Photographers frequently spend an extra half an hour or more per shoot taking tags off each product or polishing each piece. As a photographer who shoots a lot of products, especially small shiny products like jewellery, I have had to add to my price list, a category for ‘adhoc’ work. I charge a fee per hour if product is dirty, scratched, has tags / stamps / engraving that has to be removed, or if any other extra work has to be performed.
Here is a list of things you can do to minimise extra Photography studio work and avoid paying product photography adhoc work fees:
1. Clean the product.
The camera picks up every minute detail. A small dirty spot on a packaging box or grime under a diamond on a ring will be seen very clearly when viewed enlarged on a computer screen.
2. Polish the product
Polishing any scratches is quicker than the time it takes in Photoshop to remove them. Ensure there is no polish cloth fluff left stuck in the product, especially in jewellery claw settings!
3. Iron the product
It is best if fashion clothing product arrives out of plastic bags, tags removed, ironed and individually hung. Alternatively, someone can stay in the studio to do this and prepare the pieces, one at a time, as the photographer shoots them.
4. Take any tags off the product
Small products like jewellery pieces are often individually tagged. This is fine on necklaces where the tag, most probably, won’t be seen in the shot. On rings, however, tags have to be removed and sticky residue removed. It is best to remove ring tags and place each ring and the tag into a small zip lock plastic bag.
5. Package the product well for postage
Wrapping up your product well will minimize damage during delivery. Metal products can rub against each other. Wrapping them separately, for example, between different folds of one large piece of tissue paper, is cheap and very effective.
6. Provide ‘return-back-to-sender’ delivery bag
It’s a great idea to include a return-to-sender delivery box or bag when posting your stock to your photographer. It makes it quick and easy to get your stock back and it’s a way of ensuring your product is delivered by couriers you know and trust.
For more information on how to get ready for your product photoshoot, please read THIS blog.