Product Photography Guide

I've never done product photography before - can you do it all?

Yes, we can usually take the products and use our experience to take the best shot to show off your products and your business. We'll discuss the options before the shoot to make sure you're happy with what we come up with.

Do I need deep etching?

Depends on what you want to do with the shots afterwards. If you're going to put them directly onto a website with the products still on a white background, then no, you don't need deep etching. In fact, products generally look more attractive with a slight shadow below them rather than as a clipped-out product floating in the air. If, however, you're planning on placing the items in a different background or using them for graphic design, then you're likely to need deep etching.

I've got a 100 products to sell on my website

If you have a large number of products to go on an e-commerce website, you'll probably want the simplest product photography set-up on a white background with standard post-processing. The images will be perfect for showing off your products in a clear, uncluttered way and this is also the most economical option available.

I've got one product to sell on my website

If you have just a few products, then you may want a number of shots of the same product showing different angles. You may want to consider something a bit more sophisticated than a standard product shot, like adding a reflection or a shadow, or even a 'set piece' for a dramatic image. For shots like these, it is recommended that you use our optimised post-processing package to make your products really stand out. If you only want one image, a studio set-up fee will apply as there is a five-shot minimum.

I have a group of products that I'd like to show together

A group shot is no problem. Depending on the type of product, we may shoot them as a group (e.g. beauty products) or we may shoot them individually and then put them all together using Adobe Photoshop (e.g. jewellery). The arrangement of products is critical in a shot like this, and so we'll discuss placement of the products before the shoot.

I have a product that is white that I'd like photographed

While it is possible to shoot a white product on a white background, many clients prefer to have their white products shot on a grey or black background to really make it stand out. Alternatively, the product can be shot slightly under-exposed so it has just enough colour to stand out from the background.

I have a product that I'd like my customers to be able to zoom in on

This is very common on e-commerce websites and it's no problem. To do this, you'll need a high-resolution shot, and it may need additional post-processing so your customers can zoom in to really see the details.

I have a product that I want photographed with some props

No problem. We can shoot your product in any kind of setting that you'd like.

I have a very large product that I need photographed

The Pristine Product Photography studio can accommodate large items, but in some circumstances it may be necessary to do the photoshoot on site (for example, in the factory or showroom) or in one of the larger commercial studios on the Gold Coast that can be hired for as long as required. Any additional costs will be included in the quote right at the start.

My product is clothing - what are my options?

Clothing and fashion photography has got to look great! There are basically four options for clothing photography: 1) The easiest option is for a simple flat-lay shot with the clothing shot on a white background, usually from above. 2) Ghost-mannequin photography – this is where the clothing is shot on a mannequin from several angles and then the images are stitched together to make it look like the clothing is being worn by someone invisible. 3) Standard presentation modelling – the clothes are worn by a model and the shot shows off the clothes. 4) Lifestyle modelling - the clothes are shot while being worn by models having fun, doing sports, or whatever is appropriate.

I don't know what resolution I need

The resolution you need will depend on what you plan to use the shots for. The internet is inherently low resolution, so you don't want to put very high resolution pictures on your website – it will just slow your website down – and so for internet-resolution shots, we'll usually supply something like 1500x1500px jpegs with minor compression, which will be more than enough for any website product shot. If your website has a mobile-friendly version, then it's even more important to use small images, and we can supply those too.
If you're going to publish these shots in a magazine, for example, you'll need high-resolution shots. Usually we'll supply the full-resolution shots at 300dpi for publishing. If there are other requirements, we can usually supply the shots as required.

I don't know what CMYK or RGB means, or which one I need

CMYK and RGB are two different ways of dealing with colour. If you're going to put your shots on the internet, then you'll usually need RGB. However, some printers require CMYK images. It's important to let the photographer know this before we send you the shots, as converting between RGB and CMYK results in a variation in the colour. In particular, blue converts poorly from RGB to CMYK, so the choice between RGB and CMYK depends not only on what you're using the images for but also on the product itself. If in doubt, please get in touch before the shoot.


For the various product photography options available and the pricing, see here.