Product photography

The commonest mis-costing on a product shoot is counting items. With similar products that share a set-up — the same size, the same finish, the same angle — twenty to thirty in a session is realistic. The moment each item needs its own light, because it is glossy, transparent or very dark, it is five to eight. The difference is the number of set-ups, and that is what the quote is built on.

Cut-outs and mood frames are made in the same session because they share a rig, but they do different jobs: the cut-out on white is product information and belongs in the shop and on the marketplaces, while the mood frame with props and context is advertising and belongs on the home page and in social media. Ordering only one of the two is buying half the thing. Twenty-five edited photographs, square and vertical, files within five working days.

How good a cut-out looks is decided when the box is opened. Provide pieces in flawless condition — no scratches, fingerprints or creased labels, textiles pressed and free of packaging folds. If you can, add a second example of each item in case a flaw on the first only shows under the light. For the mood frames, a short brief helps: the colour palette, the audience, and two or three examples from your brand’s existing material. Props that belong to the brand — a particular mug, a fabric, an offcut of wood from the workshop — are best brought along by you.

Many marketplaces set their own rules for the main image, often a pure white background and a minimum size in pixels. Name the platforms when you enquire and the cut-outs are prepared to match. Product photography is a commercial commission, and the use — shop, marketplaces, social media, advertising, catalogue — is written into the confirmation. If you want to pass images on to retailers who stock your products, say so first, because handing photographs to third parties for their own use has to be agreed explicitly. The price you receive after enquiring is based on set-ups rather than on the item list, so include a short list with sizes and finishes when you get in touch.