How to take good photos of your café or shop with your phone
To take good photos of your business with your phone, use natural light, wipe the lens, skip the flash and heavy filters, and show what is really there: the front, the inside, your products and your actual work. Google asks for photos that are in focus, well lit and not heavily edited. Ten well-chosen photos already make your profile and Instagram look cared for.
In short
- You don't need a camera: you need window light, a clean lens and a quiet moment outside the rush.
- Upload these 10 photos first (list below): front, inside, product and your work.
- If a recognisable person is in the shot, ask before you publish it.
What does Google ask for in my profile photos?
Google's Business Profile help says:
- Format: JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB.
- Size: 720 × 720 pixels recommended; the minimum is 250 × 250. Any recent phone beats that easily.
- Quality: in focus and well lit, without major edits or too many filters, because the photo should represent reality.
- Types: logo, cover photo and business photos (exterior, storefront, products, services).
- Timing: photos can take 24 to 48 hours to appear, and only show once the profile is verified.
Google adds a useful tip: upload an exterior photo so customers recognise the place when they arrive. It also warns that a low-quality cover photo can be replaced by user photos, so someone else may end up choosing the first impression. For the rest of the profile, see our guide to your café's Google Maps profile.
How do I take a good photo with my phone without knowing photography?
Five habits that matter more than any app:
- Wipe the lens. A cloth or your T-shirt. It is the cheapest fix and the most visible: a smudged lens gives soft, hazy shots.
- Use window light. Put the product near a window with the light coming from the side. Skip the flash and the warm ceiling lights, which give hard shadows and odd colours.
- Tap the screen where you want focus. On most phones, that also sets the exposure.
- Clear the background. Move the napkins, cables and mop out of the frame. A clean background does more than any filter.
- Take several, keep one. Three shots from different angles; the good one is rarely the first.
Do it outside the rush: a customer waiting for a coffee doesn't want to be part of your shoot.
Which 10 photos should my business have?
This is the shot list (the original element of this article). Each row says what to avoid. These are practical recommendations, not Google rules.
| # | Photo | Where to use it | Common mistake → fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Front of the building, in daylight, straight on | Google (exterior) | Night shot or cars in the way → go in the morning, from across the street |
| 2 | Entrance and window | Crooked sign → stand square, frame the whole door | |
| 3 | Inside, wide view | Google (cover) | Empty, dark room → natural light and a table or two set up |
| 4 | The counter or bar | Google, Instagram | Paperwork on top → clear it, leave only the nice things |
| 5 | Your best product, close up | Google, Instagram | Far-away shot → get closer, centre the product |
| 6 | A seasonal product | Always the same → refresh every month | |
| 7 | Finished work (a cut, nails, fresh bread) | Google, Instagram | Generic web image → your real work, unedited |
| 8 | Hands at work | Forced selfie → hands and tools, no faces | |
| 9 | Your team (with permission) | Someone half hidden → ask permission and let them pose | |
| 10 | Your logo, square | Google (logo) | Cropped image → a square with the logo centred |
One simple rule before uploading: would a neighbour recognise your place from this photo? If not, swap it.
Does Instagram need anything different?
Nearly the same, with two tweaks. First, your profile shows as a grid of thumbnails, so keep the subject in the middle of the frame in case of cropping. Second, unlike Google, variety counts here: mix product, space and hands. Exact sizes change with app updates, so check Instagram's help pages instead of trusting a number from a blog.
Can I post photos that show my customers?
Carefully. A person's image is personal data. In Spain, the European Consumer Centre's portal (in Spanish) says to make sure the people in a photo or video agree before publishing it.
In practice:
- Prefer shots without recognisable faces: hands, cups, backs, the empty room.
- If you want to show a customer or your team, ask and keep a record (a message is enough), saying where you will use the photo.
- If someone asks you to take it down, take it down.
This is not legal advice. For a specific case, see the Spanish Data Protection Agency or a lawyer.
How long does it take, and how often should I refresh?
A first batch of the 10 photos takes about 30 to 45 minutes (estimate), best split over two mornings. After that, 5 minutes a week: one new product or work photo. If your place changes (refit, season, new menu), update the cover photo too.
Once the photos are done, the next step is getting the people who find you through them to come back: on our page for cafés we explain how we do that with a stamp card in the phone, no app.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an expensive phone or a camera?
No. Google recommends 720 × 720 pixels, and almost any phone from the last few years beats that. Light and a clean lens make the difference.
Can I use stock photos or images from the web?
Better not. Google wants the photo to represent reality, and a customer who sees something different on arrival loses trust. Use your own.
Can I edit my photos?
A light brightness tweak is fine. Google says photos should not be significantly altered or have too many filters.
What if a customer uploads a poor photo of my place to Google?
Upload your own good photos, especially the cover: Google warns that a low-quality cover can be replaced by user photos. If a photo breaks Google's rules, you can report it in Maps; not liking how it looks is not enough.