The five greatest challenges in fashion product photography – and how to overcome them

The fast-moving online fashion industry has always had a voracious appetite for imagery. But its needs have intensified during the seismic shift to online shopping caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. There's pressure to deliver a larger range of dynamic digital assets that integrate seamlessly into the platforms of fashion brands and retailers, and this must be done in a way that's both efficient and scalable.

Meeting this kind of challenge is the bread and butter of digital asset workflow specialist companies such as SpinMe. "In most cases, we work with clients by going in and understanding their current systems, equipment and software," explains CEO David Brint. "Then we look for pain points which are causing them trouble and advise on ways that they can improve their processes."

An important part of the process is ensuring clients have the right camera equipment. Canon's software development kit (SDK) allows cameras such as the Canon EOS R5 to be integrated into large setups used for ecommerce photography, such as StyleShoots' photography machines, feeding into the system's software for a smooth workflow.

SpinMe's extensive client base includes Harrods, Macy's and Selfridges & Co. It has partnered with Canon to provide its clients with consistently exceptional imagery, which is vital for differentiating their brands and increasing conversions.

Here, SpinMe's David and Canon UK Industry Pro/B2B Sector Manager, Richard Harvey, offer their insight into the current challenges and trends in fashion product photography.

The greatest problem in fashion product photography today is the sheer quantity of digital assets that are needed for ecommerce sites, PR, marketing, social media channels and more. "Satisfying that demand is absolutely the number one challenge right now," says David.

Streamlining the studio setup is essential for meeting these requirements, which, Richard explains, is why there's been a big shift among the ecommerce studios from traditional flash lighting to constant LED lighting. "This means they no longer have to move the model from a stills set to a video set to create content such as 360° views. A lot of those adjustments can be made using Canon's SDK, which enables remote control of the camera. You can easily switch between video and stills, change the file type, set the ISO and so on. Many of our pro cameras allow for these kinds of functions, and we are able to create a particular SDK workflow for a large e-com house which will be bespoke to them."

To avoid bottlenecks, the increase in stills and video creation requires a robust and efficient workflow for indexing, editing and exporting photographs.

"The ability to capture volume quickly and just keep going is all about buffer space on the cameras," says Richard. "It's no use having an image stuck on the camera, as you won't be able to move on to the next piece if your old one's not been signed off. You've got to get the image off the sensor, through the buffer, and into some kind of editing software.

"One aspect of camera technology that is very important to clients is the Wi-Fi capability. The Canon EOS R5 has 5G, so you get very fast transfer speeds straight out of the body. But even the base tethering system uses USB-C, which is extremely quick."

David says that SpinMe's close working relationship with Canon is crucial. "The more we can make the line between our workflow and the Canon cameras faster and more efficient, whether it be the download speed of the imagery from the camera or the information you can attach to images when you're shooting, the easier it is for a studio.

"We do lots of advanced testing of new cameras, to see how we can integrate them into the SpinMe software. The Canon EOS R5 is a real step forward, and being able to work with that camera at the very earliest stage and build the links with SpinMe was really important."

Providing a photo or a video that represents a garment or product with precise accuracy is key to customer satisfaction. "The returns rate is a retailer's biggest cost of sale, so anything you can do at the point of purchase to reduce it is a real incentive to them," says David. "I think it's really important to capture accurate colours, and it's something we treat very seriously."

Fortunately, Canon's colour science is well regarded in the industry: "Photographers like the colour, and it's consistent," says Richard. "You can shoot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV or a Canon EOS R5, and the post-production team aren't going to be nervous that you've used two different sensors."

The demand for video, 360° spins and 3D content adds an additional layer of complexity to the production process. As do Covid-secure production practices, the long-term effects of which are still unclear.

"During the pandemic, ecommerce clients are having to halve the number of studios they use in order to ensure social distancing," explains Richard. "But because of acquisitions and the growth in online fashion sales, their volume capture has had to increase. So they're trying to look at ways of taking still content from video files in order to halve the time on set. The Canon EOS R5 offers 8K video capture, and that allows a studio to extract 35MP still images in post.

"In fashion, we're seeing the trend, and there's data to back it up, that people want 360° views. They want to be able to spin a product, be it a trainer or a dress. And how do you do that? Do you do that through video capture; do you do that through multi-stills capture? New cameras such as the Canon EOS R5 give you more ways of meeting that requirement.

"Efficiency is still one of the key considerations, though. In the past, the way studios operated may have been left to the photographers, but now finance departments have more input. They understand end users' buying habits and the impact of returns, so they can make a call on how much something like a 360° or a pinch-and-zoom piece will affect the buy-through rate. Thankfully, those are the features that our new cameras are able to deliver, and those features are what's driving the upgrade path for Canon technology."