It’s a no brainer: the better your products look, the better your product photos will look.
While a lot of product issues can be cleaned up in Photoshop, not everything is fixable. Some edits will turn out looking fake or strange, some issues may take a lot longer than expected to edit out, and some things can’t be fixed at all (which may delay your photoshoot while you scramble to send more product.)
So when you’re paying a bunch of money to have your products professionally photographed, don’t mail just any old product. You’ll need to prep your products for photos before popping them in the mail.
Here are 6 tips to help you prep products for photos so you don’t run into any hiccups at shoot time.
How to prep products for photos — 6 Helpful Tips
1 | Choose products carefully
The better a product looks from the get-go, the less time it will take to photograph and edit.
If you sell packaged products, check for any scratches, creases, dents, color transfer, smudges, or other issues that might show up in photos.
If you sell unpackaged, natural products like soap or candles, go through your inventory and choose ones in perfect condition.
2 | Clean off any sticky residue
Make sure to remove all stickers, such as price tags, sale stickers and bar codes. If there’s any residue leftover, grab some Goo Gone (as long as it won’t damage the product) and a soft cloth. Then carefully buff it off.
You want to do this before mailing the products, because if cleaning up the product damages the label, you can always send another product from the start.
3 | Send empty packages
For products that are packaged in bags or pouches, consider sending several empty packages. Soft packaging creases easily in the mail. And once it’s all wrinkled and dinged up, it can’t be flattened out without showing wear and tear.
Long story short: Crumpled, dirty packaging looks really bad in photos.
If you don’t have any empty packages on hand, reach out to your packaging supplier and ask if you can order some empty samples.
Your photographer can then put the product into a clean, crease-free pouch before photographing it.
4 | Make sure labels are centered and straight
When prepping products for photos, ensure that all labels are centered and straight. If any part of the label is peeling, crooked, or has a bubble underneath it, choose a different product.
Also make sure that the important parts of the label (like the the brand or product name) don’t have any visible seams, print, or bar codes underneath them.
5 | Wrap products in plastic
To keep things in tip top shape, place your products in several small plastic bags before popping them in the box. Not only does this help keep the products clean and dry during shipping. But it also ensures that if any of the products break or leak, it won’t ruin the other products. Win-win.
6 | Always include extras
I usually ask clients to send at least three of each product in case something unexpected happens in shipping. Don’t worry, what doesn’t get used will get shipped back to you once the shoot’s over! Or you can ask your photographer to hang onto the extras in case you decide to do another photoshoot in the future.
Want to learn more about how I create beautiful images for my own clients?
Contact me to set up a (sales-free!) discovery call.
