How to Avoid Costly Mistakes and Ensure a Smooth, Successful E-Commerce Photoshoot
As a creative production company that handles multiple shoots daily, we get to witness (and are part of) a ton of successful shoots! However, we also see a lot of avoidable mistakes that can derail a shoot’s success. Therefore, to help steer clear of these pitfalls, our production team has compiled a list of the top 5 common e-commerce photoshoot mistakes brands make. By avoiding these mistakes, you can significantly boost your productivity and shoot outcomes!
#1. Insufficient Pre-Production Time: “We’ll just wing it!”
As the saying goes, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Even the most promising e-commerce photoshoot can easily fail without proper pre-production planning. Often, teams schedule a shoot, but overlook crucial details or under-plan, leading to inefficiencies.
Common Mistakes:
- No Clear Creative Direction: Teams jump into the shoot without a clear concept or lighting direction. As a result, this leads to confusion on set and time wasted on experimentation.
- Lack of a Detailed Shot List: Without a comprehensive shot list, teams can easily miss crucial images, resulting in costly reshoots or subpar content.
- Overlooking Cross-Functional Needs: Marketing, e-commerce, and social media teams often have different requirements. When teams fail to consolidate and plan properly, brands risk missing key shots and experiencing miscommunication.
How to Avoid These Mistakes:
Allocate ample time for pre-production, even if the deadline is tight. Start by creating a detailed shot list with all necessary products, angles, and scenarios. In addition, collaborate closely with all involved teams to consolidate cross-functional requests into a cohesive plan. Then, build a run-of-day schedule to ensure every team member knows their role and responsibilities on set. This preparation will help you manage time efficiently, reduce on-set confusion, and ensure you capture everything needed.
#2. Sample Uncertainty: “Samples SHOULD arrive by tomorrow!”
Having the right samples is critical for a successful e-commerce photoshoot. However, many teams overlook sample management during pre-production. As a result, when samples arrive too close to the shoot day—or worse, don’t arrive at all—major issues arise.
Common Mistakes:
- Last-Minute Sample Deliveries: When samples arrive just before or during the shoot, there’s no room for quality checks or planning.
- Incomplete or Incorrect Samples: Receiving an incomplete set of samples or items that don’t match the creative brief can derail the shot list and force last-minute changes.
- No Backup Plan for Missing Items: When a crucial sample is lost in transit or unavailable, teams waste time and increase costs without a plan B.
How to Avoid These Mistakes
Start sample management early, and push the shoot date if there are concerns about sample arrivals. Ensure all items are available, inspected, and approved at least a week in advance. Additionally, maintain constant communication with the brand or supplier to track each sample’s status. In case of delays, have alternatives ready so the shoot can proceed without disruption. This proactive approach minimizes stress and keeps your production on track.
#3. Underestimating the importance of a Style-out: “The stylist can create the looks on set.”
Styling is a critical component of any photo shoot, particularly when working with larger collections or complex products like apparel, accessories, or home goods. Rushing through or skipping a style-out session often leads to inefficient on-set adjustments. As a result, there’s a lack of cohesion in the final visuals.
Common Mistakes:
- Lack of Pre-Approved Looks: When outfits or product arrangements aren’t pre-approved, the stylist has to make decisions on set. This leads to confusion, inconsistency, and delays.
- Ignoring Brand Guidelines: Missing a style-out session often means skipping important conversations about brand adjacencies, preferred pairings, or styling dos and don’ts. Consequently, this can result in visuals that don’t reflect the brand’s image.
- Wasting Time on Set: If the stylist must try different options on the model in real time, it slows down the shoot and puts unnecessary pressure on the team.
How to Avoid These Mistakes:
Schedule a style-out session well before the shoot. This dedicated time allows the stylist and brand team to review every look or arrangement, ensuring it aligns with brand standards and the creative vision. Furthermore, use this session to document each look thoroughly and note any adjustments or alternatives for on-set use. This preparation ensures that once the shoot begins, the stylist can execute the pre-approved looks swiftly and confidently, saving valuable time and maintaining visual consistency.
Learn about the critical role of styling in crafting your brand’s narrative.
#4. Over-Reliance on Retouching: “We’ll fix it in post!”
Retouching is a powerful tool. However, relying on it as a crutch can lead to unnecessary costs and compromised image quality. While it’s tempting to assume every imperfection can be corrected later, this mindset often creates problems best addressed on set.
Common Mistakes:
- Avoiding Simple Fixes on Set: Teams often ignore minor issues like stray hairs, garment wrinkles, or unbalanced lighting, assuming retouching will fix them. This leads to higher retouching costs and extended timelines.
- Compromising Natural Look: Over-editing can result in images that look artificial or unrealistic, distancing the brand from an authentic representation of its products.
- Underestimating Time and Cost: Heavy retouching not only increases production timelines but also adds to the budget, especially when multiple images need extensive adjustments.
How to Avoid These Mistakes
Focus on getting the best possible image in-camera. In addition, prioritize on-set fixes for easily adjustable elements like product placement, styling tweaks, and lighting adjustments. Use retouching only for polishing the final image and correcting minor details, rather than as a solution for major issues. For instance, ironing a garment takes five minutes on set, while retouching the same wrinkle takes only 30 seconds. This balanced approach streamlines your workflow and results in more authentic, high-quality images.
#5 Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen (aka No Art Director): “Let’s bring the whole team.”
A successful photo shoot requires clear leadership and decision-making. Often, brands undervalue the role of an art director or overpopulate the set with decision-makers. Both scenarios can significantly hinder the shoot’s success.
Common Mistakes:
- No Central Decision-Maker: Without an art director, teams lack a unified vision and end up making reactive decisions on set. As a result, they waste time going back and forth between different parties.
- Overcrowded Set: When too many people contribute to the decision-making process, conflicting opinions lead to decision fatigue. This not only slows down the process but also creates tension and distraction.
- Inconsistent Creative Direction: Multiple people offering conflicting input on everything from shot composition to styling can derail the shoot and result in an inconsistent final product.
How to Avoid These Mistakes:
Appoint a dedicated art director to oversee the shoot. This person understands the brand’s vision and makes final creative decisions. Limit the number of decision-makers on set to avoid confusion and streamline the process. If feedback is needed, set specific times for team reviews instead of allowing constant interruptions. This approach keeps the shoot focused and efficient, ensuring a cohesive and high-quality outcome.
By avoiding these common e-commerce photoshoot mistakes, you can ensure a more productive, efficient, and cost-effective shoot. Remember, effective preparation and having the right team on set are key to capturing the perfect shots!
Note: The Line Studios originally published this article on their LinkedIn Newsletter page. We have reposted it here to share its valuable insights with our audience. We respect copyright laws and have obtained permission to republish this content.
