When looking for a photo studio to create images of your new collection, you want to look into a studio with a seasoned professional e-commerce photographer that knows the ins and outs of the fashion business. Knowledge of how e-commerce businesses function, what the current trends are, and how to streamline the content creation process is of paramount importance. Here at VSP STUDIOS, we specialize in professional e-commerce photography and video to help elevate your product pages to the next level. Weather its in-studio sets with models wearing your new collection items for your product page listings, or lifestyle location images that convey your brands marketing message, VSP STUDIOS can help you manage, and execute this very important part of your e-commerce fashion business.
90% of our clientele are remote, so we have never met them in person. Our clients are super busy running their own fashion production back end, and are not looking to be a photo studio owner. This is where VSP Studios comes into the equation. Our studio works with your team to maintain the content production work flow. You have new collections, and web sites that need updating with new listings all the time. These listings require high quality, color accurate images that sell your merchandise. Are you local to Miami or will be in town? Schedule your photoshoot and come be a part of the production. We encourage our clients to join us when they can. Otherwise, you can ship to us from anywhere, and we will help dial in comminations with you, so we get the images you need. We are fully capable to receive your packages, follow your instructions, and execute the content creation production process that yields all the images you require.
Deciding how the background will appear on your product page images is a key decision.
To get started, its important to decide if you need studio white background sets, or lifestyle location imagery. In many cases you will need both to build out your web store. The white background images are an industry staple, and is often times executed with what we call RGB 255 “bright white” or what an off-white tone that doesn’t take away any attention from the garments. Be sure to consult with your web designer, or the person you have running your Shopify template, as the way the photos will be seen on your site is critical. Some collection styles look better on bright white background, and some on softer low key tones. Organic fabrics tend to show better on the neutral white or even grey tones. Sometimes you may even want to add color to your site. These are best for banners and sliders to dress up your website.
Using color backgrounds for the product listing can at times, complicate the customers ability to see the apparel item in its truest color rendition. Paper roll backdrops are easy to buy from local art supply stores, and now you can even use the latest in RGB LED lights. These amazing new lights can be dialed in to any color you want and makes for some nice creative images of the models wearing your new collections. We just installed new Aputure LED lights in the main studio, and have seen great results.
Most of the major department stores use some form of white to off-white or grey/neutral tone, which doesn’t compete with what the model is wearing. Color accuracy is always an important part of the equation, as a high percentage of returns come from customers receiving their items, only to find out that the color is not exactly what they were hoping for. Its not good business when that red jacket shows up at the customers door, and is actually a light fuchsia. Attention to details during the digital capture process takes skill and eye for how colors should look.
Our most popular lighting setups include 255 White and Off-White. The 255 White background will give you a extremely bright, clean look to compliment your clothing. This lighting setup is extremely popular for most of our clients. This lighting setup is the standard when marketing your clothing on large commercial websites including Amazon, Target, Walmart, etc. These big commercial sites require your photos to use this bright lighting setup. If you are planning on using your photos for your own website, Shopify or a smaller commercial site, you may consider using the off-white lighting setup. This lighting appears to be a light grey and can be changed to a warmer or cooler white, depending on your preference. This background color is beneficial for those brands who have lighter colored clothing and can help those colors pop better. This lighting is helpful is you want to create a more muted, comforting tone to your website.
Some brands like to use lifestyle location imagery for their product page listings. Depending on the style of clothing you are selling and the audience you are selling to, this can make sense. Doing some testing on your site to see how you customers respond is the key to making this decision on how to present your collection items.
Let us know the background tone and direction you want to use on your e-commerce photo shoot. Don’t know which one is best for you? We are here to help!
Using colored backdrops works well for hero banners for your home page.
1st step is to organize the collection items that you will be sending us. Please include a return shipping label and a detailed shot list. The shot list can include notes such as, what model will wear what garments, style numbers, color codes, etc. This list is crucial to ensure our VSP Team keeps everything organized. Be sure to include a contact person who will be available the day of the photoshoot to answer any questions we may have while we are on set with the models. That way we can message you for approvals, as we go. Ensuring quality control means having good commutations back to the designer or merchandise manager.
2nd step is to contact our studio manager, and confirm you order details. This is best achieved by filling out an order form request and submitting HERE. Some orders are more involved than others, so be sure to set up a call with us, after you have reviewed all the notes sent back to you from your inquiry. All the rates, payment options, and time lines will be explained in our response back to you. We generally respond back no later than 24 hours after inquiries are sent, but in the busy holiday season we can be delayed at times. If emails are not working for you or you are on the go, you can always text us to confirm your order. We know how demanding the fashion industry can be for brand owners, and designers, so we do all we can to streamline the process for you. We will show you all the model options we have for in-house bookings, and for location lifestyle sets as well.
3rd step. Send us the tracking number for your incoming package(s) and delivery date via text or email, so we can confirm your package arrival. Once we received the package, we will begin to prep for the shoot. Your clothing will be steamed, organized and inspected to ensure we have everything required and all the art direction notes are clear. We organize your items, so that we can maximize your photo shoot production timelines.
After the photoshoot is completed, we will begin processing hi-resolution images with the proper color settings to ensure clean, consistent images. All the images are captured in RAW format, and are processed, and exported via Capture One software. Your images will then be sent to you via shared Dropbox folder and can be delivered as JPEG, PNG, or TIF, PSD formats. These high resolution images are what your web team will need to build out commercial website platforms, such as Amazon, Shopify and Walmart. We work with retailer and wholesalers, from small boutique brands to large department stores.
4th step. Look through all the images loaded to your Dropbox folder, and start making your selections. You will need a front, side, back, and possibly a detailed view of each item, so you can build out your product page listings. You can also select images to be used for banners, sliders or promotional marketing. We don’t charge by the number of images taken, so you will have many images to choose from and we offer all the views you need. With all these images you have to work with, you will have plenty to use to populate your Google Business Profile. This is something we highly recommend, and will consult you on how best to utilize this free feature that Google provides to all business looking to better their SEO positions. Need retouching? We have some of the best retouchers in the industry working with our clients to dial in the final images and make them ready for prime time.
5th step. Now that you have all the content that you ordered, we will ask that you pay the balance due of your invoice. Once the balance of the invoice has been paid off, we will send you back your items with the return label. Please remember that you are responsible for providing us a paid return shipping label, otherwise we will have to charge extra for this. We greatly appreciate you choosing VSP STUDIOS for all of your professional e-commerce photography needs and if you have any further questions, feel free to contact us for a consultation.
Organized with consistency and continuity. Arrange the images you sleeted from your shared Dropbox folder, so they flow from the home page banners, to product page thumbnails, to the listings where the final conversion takes place. When the images are working, and the customers are responding with increases in sales, then you know you have done it right. Boosting sales and increasing traffic has always been something that online retailers are looking to gain an edge on the competition. Finding the formula that works for your brand is the key.
A good rule to follow is to maintain the uniformity of your online presentation. The product page listings should have a consistent lighting style, and the models should have similar style, expression and positioning. This helps to tie in how your site “flows” and offers a professional looking site.
Organize your collection items and create uniform thumbnail images with consistency on your product page listings.
Every item is photographed on a model with proper fitting and styling, with front, side, and back views.
We assist in matching the right models to help match your clothing with models who are seasoned and feel right for your brand identity. VSP Studios works with all the top agencies in the industry, and has solid relationships of many years. See our recent photoshoot with with one of Elite Models Miami top talents. Every brand has its own style, and finding the right model that fits that style is the key to making the most of your photoshoot investment. We always recommend hiring a model with experience, so you are getting someone who knows how to move on camera. Another detail to consider is to find models who have solid analytics showing that they sell well on e-commerce platforms. We can help you select the right talent for your production.
Our on model fashion photography services is now expanding into videography. By integrating our 360 Product Page Videos into your product pages, you can give the customers a full experience of seeing the item moving on a model. Analytics shows this helps with customers decision making. Seeing is believing, as they say, and we feel the video element of the e-commerce fashion business equation will gain strength and only get more popular. Take a look at the video project we did for one of the biggest women’s wear retailers in the world Lascana.
Ghost mannequin images help to compliment the on-model images on you product listings.
At VSP STUDIOS we specialize in two types of e-commerce photography: on-model and ghost mannequin photography. Our on-model photography services gives you the opportunity to work with professional models to bring your clothing to life. The second part of our business is the ghost mannequin service we offer, which is a specialty of the fashion industry. We like to call this the appetizer part of the content creation, with the model images being the main course.
During the COVID shutdown, when booking models was at a standstill, the demand for ghost mannequin services expanded greatly. Fashion brands were seeing great increases in web traffic, as people were stuck at home, and shopping became their pass time. The best way to get new product listings up and running quickly was to utilize this service. The demand for this service is still strong today, as retailers saw how adding these specialized and detailed product shots helps to increase conversions. Showing off the apparel items and their true silhouette gives the customers a unique three dimensional view that has proven to be quite effective. Ghost images can also be used for editorial style postings on social media, so VSP Studios has continued to lead the industry by offering this service to fashion retailers. We didn’t invent the invisible ghost mannequin process, we just perfected it, and were first to offer it as a service menu item to masses via key word search on Google. Get a quote for ghost mannequin photography - HERE
Landscape images allow for hero banners, sliders, and social media content that compliments the product page images of your collection.
Analytics show that the large part of the web traffic fashion sellers see comes from smart phone users. That’s why having content that is vertically formatted or what is called “portrait” mode is key. This is especially true for fashion, as models wearing clothing is best viewed standing up and vertical. This is why we see TikTok, Facebook Stories, Instagram Reels, and other social media apps use primarily portrait style delivery. This is all true, but when conducting photoshoots it’s important to get images that can work for hero banners, or what some call ‘sliders” for the home page of your website. These images are shot in landscape format and are needed dress up the front end of your site, as well as call out header banners.
Do you do any menswear photo shoots? We specialize on women’s wear, so the majority of our clients are looking for female models, but we do work with some menswear brands throughout the year. Some brands carry supplemental men’s collection that are meant to compliant the women’s items. To keep things in continuity, we shoot both female and male clothing. To see more of our menswear photography, take a look at this menswear blog post we put together covering all that entails for photoshoots with mens apparel collections.
Select models that have experience in doing lifestyle photography and can offer expression, and movement that helps sell the item.
Shooting with natural light can yield amazing results, and offer you a more organic look and feel.
Get social. Be sure to have an assistant on set who can capture some amazing behind the scenes footage for your marketing team to use on social media. We offer this for free to all of our customers who book with us. Photos and videos shot as “BTS” via smartphone, are loaded to Dropbox along with the main images taken on the day of your photoshoot. Post this content across all your social media accounts, and let your audience know about the new collection items coming soon.
Be sure to have an assistant capture lots of BTS footage, and utilize the photos and videos on social media.
Prop styling is an important element to consider when shooting on location.
Location lifestyle photoshoots. If a lifestyle location set is what you have chosen for your photoshoot, then be sure to select a location that will compliment your brand and the styles you will be having photographed. Some locations are free, and some will require a rental fee. Depending on your budgeting, the location should offer you the look and feel you need to elevate your brand and convey the message of your brand. When booking a location it’s important to consider the logistics and time required to transport the models and crew to and from, as well as the time required to photograph all the items in your collection. We can help you select the right location, and guide you on how best execute this location production. A key element to consider when going on a location shoot is the prop styling that helps to dress up and dial in the message you are trying to convey. Having the model interact with these elements within the set is a nice way to get a natural lifestyle feel to the final images. See HERE for more info on lifestyle location photography.
Be sure to choose the proper location that compliments your brands message and matches the styles you re offering.
Amazing locations offer amazing results and can elevate a brands image online.
By integrating both the on-model and ghost mannequin services to your brand, it can elevate your page and rank alongside many other of your competitors. By providing these service together, we can collaborate to come up with the best fit for your company. Understanding your specific market and what types of photos your competitors are using can help you beat the competition and hit the top of the Google leaderboard. Professional e-commerce photography is the key to making your customer’s shopping experience the easiest and is the key to having consistent customers clicking on your website.
A quality image implies a quality product. Showcase your products in the best possible light with multiple angles, close-up details and crisp, clear packaging shots. Contact us and let us help you get your next e-commerce photoshoot heading in the right direction.
