference:
- Start with your best "wow" shot – usually a slightly angled view showing the front and a bit of a side.
- Move logically around the exterior
- Then show interior shots
- Include close-ups of special features and craftsmanship
"Start strong with your hero shot... and then group in logical order so you're going around the shed," advises Chad.
How Many Photos?
Jason recommends, "Six minimum. What I always say is you need all four corners and you need two on the inside each end looking both ways. So that's six minimum. And I mean that's just bare minimum."
A better listing would include:
- 4 exterior corner shots
- 2-4 interior views
- 2-4 detail shots (hardware, construction features, etc.)
- Aim for 8-12 photos total per listing
Adding a Quick Video
A simple walkthrough video can really help sell a shed: "The ShedSuite e-commerce storefront supports YouTube videos," Jason explains. "So if you take that video, upload it to YouTube, you can put that URL in your e-com store and now you've got a video right on your storefront."
Even a 30-second clip walking around and through the shed gives customers a much better feel for the space.
Using Photos on Social Media
Different Platforms, Different Needs
Each platform likes different formats:
- Instagram works best with vertical (portrait) or square images
- Facebook is fine with landscape
- Instagram Reels, Facebook Stories, and TikTok require vertical video
"Instagram's recent update changed how photos display," Chad points out. "I definitely recommend shooting a portrait shot or two just for social media."
Simple Video Content
You don't need to be a filmmaker to create decent videos:
- Apps like CapCut make editing easy
- Take a few short clips and stitch them together
- Add some music
- Or even just create a slideshow from your photos
"Videos get seen way more on social media when you're posting a reel, not just a static photo," Chad advises.
In fact, not only are videos more visible on social media, customers engage with them at a much higher rate. On Facebook alone, users spend 50% of their time watching videos.
Before You Start Shooting Checklist
Run through these quick checks before grabbing your phone:
- Clean Up
- – Area around shed neat and tidy
- – Grass cut
- – No trash or equipment visible
- – Shed clean inside and out
- – No construction debris inside
- Timing
- – Avoiding harsh midday sun if possible
- – Cloudy days are your friend
- Quick Prep
- – Phone charged
- – Camera lens wiped clean
- – Enough storage space
- Shot Plan
- – Know your main "wow" angle
- – Plan to get all sides
- – Think about interior angles
- – Note any special features to highlight
Wrapping Up
Better photos mean more customer interest and faster sales – it's that simple. With today's smartphone technology, a bit of practice, and maybe a small investment in editing, any shed dealer can create listings that stand out.
The more you practice, the better you'll get, and soon taking great shed photos will become second nature.
Remember: customers are scrolling through dozens of listings. Make yours the one that makes them stop and say, "I need to check this out in person!"
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