Tag: photo shoot process

Booking your first professional product photography session in Montreal can feel like a leap of faith. What actually happens when you bring your products to a studio? How long will it take? Who does what? What should you bring? And what happens to your images after the shoot is over? This behind-the-scenes guide walks you through exactly what to expect from start to finish at a Montreal product photography studio.

Before the Shoot: Pre-Production Planning

The Initial Brief

Every professional product photography session starts with a discovery conversation — either via email, phone, or a quick meeting. We’ll ask about your products, your sales channels (Amazon? Shopify? social media?), your brand aesthetic, any reference images you love, and your timeline. This brief ensures we arrive at the shoot day with a clear plan and no surprises.

Shot List Creation

Based on your brief, we’ll create a detailed shot list — the exact images we’ll produce for each product. For a standard e-commerce product, a typical shot list includes: one main hero shot (white background, front-facing), two to three additional angle shots, one detail or texture close-up, and one lifestyle or context image. For your hero products, the list may be longer. Having a written shot list means nothing gets missed and everyone knows exactly what we’re producing.

Product Preparation (Your Job)

The single most important thing you can do before your product photography session is prepare your products immaculately. Our guide on how to prepare products for a photo shoot covers this in detail, but the essentials are: clean everything (fingerprints, dust, and smudges are invisible to the naked eye but obvious in professional photography), steam or iron any fabric products, ensure labels are straight and packaging is pristine, and organize your products in the order you’d like them photographed.

Day of the Shoot: What Happens in the Studio

Setup and Calibration

When you arrive at our Montreal photography studio, the set will already be built and lit for your first product type. The studio setup — including backdrop, lighting configuration, and camera position — is determined by your brief and shot list. For white background e-commerce photography, this means an infinity curve setup with calibrated studio strobe lighting. For lifestyle photography, it means a styled set with props and scene-setting elements.

Before we begin shooting your products, we’ll take a few test shots to verify exposure, white balance, and composition. This is the time to flag any concerns — if you want the label more forward, or a slightly different angle, now is when to say so.

The Actual Photography

Once the setup is locked and you’ve approved the test shots, shooting begins. Our team handles product placement, styling, and photography. Depending on your product type, there may be a product stylist on set adjusting the placement, cleaning surfaces between shots, or managing apparel presentation.

For flat lay photography, the camera is positioned directly overhead and your products are arranged on a styled surface below. For ghost mannequin clothing photography, garments are fitted to the mannequin and shot in a way that allows the mannequin to be removed in post-production. For jewellery photography, macro lighting and magnification systems reveal the fine details of each piece.

You’re welcome to stay on-set throughout the shoot. Most clients appreciate seeing their products come to life in real-time and providing immediate feedback. We’ll share preview images on a tethered monitor so you can review composition and style as we go.

Typical Shooting Times

Here’s a realistic guide to how long different types of Montreal product photography sessions take:

• Simple white background shots: 10–20 minutes per product (including setup, photography, and cleanup)
• Flat lay or lifestyle shots per setup: 30–60 minutes per distinct scene
• Jewellery macro photography: 20–40 minutes per piece
• Ghost mannequin apparel: 15–30 minutes per garment
• 360 degree photography: 20–45 minutes per product including rotation sequence
• Full catalogue (20 products, white background): 4–8 hours

After the Shoot: Post-Production

Image Selection

After your session ends, our team reviews all captures and selects the best images from each setup. We look for perfect focus, ideal styling, and the cleanest execution of each shot in the list. For most sessions, you’ll receive a gallery preview within 48–72 hours.

Retouching and Colour Grading

Selected images go through professional retouching: backgrounds are cleaned to a pure white if needed, colour is calibrated for accuracy, any dust or imperfections that made it through the cleaning process are removed, and the overall look is refined to match your brand standards. For ghost mannequin images, this is where the mannequin is digitally removed. For 360 images, all frames are processed to match before the spin sequence is assembled.

Delivery

Final images are delivered via a secure online download link, typically within 5–10 business days of your shoot (rush turnaround available). We deliver high-resolution files plus platform-optimized versions sized for Amazon, Shopify, social media, and print as required.

Ready to Book Your Montreal Product Photography Session?

Now that you know what to expect, the only thing left is to book your session. Our product photography services in Montreal cover everything from simple white background shots to full lifestyle productions. Check our pricing page for investment details, read our guide on how to hire a product photographer in Montreal, and contact us to discuss your project.

Related Product Photography Services in Montreal

Curious about what happens during a professional shoot? Explore our full range of services:

• Product Photography Montreal — Our complete studio service offering
• White Background Photography — Clean e-commerce shots explained
• Lifestyle Product Photography — In-context brand storytelling
• Flat Lay Photography Montreal — Overhead styled compositions
• 360 Product Photography — Interactive turntable photography
• Photography Pricing — Transparent rates with no surprises
• How to Prepare for Your Product Shoot — Get the most from your session
• Book Your Session — Schedule your Montreal product shoot