5 Tips to prepare for your product shoot
Product photography is so much more than just picking up the camera and shooting! The time spent planning and preparing in the run up to the shoot is such an important part of the overall process. I always say to my clients that the more time we have to get prepared, the better - this is why it’s best to book your shoot at least four weeks in advance to allow for collaborative planning. I truly believe that by following the planning steps I have in place, you will get so much more out of your shoot!
Here’s five steps you can take to best prepare for your upcoming product shoot:
1. Get creative
Start listing any ideas you have for product photography, think about what style you are wanting to achieve. Is it clean, minimal product shots, or do you want to take more of a lifestyle approach? Think about where you want the shoot to take place. Is it a specific location, outside, at your home or at my studio? Do you want to come along and get involved, or send the products for me to shoot? Bring your notes along to our initial planning call so we can start to dig into each area and make sure we are on the same page!
2. Create a mood board
Mood boards are a great way to start to bring your vision to life. If you are a visual person like me, looking for inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram can help to spark oodles of creativity and new ideas. Before the shoot, we will work together on a collaborative mood board so I can get a feel for your ideas as well as sharing my own, but there’s no harm in setting up your own mood board first, to get the creative juices flowing!
3. Gather any props
I always tell each of my clients that they are more than welcome to bring props along, or send me props to use in the photos. If you’re struggling to know where to look for props, start by looking around your home and choose items that might complement your product nicely, or help to tell it’s story. If you don’t have any props, no worries! My studio shelves are packed full of weird and wonderful props to use in your photos.
4. Prepare your products
Think about how many products need shooting, how many styled set ups you would like, and how many shots of each product you would like. You might want to send a few of each product to use as props, or include as extras in the shots. Talk to your photographer and come up with a plan of action for the shoot to make sure it's achievable. Ask your photographer how far in advance they need the products to arrive and make sure you ship them off in plenty of time!
5. Get excited!
Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride! Your products are now in safe hands and are ready to be photographed - now is the time for you to get excited to see the edits.
Looking to have some professional photographs taken of your products?
Book your shoot today and we can kick off the planning process together!
