How to prepare products for photography in Denton

A product photo is simply a clear, well-lit image of something you sell — a mug, a tool, a piece of jewelry — meant to show exactly what the buyer will receive. It’s not art. It’s a record. So what makes one work? It’s not the camera. It’s not the lighting setup. It’s what’s on the product before the lens even turns on. If your item has fingerprints, a sticky tag, or a creased label, the photo won’t fix it. You have to fix it first.

Start with the surface

Glossy or metallic surfaces catch everything. A single thumbprint on a stainless steel kettle or a smudge on a glass bottle will dominate the frame. I’ve shot the same coffee tumbler three times in one day because the client didn’t wipe it down. Each time, the highlight bounced wrong. Use a microfiber cloth — not paper towel, not a dishrag. Just a clean, dry one. Rub the whole surface, front and back, even the bottom. Don’t use glass cleaner. It leaves a residue that catches light differently under studio lights. A dry microfiber cloth is the only tool you need to remove oils, dust, and the faint film from handling.

Remove every tag, sticker, and label

I’ve had clients send me a set of wooden coasters with a plastic price tag still taped to the back. I’ve had a set of ceramic bowls with a shipping label half-peeled off. I’ve had a leather wallet with a barcode sticker glued to the inside flap. These don’t disappear in editing. They leave shadows, glares, or texture mismatches that scream "this wasn’t ready." If it’s not part of the product’s final design, take it off. Use a hairdryer on low heat for stubborn adhesive — don’t scrape. If a sticker can’t be removed cleanly, send a second item without it. I’ve had more than one shoot derailed because the only available sample had a label. Don’t gamble. Send a clean spare.

Flatten what’s supposed to be flat

Fabric items — napkins, scarves, tote bags — come in with creases from storage or shipping. I’ve had to reshoot a linen table runner because the fold down the center was still visible after three hours of steaming. A wrinkle in fabric doesn’t vanish with a Photoshop tool. It just moves. The best way to avoid this is to hang the item overnight before the shoot. If you can’t hang it, lay it flat on a clean surface, cover it with a damp towel, and iron it on the lowest heat setting. No steam. Steam can warp dye or leave water marks. Just dry heat. Then let it cool before packing.

Send a spare — and tell me why

I always ask for a backup. Not because I expect things to go wrong. Because they almost always do. A hinge breaks. A button pops. A color fades under the lights. A box gets dented in transit. You don’t need to send me two of everything. Just one extra of the same item, in the same condition. And when you send it, write me a note: "This is the backup. The main one has the gold trim. The spare has the matte finish." I can’t guess what you care about. I’ll photograph what’s in front of me. If you don’t tell me which detail matters, I’ll photograph the whole thing evenly — and you’ll get a photo that doesn’t highlight the thing you wanted to sell.

Flag the details you want close-ups of

Every product has a story. Maybe it’s the stitching on a handbag. The engraving on a pen. The texture of the wood grain on a cutting board. I won’t know what’s special unless you tell me. I don’t have time to guess. When you send your items, include a single sheet — even a sticky note — that says: "Close-up on the buckle here," or "Show the bottom stamp," or "Highlight the logo on the side." Put an arrow. Circle it. Write "important." I’ve had clients send me a watch with no note and expect me to find the serial number. I didn’t. I shot the face. They didn’t sell. A quick note saves hours. It also means I don’t have to crop in later and lose resolution. I’ll shoot the detail at the right size from the start.

What happens when you don’t prepare

I’ve had products arrive with dust on the lens of a camera, crumbs inside a cookie jar, and a plastic wrap still clinging to a glass decanter. I’ve had to pause a shoot because a client sent a product with a price sticker still on — and the only one I had was damaged. I’ve had to wait three hours because the client couldn’t find the spare. These aren’t mistakes. They’re avoidable delays. And when you delay a shoot, you delay the photos. You delay the listing. You delay the sale. I can fix a bad angle. I can balance the light. I can’t fix a dirty surface or a missing tag. That’s your job.

How a typical product shoot in Denton goes

I get the items delivered to my studio on a weekday morning. I unpack them, lay them out, and check for the note you left. I look for fingerprints, stickers, creases. I compare the main item to the spare. I take a quick photo of each item as-is — just to document what I received. Then I clean, remove, flatten, and arrange. I set up the light — usually a softbox at 45 degrees, with a reflector on the opposite side. I shoot the full product, then the details you flagged. I take at least three frames of each angle: one wide, one mid, one tight. I don’t rush. I adjust the light for each item — a metallic object needs different reflection control than a matte ceramic. After the shoot, I edit every frame. I remove dust spots, adjust contrast, correct color balance. I don’t touch the product’s shape or add things that weren’t there. I make it look like what you’d see if you picked it up in daylight. Then I send it.

Frequently asked

How long does a product photo session take?

It depends on the number of items and how ready they are. A single item with no issues takes about 20 minutes. A set of five, all cleaned and flagged, takes under two hours. If I have to clean each one, remove labels, or wait for a spare, it doubles.

What do I get when the shoot is done?

You get high-resolution, edited images — every frame retouched, color-corrected, and delivered in JPEG format. If you need transparent backgrounds for e-commerce, I include that. I don’t send raw files unless you ask before the shoot.

Can I shoot this myself with my phone?

You can. But you won’t get consistent lighting, true color, or clean backgrounds without a studio setup. I’ve seen phone photos of Denton-made goods that look like they were taken in a garage at dusk. If you’re selling online, the difference between a phone shot and a studio shot is the difference between a browse and a buy. It’s not about the gear. It’s about control. And that’s what the studio gives you.