Product Photography
How to prepare your products for a professional photoshoot
The most expensive hour of any product shoot is the first one, spent cleaning fingerprints off a bottle, straightening a crooked label or waiting for a replacement unit to arrive by courier.
None of that is a photography problem. Preparing products properly is the single highest-return thing a client can do before a shoot, and it takes an afternoon. This is the checklist we send before every session.
Send more units than you think you need
Send two or three units of each product where possible. Packaging gets marked during handling, adhesive labels lift under hot lights, and liquid products often need one unit opened for hero shots and one kept pristine for packaging shots.
For food, cosmetics and anything with texture, send extra generously. Some of the strongest frames come from a product that has been cut, poured, swatched or used, and there is no route back from that unit.
Check condition against the camera, not the eye
A studio lens and controlled lighting reveal what a shop shelf hides: dust in an embossed logo, a hairline scratch on acrylic, a label 2mm off-centre, glue residue on a seam.
Inspect each unit under bright, direct light before it is packed. Anything that would need retouching is cheaper to replace now than to fix in post-production, where correction is billed as time.
- Labels straight, fully adhered and free of bubbles
- No fingerprints, dust or smears — handle with clean gloves after cleaning
- Caps, lids and closures aligned consistently across every unit
- Batch codes and stickers removed or consistent, whichever you prefer on camera
- Reflective surfaces polished; matte surfaces free of lint
- Packaging boxes uncrushed, corners sharp
Decide the shot list before the shoot
Bring a written list of the images you need: front, back, angle, detail, scale, in-use, group, and any platform-mandated crops. This determines how the day is planned, how many lighting setups are built and how many frames are realistically achievable.
If your products sell on a marketplace, confirm its specifications in advance — background requirements, minimum resolution, fill percentages and file naming conventions all affect how the shoot is captured.
Bring references, and bring the ones you dislike
Three to five reference images tell a photographer more than a paragraph of description. Include one or two examples of work you specifically do not want — negative references remove more ambiguity than positive ones.
Also confirm the non-negotiables: exact brand colour values, which side of the label faces camera, whether the product may be opened, and whether hands or models may appear.
Pack and deliver properly
- One box per product family, itemised with a packing list
- Individually wrap anything glass, polished or lacquered
- Include any props, stands or packaging that must appear in frame
- Deliver at least 24 hours before the shoot so issues can be flagged
- Note anything perishable, temperature-sensitive or fragile on the outside of the box
- Confirm who collects the products afterwards and where they return to
Food, cosmetics and anything that changes on camera
Perishable products need duplicates and a schedule. Ice melts, foam collapses, cut fruit oxidises and cream separates under lights — the shoot is planned around those windows, which means the styling order matters.
For cosmetics, send spare units for swatching and confirm whether product may be applied to skin. For anything poured or splashed, expect several attempts per frame and send volume accordingly.
Confirm approvals before the day
Decide who is authorised to approve frames on the day and whether they will be present or reviewing remotely. A shoot where approval sits with someone unavailable is a shoot that gets re-scoped a week later.
Where selection is happening remotely, agree how frames will be shared and how quickly feedback comes back, so the crew is not standing idle.
What happens on the day
Products are cleaned again on arrival, the set and lighting are built for the first group, and frames are captured in setup order rather than product order. Grouping by lighting rather than by category is what produces more images per hour.
Details of scope, deliverables and pricing sit on our product photography page, and the cost structure is broken down in our guide to product photography pricing in Dubai.
Questions clients ask us
How should I prepare my products for a photoshoot?
Send two or three clean, undamaged units of each product, inspect them under bright light for dust and label alignment, bring a written shot list and three to five reference images, and deliver everything at least 24 hours before the shoot with an itemised packing list.
How many units of each product should I send?
Two to three units for standard products, and more for anything that will be opened, poured, cut or swatched. Extra units cost far less than a delayed shoot or retouching a damaged one.
Do I need to be present at the shoot?
Not necessarily, but someone with approval authority should be reachable. Many clients review a selection of frames remotely during the day, which works well provided feedback comes back quickly.
What should I do about damaged or marked packaging?
Replace it rather than shoot it. Repairing packaging faults in retouching is billed as time and rarely looks as clean as a fresh unit under a studio lens.
Can you shoot food and other perishable products?
Yes, with duplicates and a styling schedule built around how quickly the product changes on camera. Send generous quantities and flag any temperature requirements in advance.
Who provides props and backgrounds?
We provide standard surfaces, backgrounds and studio props. Anything brand-specific — your packaging, retail display, or a particular prop that must appear — should be sent with the products.