The short answer
Ask for the one image that would settle your open note, and describe it in a way someone can execute without a conversation: the view, roughly how far away the camera should be, the light you want, and the specific detail that must sit inside the frame. Five request types cover almost every gap that shows up in a photo review, and all five are short enough to send in a single message.
This guide is part of an independent series for people working from a Lovegobuy spreadsheet. It is about how to ask for photos, not about what any item is worth or whether it is genuine. The QC notes guide explains how to record the answer once it arrives, and the angle coverage guide covers which views matter most.
Five requests that actually get answers
Each request below is tied to a specific question. Use them in this order if you are unsure: start with the flat detail shot, then the light-neutral shot, then the full-length reference, then the hardware or fastening close-up, and finally the inside or label shot. The first two usually fix the most common problem, which is tone and readability.
The flat detail shot asks for the area of interest on a flat surface with the camera straight above and no zoom. It answers “what is the stitching, print edge or material surface actually like”. The light-neutral shot asks for the item near a window or under a plain white light with a white card in frame. It answers “is the colour difference real or a lighting cast”.
The full-length reference shot asks for the whole item inside the frame with a ruler or tape beside it. It answers “how long is it, and how much of the frame does it fill”. The hardware close-up asks for a single fastening, zip pull or buckle filling about half the frame. It answers “what finish and shape is it”. The label shot asks for a straight-on image of any inner label, fully in frame. It answers “what text and layout is printed there” — while remembering that text alone does not verify origin.
The table scrolls inside its own frame on narrow screens.
| Request | Open question it answers | Usable reply looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Flat detail, camera overhead | Stitch, print edge or surface texture | Area fills 50–70% of frame, sharp at 100% |
| Neutral light with white card | Colour is a cast or the real tone | White card appears neutral, item evenly lit |
| Full length with ruler | Length, and how much of frame it fills | Whole item plus reference inside one frame |
| Single hardware close-up | Finish, shape and assembly of one part | One part fills half the frame, no motion blur |
| Inner label, straight on | Text layout and label position | Text legible at 100%, edges of label visible |
Request, question, resolution
What makes a reply useful is not that it arrived, but that it resolves the specific question. A blurred close-up technically answers a hardware request but resolves nothing. So include a resolution line in your own notes when the image comes back: does the new image answer the open point, partly answer it, or leave it open?
This is also a fair way to send a second message. Instead of repeating the same request, say what the previous image did and did not resolve. People respond much better to “the last photo was sharp but the label edge was outside the frame” than to “the photo was not good”.
Describe the camera position and the detail. Avoid asking for a conclusion such as “confirm it is good quality”, because that is not something a photo can settle.
Phrasing rules for a request
Four rules cover most of it. Name one view. Give an approximate distance or framing size. Name the light you want in plain words. Say what must be fully inside the frame. Everything else — politeness, context, a thank-you — is welcome but secondary.
Keep the message to two or three sentences. Long messages invite a reply to the message rather than the task. If you have two independent questions, send them as two numbered lines so it is obvious that both need an answer.
Also keep a copy of what you asked and when. The note template includes a follow-up line and a date for exactly this reason. If the same gap appears again later, you can quote your own earlier message instead of rebuilding the context.
Worked example: one request per gap
A row has four open notes: colour looks warm, inner label unreadable, fastening shape unclear, and length unmeasured. That is four questions, but only one of them is probably decisive. Say the colour question is blocking your comparison. Then send one request — neutral light with a white card — rather than all four.
Teaching values: 4 open notes, 1 request sent, so 25% of the notes are in progress and 75% remain untouched. That is intentional, not a shortfall. Sending four requests at once tends to produce one partial answer and three refusals, and it is then unclear which question was actually addressed.
If the reply resolves the colour question, mark it closed and move to the next most important one. If the reply is still ambiguous, the honest status is “partly answered”, and the next message should say exactly which part is missing.
After the photos arrive
When a new image lands, do three things: check it against the four usability points in the table, update the note status, and decide whether anything new is still open. Do not restart the whole review — only the affected line changed.
If nothing is open, stop. A row with no open notes is finished for photo purposes, and adding more requests at that point only spends other people’s time. Move on to the next row using the category list on the home page, or record your state in the coverage checklist.
Source note: this page offers general wording for photo requests. Whether a particular photo can be provided, how long it takes and whether it costs anything must be confirmed with the relevant seller or through the official Lovegobuy help pages, since those conditions differ by country and item. The counts above are teaching values.
Where to go next
Use the angle coverage guide to confirm which view is actually missing, then read the QC notes guide for how to record the new photo when it arrives.
Questions readers ask about this
How many photos should I ask for at once?
One or two specific requests per message. A long list is hard to execute and usually comes back partly answered. Send the most decision-relevant request first, then ask again if the answer is still open.
What if I am told the requested photo is not possible?
Record it as a confirmed gap, mark the related note as unanswerable from photos, and decide whether the remaining images are enough for your purpose. That is a legitimate outcome, not a failure of the request.
Should I send example images with the request?
A short description usually works better than a borrowed image, which can confuse the target. Describe the view, distance, light and what must be inside the frame, and skip images you did not take yourself.