You signed the proposal. Now what? The gap between "yes, let's do this" and receiving final images is where most photography partnerships go sideways. Not because the photos are bad, but because nobody explained the product photography process upfront. Working with a product photographer should feel like a partnership, not a black box.
Here's a complete walkthrough of how a professional product shoot works, from the first planning call to the moment edited files hit your inbox.
Why Does Pre-Production Matter More Than the Shoot Itself?
The biggest mistake brands make is treating a photo shoot like a single event. Show up, snap some pictures, done. But the brands seeing higher social engagement and stronger conversion rates from their product photos are spending more time on pre-production than on shoot day itself.
Pre-production is where we figure out the important stuff. And it goes deeper than shot types and angles. We're learning your brand, your values, your customers, and what makes them stop scrolling. The goal is to create photos designed to engage your specific audience, not generic content you need to retrofit into your campaigns.
At Photos by Lars, this starts with a discovery call. We ask about your launch timeline, your campaign goals, and the platforms you're targeting. An Amazon hero image needs different composition than an Instagram Reel thumbnail. A product photo built for your e-commerce site needs different framing than one built for a retail sell sheet. Getting this right upfront saves rounds of revision later.
From there, we build mood boards, detailed shot lists, and AI-generated mockups showing you a rough preview of each setup before anything gets photographed. When we worked with Entourus, the AI mockups helped us nail the creative direction in one round instead of three.
This is the phase where you have the most influence over the final product. And it takes almost no effort on your end because we handle the heavy lifting. You review, give feedback, and approve. Done.
What Happens on Shoot Day When Working With a Product Photographer?
Shoot day is the part most people picture when they think about hiring a photographer. But if pre-production went well, shoot day is the smoothest part of the whole process.
We've already planned every setup. We've sourced the props and mapped the lighting. There's a shot list everyone agreed on. We're not figuring things out on the fly.
Most food and beverage brands we work with are remote. And many prefer it to be fully asynchronous. They've seen the AI mockups during pre-production, they trust the direction, and they let us shoot. We've never had a client tell us the AI mockup looked better than the actual photo. The real thing always wins.
For clients who want to watch, we offer live image sharing during the shoot so you see frames in near real-time and flag adjustments. Think of it like watching the shoot happen on your screen while you handle the rest of your day.
A typical shoot day for a CPG product photography project produces 800-1,000+ raw files across all setups. We capture every angle, every lighting variation, and every styling option so you have a deep bench of choices. Either way, your involvement on shoot day is completely up to you.
How Do You Pick the Final Images Without Getting Overwhelmed?
The images you choose for your product pages directly affect how long visitors stay and whether they buy. Research from the Nielsen Norman Group confirms visual content is one of the strongest drivers of on-page engagement. So the selection process isn't a throwaway step.
Here's how we handle it. If your package includes 30 images, we'll narrow roughly 1,000 raw files down to around 80 of the strongest options. You pick your 30 from there. If your package is smaller, say 4 images, we'll curate the best 20 or so and you choose your favorites. We do the first round of culling so you're not scrolling through hundreds of near-identical shots trying to spot differences.
Then we hop on a review call together. We do this on a call instead of over email because image selection is subjective. Seeing your reactions in real-time, hearing which shots make you say "yes, this one," gives us context a Slack message never provides.
Your happiness with the final images is our top priority. If something doesn't feel right during the review, we talk about it and make adjustments on the spot. The product photography process works best when both sides have a voice.
What Does Post-Production and Delivery Look Like?
Once you lock in the selects, editing begins. For food and beverage brands, this means color correction, background cleanup, retouching for texture and detail, and formatting each image to spec for its intended platform. We treat a hero shot heading to your Amazon listing differently than a lifestyle image built for Instagram Stories.
Photos by Lars delivers final edited files within 3 to 5 days depending on project scope. Every file comes sized and formatted for the channels you specified during pre-production. Need a square crop for Instagram and a white background version for Amazon? Both are ready at delivery. No extra back-and-forth.
When we shot Entourus's launch visuals, we went from first inquiry to final edited photos, with one round of revision, in under a week. The founder said the whole process felt effortless. Mood board first so nothing was a surprise, then shoot and deliver.
The entire process, from discovery call to final delivery, runs on a timeline you approve upfront. No scope creep. No mysterious delays. Working with a product photographer should never mean chasing updates or wondering where your files are. We take care of the heavy lifting so you stay focused on your launch. And because we map every deliverable to a specific platform and campaign goal, your team spends zero time resizing or reformatting after delivery.
Common Questions
How much input do I have over the creative direction?
As much or as little as you want. If you want to be in the studio with us and work through each setup together, we'd love having you there. If you'd rather say "I trust you, go for it" and stay hands-off, we're happy to run with it. We make sure to strike the right balance between keeping you involved and not eating up your calendar.
What if I don't like the photos after the shoot?
We offer a free reshoot with one round of revisions if you need it. We're proud to say our revision rate is under 5%, but adjustments do come up and we're always happy to handle them. The review call process catches most issues before editing even starts.
Do I need to be there in person for the shoot?
No. Most of our food and beverage clients work with us remotely, and many prefer the process to be fully asynchronous. The AI mockups and pre-production planning ensure alignment before shoot day, so being in the room is a preference, not a requirement.
How long does the whole process take from start to finish?
A timeline with plenty of space is 1-2 weeks for pre-production, 1 day for the shoot, and 3 to 5 days for editing and delivery. But we've gotten it done in as little as one week from first inquiry to final edited photos. If you're working toward a launch date, we build the timeline backward from your deadline.
How is this different from hiring a freelancer on a marketplace?
Marketplace photographers shoot what you ask for. Working with a product photographer who runs a full pre-production and planning process is a different experience. We think about why you need each shot and how it connects to your marketing goals. Shopify's research on product photography shows purposeful product images are a top factor in online purchase decisions. The planning, platform-specific formatting, and collaborative review are the difference between getting photos and getting photos performing for you.
Ready to see how this process would look for your brand? Book a call and we'll walk through your goals, your timeline, and the right package together.
