Getting the Most from Your Product Photography Booking

Apr 8

*Product photography concepts like this child's toy wooden rocket zooming through space need careful planning*

You’ve got something to sell, and you’ve found a product photographer who’s a good fit for your brand. All that’s left is to send it off, and then sit back and wait for the amazing images to arrive, right?

Not quite. Believe it or not, not all product photographers can read minds. When an item arrives, it can be a simple matter of working out the best angles and lighting to make it look great, but more often than not, it takes a bit more effort to get images that are really going to work hard to sell your product. So, how do you make sure you get what you need?

Decide What You Actually Need

It may sound obvious, but this step is often overlooked. Aim to have a clear idea from the outset of the job(s) your photos are going to need to do. Are they purely for Instagram posts, or are you looking for images that will work as e-commerce photos as well? There are strict criteria that apply to product photography for Amazon, who need clear images on a pure white background. This type of photograph doesn’t tend to work very well on social media, where you might want something more eye-catching. Larger companies may have a ‘style book’ or similar, with detailed instructions and guidelines as to how their products should appear. This isn’t always necessary, but if you can describe how the product can be shown to fit with your brand identity, that will be a great help in ensuring you get product photos that bring great results for you.

Also consider whether you’re likely to send your images off to be printed, in a brochure or as a pop-up banner at a trade show? Maybe they will need copy space (empty areas where text or logos can be added)? The more precise you can be about where the photos will end up, the better.

A straightforward, “catalogue” photograph of a product on a white background, typically used for ecommerce and similar applications.

A more stylised shot of a product in use, suitable for social media, advertising and other commercial applications

Choose the Best Example of Your Product(s)

OK, this isn’t always possible. Sometimes you need photographs taken of a new product, and you only have one or two sample or even just a prototype. This isn’t a problem, but it can impose limits - for instance, it might affect which angles the product can be shown from, or it might just mean a lot more editing is necessary to give the customer the very best impression of the product.

In normal circumstances, though, pick the best, shining example of your product you can find. If there are any flaws in what you’re sending, it’s worth letting your product photographer know, particularly if he or she has never seen the item before, and might not know exactly what to look for.

If you’re looking for close-up, detail photographs of your product, it saves a lot of time to find an item with as few flaws as possible.

Check, Clean, and Check Again

Like most product photographers, I prefer to handle the items I’m photographing as little as possible. I’ll wear gloves, or use tweezers or similar tools to avoid leaving fingerprints or other marks on the product. So it really helps if things arrived looking pristine and ready to photograph. It also helps guard against any accidental damage from cleaning - particularly important for delicate items, or products with surfaces that could be affected by the wrong type of cleaning solution, for example.

If the product involves a number of different components, or perhaps needs to be shown with different attachments, double-check that everything that needs to be in the photographs goes into the box. Likewise, if there’s an instruction sheet, printed guidelines for the shoot, or any other documentation that will help get everything right, make sure that doesn’t get left behind either.

Pack it with care

No surprises here - a product that arrives with transit damage is unlikely to be in a fit state for a photoshoot. This can mean a delay to the photoshoot while a replacement is sourced, or the original is repaired. This step is particularly important for products in an early stage of development, where you might not yet be able to rely on tried-and-tested packaging. Take extra care when boxing up your products, particularly heavy ones or those with sharp edges, and make sure nothing’s going to leak or move around too much during its journey.

Glass bottles are an obvious example of a product requiring effective packaging.

The mirror-polished surfaces of this stainless steel tea light holder needed to be protected from scratches and dents while in transit.

Include or send instructions (if required)

If your product comes in kit form, don’t forget to include the instructions!

Obviously this won’t be necessary for all products, but if yours requires assembly, or needs to be shown in use, it’s always worth including clear instructions on how to put it together, and/or how to operate it.

Sometimes additional instructions are useful if there are any specific conditions or restrictions on how the product can be handled or otherwise set up for the shoot. I’ve taken product photos of items that had already been sold to a customer, and so could not be marked in any way, which meant I couldn’t use clamps or anything that could dent the material. Of course, most of the time this kind of guidance can be sent via email, but occasionally it’s more convenient to have a printed copy.

Be prepared - and available - to answer any questions

Usually, by the time the product arrives at the studio, everyone involved will be fully up to speed with what’s required from the photoshoot. But there’s always the chance that despite your best efforts, there may be something missing or damaged. Or, perhaps more likely, once the product photographer has had a chance to examine the item in the flesh, he or she might be able to suggest new ideas for how the product could be photographed. So to avoid any delay, it really helps if you are available to field any questions that crop up during the shoot. If you’re not going to be contactable, think about lining up a deputy who can respond to any enquiries on your behalf.

Review the photos and provide clear feedback if changes are required

It can be exciting to receive the finished images. One of the best pieces of feedback I’ve ever got was from a client who told me that, on looking at the photos I sent her, she’d felt really proud of the products she’d made. It is, of course, the photographer’s job to bring out the very best in any given product, and I was thrilled to hear that my efforts had produced such a great reaction. However, it’s always worth taking the time to have another look at the photographs a little later, to ensure they are exactly what you need.

Also, although you might be in a hurry to get the product back, it’s a good idea to wait until you are fully happy with the images provided. If there are any problems, or any part of your requirements has changed, as obviously it’s a lot easier to reshoot while the product is still in the studio!