Based Near Newark, Bryony Photography has 10 years experience managing high volume photography studios globally for the Fraser Group and is well placed to deliver outstanding ecommerce and creative product photography with great quality images, and a fast turnaround. 

So, What is Packshot Photography?

In it’s most basic form, the term packshot refers to a close up picture of a product for advertising purposes. However, the term now tends to be used to describe ecommerce photography used for web sales and is less so utilised to describe the “hero shots” used in advertising photography. We also use the term “amazon ready” to indicate that product images will be appropriate for 3rd party selling sites like amazon, alibi, Tmall etc. The specifications being that the images are within a certain size bracket, have a pure white background and that the product fills a certain percentage of the frame.

Why Hire a Local Photographer?

There are lots of Large companies offering Packshot and ecommerce photography, and you may feel more comfortable hiring a large business for this, safe in the knowledge that they are likely reputable & can fulfil your requirements. Look, I’m not going to preach to you, but having worked for one of these large agencies when I was younger, I would like to offer some insight. They mostly hire staff on minimum wage, zero hour contracts. Which means young creatives are getting paid the absolute minimum, and sometimes not at all. Despite having staff on minimum wages, the large photography companies do not actually charge less than your average Freelancer… again… trust me… I worked for them, and I have had 3^rd party dealings with them. When I was working for one of these companies they charged an average of £25 per product for ghost mannequin shots, and they were bringing in an average of £3750 a day for one studio, whilst their overheads on staffing were a mere £540. That’s a DAILY profit of £3210, and a yearly profit of just under a million for one small studio. All of that profit is lining the pockets of the owners, and shareholders, and not the creatives and talent. 

This may not be a good enough reason for you to hire local, but I hope it will at least make you consider taking a look at your local photographers and creatives and investing in working people rather than big corporates. 

GHOST MANNEQUIN PACKSHOTS

This is the industry standard for ecommerce apparel photography. Contrary to popular belief, most Ghost mannequin images are not actually photographed using a “Ghost Mannequin” because most of these mannequins produce results which are well below the quality of the alternative methods of production. Using a combination of two images (a foreground shot, and a neckline image) and some photoshop wizardry, Ghost Mannequin images are produced to give your customers a clear and polished view of your product. Lighting is standardised to create consistent and pleasing product shots, along with exceptional retouching to even The more images you have per product, the more informed you customers will be on their purchase, Improving purchase completion rates, and minimising returns. 

Ghost Mannequin Photography– PRICES STARTING AT £12 INCLUDING RETOUCH

Tabletop Product Photography

Tabeltop photography or Lighttable photography is suited to smaller items like accessories and footwear. Shot using a combination of techniques, and equipment, tabletop photography will highlight you product offering with clean crisp imagery, beautifully lit to highlight quality, or minimise flaws. Retouched to perfection on an amazon ready white background, these shots are versatile enough to use on websites, social or 3^rd party shopping platforms.

Tabletop product packshots – PRICES STARTING AT £8

Ecommerce Model Photography

It is proven (though i cannot find a study to cite right now) that a combination of a mannequin or tabletop image, alongside model images is the best way improve conversion rates and minimise returns. Including model imagery allows the customers to see how the product sits on a real person, how its fits, how it flows and how it shapes around a real form. It also allows you to re-enforce your brand identity through model selection, gives your greater freedom to show off USPs and gives you additional imagery for your social channels.

My personal preference for ecommerce model imagery is a dark white / soft grey option, as it looks less stark and more premium than the ‘amazon ready” look for models, but can be whitened to be applicable for 3rd party selling sites. However, the sky is the limit with model imagery, and there is a fab trend towards shooting colour pops for web at the moment.

Flatlay Product Photography

Flatlay photography is similar to Tabletop or lighttable photography, with the distinct difference that it is photographed from above, or from a birds-eye view. Flatlays can take the form of ecommerce photography on white, or creative shots for advertising. These kinds of shots are very popular for social media, and can be a great addition to websites and social platforms.

CREATIVE PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY

Great quality creative product photography is so versatile, and can be used for web banners, social media or print. Whether it’s conceptual advertising photography, or photography for social media, Bryony Photography can work with you to create fit for purpose imagery for your budget. 

BESPOKE Advertising PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY – POA

Get in touch to discuss your Pack shot photography on hello@bryonyphotography.com or head over to the contact page.