New E-commerce client

by | Jul 25, 2014 | e-commerce photographer, Ecommerce Photographer, Product

I’m so excited to add Cosabella to my client list! We’ve been shooting tests and perfecting the look for the website. Today I noticed the first pieces from our shoot went live! I have to say, I love being an e-commerce photographer. I know it’s not for everyone, but until you trouble shoot the styling and lighting of items like fine jewelry, sunglasses and bras (yes, I’m adding bra’s to the list of most complex items to shoot) you can’t know the rush of getting it right! Here are a few screen shots of my work on the site. Most of the corresponding pieces are also my shots! Enjoy and thanks Cosabella! I had a blast working with you and hope to do so again soon!

Testing E-commerce photos for new clients

by | Jul 21, 2014 | e-commerce photographer, Ecommerce Photographer, Product

One of the most valuable strategies for getting ready to shoot e-commerce with a new client is a test shoot. I almost always will recommend (or even sometimes insist) that a brand do a few hours of test shooting with me before we dive into their inventory and shoot all of it. The test shoot is my way to make sure I am giving the client the shots they need with the right consistency for their website. It is also how I double-check my per shot estimate to make sure that it is on track with the quote I gave. My e-commerce photography clients range in size from  less than 100 to 10,000+ shots a year (yes, I shoot a lot of inventory). The test shoot might be the most important shoot I do for those clients in our whole relationship. It is where I will lock in the lighting, styling, pre production preparation, retouching, and file delivery for everything we do moving forward. I usually ask to see some examples of what the client wants the final images to look like. After seeing those, we discuss the files they like and why. Then I get my hands on items to test shoot and we schedule the time. One of the nice things about my workflow is that the client doesn’t have to be present while I do the test shoot. I can run a screen share via Skype for example and I shoot tethered. So the client can be discussing with me each shot as they appear. This has been a  huge help because now art directors around the country can be hands on in the test without actually having to get on a plane.

It’s after the test shoot that I start in on the actual e-commerce photography for the website. Sometimes as fast as the next day or later that afternoon we can get the ball rolling for clients. In the e-commerce world, inventory that hasn’t been photographed is money lost so moving fast is critical. That test shoot lets me build realistic time estimates for clients so they know how fast the files can get back to them.

To the photographers reading this, whether you shoot portraits/weddings/anything it’s always a good idea to run a test shoot. Any big advertising gig’s I’ve ever had I dedicate a day in my studio with whatever team I need to work out the kinks of what we will be shooting. My husband has had to jump in front of my camera many, many times while I confirm lighting for a portrait to make sure the settings are where they need to be. A very good goal to have in photography is to make sure the time with the client/on the clock is used as efficiently as possible so test what you will be doing!

 

Example of testing lighting/angles for e-commerce on handbags:

Then the same shot but without reflection so client could choose:

And finally, an example of how the client decided to use it:

New work all over the place!

by | Mar 4, 2014 | Miami Photographer

I’ve been working my tail off, as is the trend when the blog goes silent. But I promise I have been thinking about blogging. Some of the big updates, I’ve hired a fabulous part-time assistant and we have been training and shooting like mad. At first, it’s a little tough because so much training has to happen but then quickly you realize that your time has become way more efficient and you are able to take more clients and jobs than before. The side effect of course is with so much new work the blogging gets pushed to the back of the to do list.
I did find time though to give a quick interview with the folks over at Glamniac which published today! I’m pretty sure this is one of the more narcissistic things you can do, give interviews about yourself and then promote them on your blog, but at the same time I have my mother in town and her comments of never knowing anything that goes on in my life inspired me to publish this anyway.

If you’ve ever interviewed me or talked to me about my work the info is probably very familiar. But it’s still fun none the less to mention! The post also helps me recognize it’s time for a new bio picture…. the bangs were cute but my hair grew WAY too fast to keep up with them (I mean, come on, you see how often I find time to blog, hair is not high on my to do list).

A special thank you to Kat for the flattering introduction and making sure I didn’t sound terrible in my answers!

2013 Miami Photographer “That’s a Wrap!”

by | Dec 30, 2013 | current events

Congratulations on making it through another year! 2013 was a great year of working with long-standing clients and some awesome new ones too! Thank you to everyone who used Kate Benson Photography in 2013 and I hope that 2014 proves to be one of your best years yet.
In 2013, I photographed all kinds of things. Excitedly at the start of the year there were ad campaigns, lots of portraits, and products, while at the end of the year a big e-commerce photography push came in which really kept me busy. So during 2014, my resolution is to use my time as wisely as possible. Update my website (a frighteningly overdue project that keeps getting pushed to the back of my to do list), blog with at least a little more regularity, and shoot some personal work are all on my list. Seriously, I think some of those were on my 2013 resolution list as well. Does anyone ever do their resolutions? I’ll have to find out in 2014 I guess!

Stay tuned for a great 2014~

 

 

Miami Product Photographer | Reviewing the Snugg Case

by | Nov 21, 2013 | Product Reviews

About a week or so ago a company called The Snugg reached out to me to see if I would review their cases for iPads/iPhones/Kindels/Tablets/Smartphones/etc. So because I have so much free time (can you hear the sarcasm in my typing? Or did the no blog post since July give it away that I’ve been slammed) I agreed. It’s long overdue for a blog post anyway and so I was hoping that this push to review the case would also get the ball rolling again, only time will tell. I have an older model iPad, the case on it before was a slim one that I grabbed from the Apple store when I bought it. At the time I figured it would protect the iPad if I dropped it and that was pretty much all I needed. This is where it needs to be mentioned that the anticipated use of the iPad was slim. Credit card processing, maybe playing Pandora while I worked, that was about all I figured I would use it for. Oh no. I was so very wrong there. Not a day goes by that myself or my husband doesn’t use it for something and the Apple case I bought at the time has since shown me that while it functions and does stop the iPad from breaking, that is about all it will do. The stand is wobbly at best, but pretty useless and I still have to carry a bag full of business cards and other items to meetings.

Enter, The Snugg Case.

I opted to try their Snugg Executive Case iPad2. It has a super sturdy stand, an attachment for a pen and room for my business cards and promos. I didn’t think it would make life as much easier as it has, but wow, what a difference. An actual functioning stand is underrated. Even if you don’t use your iPad for work, say you just want to be able to follow a recipe, the screen on that iPad shuts off constantly and you are always having to wake it back up. Being able to do this with one hand so you don’t cover your iPad in flour or whatever other mess you have on one of your hands is really awesome. In a meeting, my clients don’t accidentally knock over my iPad anymore when they lightly touch the screen to point out something. Having the ability to not carry a bag full of other items (pen/paper/business cards/promo’s/etc) is really awesome too. Showing up to the meeting organized tells the client I’ll be organized on the shoot too.

So with the holidays right around the corner, whether it’s a gift for your household iPad or you need to write off a little more this year (although this case is super affordable compared to what a similar case would cost at Apple) I do highly recommend The Snugg.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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