How Product Photographers Create Instant Christmas Atmosphere

Wiki Article

Working During the Holidays as a Professional Product Photography Specialist with Multiple E-commerce Companies

From November to December is THE busiest time of year for me as a product photographer for many e-commerce websites. Every brand wants Christmas-style photography of their products. This causes my work hours to exponentially increase, with tighter timeliness, higher expectations from clients.

I typically receive products in the morning, and my clients will want their images ready for upload later that day. Because of this high demand, there is no margin for error or delay.

Taking my clients' brand identities into consideration when creating photos during the winter holiday season does not just mean adding a small pine tree behind the product’s. We must create an overall atmosphere that reflects how the brand wants the people using their products to feel, whether that be "cozy", "luxurious" or "nostalgic".

For example, products that are marketed as luxurious need to be placed in elegant settings (perhaps even) a Christmas table. Some tech gadgets may be more appealing to consumers when presented in a modern minimalistic setting.

Lastly, the traditional methods of setting up props, lighting, etc. for the purpose of taking product photos for Christmas takes an excessive amount of time (minimum 2-3 hours) to prepare properly (i.e., source props from rental/design stores, arrange lighting in order not to have bright shiny ornaments, perform test shoots to create a balance between product and prop, continually adjust prop until it is finally ready for the final shoot).

Props are an inefficient investment. Buying quality Christmas properties can cost $700-1,000 for sufficient variety. Rentals are cheaper but have limited options and require pickup-return coordination that consumes time. Worst case: props get damaged or lost, I bear replacement costs.

Storage is also a real problem. Christmas decorations are only relevant 2 months per year. The rest of the time, props take up space in studio storage. For photographers operating from home studios or co-working spaces, this is literally impossible.

VISBOOM: Instant Background Revolution

Visboom's background swap service is a complete game changer for how I do business. With the photo editing platform powered by AI, I can now take product pictures without having to use any physical props and still retain the same quality of imagery. Now, my workflow is streamlined and can easily be scaled up or down.

The process is quick and easy to follow. I photograph products on a white or grey seamless background where the lighting is optimal to showcase the product, and I don't have to compromise on how complex the background is. After taking the photograph, I just log in to Visboom, choose a Christmas-themed background from their library, and the AI integrates my product into that background.

What really amazes me is how realistic the images look. The AI does not simply take the image of my products and drop them onto a Christmas background. It produces shadows based on the light sources within the backgrounds I choose. The reflections on glossy products adjust to the lighting conditions within the background. All elements appear to have a proportional scaling, and thus the end product appears as a native photograph rather than a poorly conceived composite image.

The library of backgrounds available on Visboom is extensive. For example, there are cozy fireplace images available for home products; formal dining tables for food and beverage products; modern Christmas-themed residential interior images for technology products; outdoor environments with snow for items related to outdoor activities; and rustic wooden table images for organic products. The previously unachievable breadth of versatility for background usage will now be achievable with the click of a mouse.

Impact on Production Capacity

A sizable increase in throughput has occurred. Product quantities per day have dramatically increased from 15-20 to 40-50 products on a daily basis. Turnaround time is now significantly shorter; instead of it taking 24 hours, a typical turnaround is now between 4-6 hours. This increased throughput does not simply result in improved efficiency; it creates a substantial competitive advantage.

Client satisfaction has reached an all-time high. Clients have access to a wide range of background options to perform A/B testing and gauge the level of success or effectiveness of their campaigns. One product shoot now creates multiple variations of background images at no additional cost to the client. This substantial increase in the number of background variations is advantageous to me as a product photographer.

Profit margins have greatly improved. As a result of having no props, no coordination for rental props, no storage costs, an increase in revenue as a result of increased volume, and a decrease in costs as a result of increased efficiency, the sustainability of my business has increased tremendously.

An instant Christmas atmosphere is not created through magic; it is created by using technology strategically. Visboom has shown that product photographers can effectively create high-quality seasonal content without being trapped by the logistical nightmares that usually accompany seasonal photography. Speed, scalability, and quality have historically been mutually exclusive in the field of product photography; however, with Visboom, these three factors can now be achieved simultaneously.