A perfect fit for ecommerce fashion photography

Prices of product photography are very flexible and may change depending on countries and regions. To help you understand what influences the price of apparel product shots, we have identified the following price-influencing factors:

• the number of products - mass orders will automatically be cheaper
• the difficulty of photographing the products - shiny, semi-transparent and glossy products will require more expertise and produce a higher price.
• the size and reputation of the photo studio - freelancers or agencies or in-house studios?
• the expected realization time - the faster the delivery, the more expensive the service gets.
• color manipulation, background cutting and retouch - this means additional post-processing and higher costs.
• preparation of files for print - as an additional service, this will increase the cost.

We write precisely about the costs of 360-degree photography in our ultimate guide on the blog. There, you will learn that automation can greatly reduce the costs of product photography, especially for high numbers of products and a level of shot repeatability. Our savings calculator will tell you the potential benefits you can get from switching to automation.
 

There are several ways to photograph apparel. Live model, mannequin, and flat lay photography are the most commonly used approaches. Your choice of a method will depend on the budget, logistical considerations (do I have the right studio and equipment?), and your visual demands. Very often, e-commerce mixes various styles of apparel photography for better effect - frequently, you will find clothes shown as flat lay (perfect for general outlook), on a mannequin (better for presenting the shape), and perhaps in a live-model video as well, ideal to show the behavior of materials. Orbitvu has solutions that will allow you to take photographs and videos with all of the above techniques, and with just one device! See our versatile range of devices here.

If your budget is lower or logistical limitations push you towards photography without models and mannequins, then flat lay photography is the ideal solution. What you need is space to lay the clothes under good lighting and a tripod or a ladder to place the camera perfectly above the items. Do not forget about proper ironing and stretching of the clothes to avoid wrinkles in the photo. Orbitvu studios such as Alphadesk and Alphatable will simplify the flat lay session with adjustable, carefully designed lighting and a software suite to automatically remove the background. You will find more on clothes photography in our blog guide. 

Making product photography sell is all about attractiveness and accurate representation of the product. Your jeans and t-shirts should get a serious ironing before the photo session and have all their labels well-hidden. To present the shape of your clothes, it is most recommended to use a mannequin or a live model. With live models, you will also be able to support your sales with a video of how the material moves on the human body. The lighting is another factor. Flash lighting will be best for clothes photography and can give your photos a more professional look. The final step is unfortunately out of our hands because it has everything to do with the design of your website, and its seamless user experience that leads to sales. But on the photo side, Orbitvu has got you covered with various types of studios for all kinds of ecommerce fashion photography. Read our blog article, a starter guide on “How to photograph clothes” for more information.

There are plenty of methods to achieve a white background in a product photo. Some of them will drive you towards a more DIY approach, others will require professional studios and software. You can try a white background shooting table and traditional clothing photography studio lighting or, possibly, introduce photography automation for higher output and repeatability of shots. There is also an option to cut products from the background manually or use chroma-keying - also, the use of various AI engines might be helpful. We write about all these methods in detail in our guide on the best solutions for white background, which you will find on our photography blog.

When choosing a lens for product photography, it is important to go for a relevant lens class. For crisp and spotless clothes photographs, you will want to use higher class lenses. Think of solutions such as the L class from Canon. We write in full about product photography lens choices in our dedicated article on the blog.  

The focus of Orbitvu’s activity is manufacturing of high-tech photo studios - we do not offer photography services. If you are interested in large volume clothing photography, you should consider automating your workflows with Orbitvu technology. This way you keep the process in-house for full control and reduce costs compared to traditional photography. Contact us for information on how to get started.

The tips regarding the composition and layout of the photos will focus on creativity and attractiveness. Show the clothes from various angles and don’t be shy about showing interesting details such as zippers, pockets and collars. To illustrate how the piece folds on the human body or floats in the air, live models and video will be best. Do not be afraid to experiment, as clothing is an industry where innovation is well-received and popular. 

On the technical side, always watch your lighting - adjust to natural lighting conditions, if you are shooting outside, and set your apparel photography studio lights carefully for inside sessions. Making packshots is much easier with automatic background removal offered by automation technologies such as those from Orbitvu. To find out how to speed up your clothing photography, read our article on the blog and find out more about Orbitvu devices.