Some shots come together quickly, and some take serious work behind the scenes. Knowing the difference before your shoot helps your budget go where it matters most.
What adds time on any shoot
Building sets. Every new background, surface and prop arrangement takes time to build, light and style.
Waiting on approvals. The camera and crew are ready, but the shoot pauses until someone says yes. One decision-maker who's ready to go keeps the day moving.
Changes that move everything around. Swapping a background, rearranging props or relighting a finished set means starting that setup over.
Heavy lifts: the setups that take the most time
Messy pours, drips and splashes. They take many takes, and the set has to be cleaned and reset between each one.
Intricate setups with rigging. Making food or packages look like they're flying takes careful rigging to hold everything in place, plus retouching to hide it.
Lots of fabrics and linens. Every napkin, tablecloth and backdrop has to be ironed and styled so it looks perfect on camera.
A flawless, CGI-style look on everyday packaging. That takes extra staging and retouching. Prototype packaging from your supplier is often the easier path.
Models and lots of products. Each model and each SKU adds setup and styling time.
Every shot needs time to be art
Great sets aren't thrown together. When we work with the best art directors, we lay out each set, study it, make adjustments and then shoot. That takes about 20 minutes a shot. Dropping everything on the table and shooting every five minutes doesn't leave room for the art, and the photos show it. That's why we don't take on rushed shoots with very heavy shot counts.
Planning tip: divide the number of photos you want by the hours you're booking, and leave time for us to set up and take down each set. If the math feels tight, we'll help you choose the shots that matter most.
How we help you stay on budget
We plan it together up front, in your shot list, before your product ships.
We help you choose your hero shots, so the big effort goes where it counts.
We group shots that share a set, so we build each one once.
Add a prep day. Our fastest shoots start with a prep day. We prep the food, build every set and send you photos of each one to approve. On shoot day, all that's left is shooting, so you get the most images for your time.
Add more hands. Extra hand models and assistants keep the shoot moving. While one setup is on camera, the next one is being prepped, so the whole day runs smoother and you get more done.
One setup can often cover several channels: Amazon, your website and social.
Simple, clean shots fill out the rest of your library.
Not sure what counts as a heavy lift? Send us your ideas, and we'll help you build a plan that fits your budget and still makes your product shine.
Read next: What to Ship for a Product Shoot
