Months of creating concept, designing, choosing fabrics, and manufacturing are done. You have your beautifully crafted, stylish pieces. Just a final step is left – a photoshoot, and your apparel is ready to be launched. A proper photoshoot may multiply the glory of your new fashion pieces or take away from its grandeur by failing to highlight its strengths and understate its softer spots.

To make sure the process goes smoothly for first-timers and experienced ones alike, we have compiled a step-by-step guide on how to plan a photoshoot for a clothing brand. For extra insider immersion, our client, Ms. Gina Gargiulo from American Exchange Group, has kindly shared hacks and tips from their own experience while working with photography production. Gina put it best when she explained how central photography is to showcasing their collections:

We need new photos every time we have new or key styles, and images are used and posted across multiple channels. So, product photography made professional is crucial. And we always love seeing how our products turn out!

– Gina Gargiulo, E-Commerce Coordinator at American Exchange Group

PHOTOSHOOT FOR YOUR CLOTHING BRAND: 101

Is Boosting Conversion with Product Images Real?

Imagery has gained incredible social and commercial weight in all realms of our lives, and only video can compete in its selling power with photography when it comes to e-commerce. But due to file size restrictions on product pages, we know for sure that product photography will hardly ever be replaced by video.

This is why planning a photoshoot is one of those skills that every marketer and fashion industry business owner must have as a default setting. Great photography is needed for product pages of an online store, for social media, for blogs, and for press releases. Professional product images are proven to increase sales and conversions.

Particulars of a Photoshoot Process for a Cloting Brand

Every industry has its own playbook when it comes to product photography. Fashion, clothing, shoes, and accessories are no exception. Here are the key elements that shape a clothing brand's photoshoot:

Particulars of a fashion photoshoot:

1. Models are often involved in lifestyle and editorial sessions.
2. A clear theme and strict alignment with the brand book are essential to reflect the mood of the collection.
3. Props matter. Their textures, shapes, and color palette can dramatically influence the overall quality and perception of the shoot.
4. Out-of-studio shots add depth. Street, nature, or public settings inject energy and help buyers imagine themselves wearing the products — bridging the gap between online and offline shopping.
5. Angles vary widely, from close-up details to full-body group shots, even overhead captures of models in motion.
6. A large team may be required, including make-up artists, stylists, hairdressers, editors, and assistants.
7. Rates vary drastically — from $50 to several thousand per image — depending on the photographer’s portfolio and reputation.
8. Clothing prep is critical. Ironing, steaming, or brushing fabrics prevents costly post-editing fixes in retouching software.
9. Brand involvement differs by scale. Large, premium brands often have in-house studios and creative teams, while indie and mid-sized labels tend to outsource to professional studios like Squareshot for cost-efficiency, speed, and expertise.
10. Careful planning saves money across logistics, rentals, model hours, and post-production.

TYPES OF PHOTOSHOOTS FOR A CLOTHING ONLINE STORE

To properly plan a clothing brand photoshoot, marketers must have an exact idea where the resulting images will be used: on product pages, in a fashion blog, in social media, or in an article.

The purpose of the session also helps to understand which type of fashion photo shoot best fits the bill. Ask yourself just how much story you want to convey with the images? Below are a few examples of potential scenarios when professional product photography comes handy to a fashion brand:

• To tell a story of a new fashion brand launching on the market.
• To advise existing clients of a new apparel/shoe/ accessories collection.
• To provide information on the social initiative involvement, upcoming event, or fashion show participation.
• To accompany an informative article on a website blog with original, purpose-made content.
• To communicate with your audience on social media & strengthen brand awareness via visual content.

Whatever your purpose, it is important to understand that selecting the type of clothing product photography most suited to the function. So below we list 3 major types of a photoshoot.

Product Photography Against a White Background

Usually done in a clothing photography studio against a white or light homogeneous background. Products are positioned flat on a table (lay flat mode), shot on a ghost mannequin, or shot at eye level while hanging or pinned.

Fashion creative directors and marketers typically use this type of product photography to provide content for showcasing on a brand’s website, for product pages in an online store, or for use on social media, incorporating some extra text or graphics into them.

Clothing Photoshoot Background: White, Pastel, Bold

When planning a fashion photoshoot, you will likely consider a contrasting background to create an eye-catching shot.

The majority of the e-commerce marketplaces will require main images of clothing to be shot against a white background. However, supporting images can be done against coloured backgrounds. Naturally, social media content is best performed when it has something catchy to it, too.

Pastel backgrounds will work in most cases, where a white backdrop works great. They never overpower a shot, but they do add a bit of texture and feel to the image.

Some pink and violet pastel colors used at the back will render a picture girlie or overly sweet, so be mindful to pay attention to the hues of your pastel.

Bright contrasting colors will compete with your photographed outfit for attention. So we recommend using those bolder colors with teen fashion and streetwear pieces that have plenty of guts and character to them, too.

If you are looking for clothing brand photoshoot ideas, check out this celebrity fashion shot by Gucci. The legendary premium brand collaborated with another legend for this subtle-luxury-oozing campaign.

An overpowering textured red background serves as the only visually dominant element in this composition, right until the second, when it gets overtaken by the grandeur of the model (Billie Eilish), complemented by the inconspicuous white-on-white embroidery of the garment pieces. The understated makeup and muted colors highlight the paradox at play: restraint becomes more potent than excess.

Lifestyle Photoshoot

In this type of photoshoot, the focus of the photographer is still on the product itself, but more context is provided for the featured item: a model, real-life backgrounds, and props. This is a fantastic way to outline, pinpoint, and bond with the target audience.

Clothing brand photography relies heavily on this subgenre during the initial stages of the marketing conversion funnel, specifically during the awareness, interest, and desire phases. Fashion photography with models, contextual shots, and street lifestyle images evokes the highest levels of resonance and bonding sentiment with the target audience.

Sporty & Rich is a great example of photoshoot ideas for a clothing line, providing inspiration and lessons to learn from.

Editorial Photography

The editorial shoot speaks beyond the product but goes up to a more abstract level: the level of the brand essence. The editorial photo session is about storytelling and creating the image, the soul, and the vibe of the brand.

These photo sessions are the priciest ones and require a lot of planning and resources to work as a point of differentiation for a brand among thousands of other similar brands. So they are placed at the very top of the clothing product photography pricing.

Editorials are used for a fashion magazine interview or a first-page commercial; a brand launch is also a good time to choose this type of fashion photo shoot.

CLOTHING PHOTOSHOOT IDEAS & TIPS

Embrace Diversity

You can elevate your brand by using models with distinct, charismatic looks. Diversity and loyalty to all ages, races, and shapes is a blessing for both fashion designers and photographers.

Embracing diversity is one of the most liberating things to do for a fashion photographer: anybody can be your model, as long as they can embody the brand's vibe. Tattoos? Bright rainbow hair? Bold head? Skin condition? Ear tunnels? Thick glasses for poor vision? These small, distinct features in your model’s look may resonate with so many potential buyers out there.

Befriend Backgrounds

Backgrounds are your friends.

White background clothing images are still the ninja friend you will use in 90% of the cases. But colored, textured, patterned, glittering backdrops are an immediate attention-grabber.

Flat lay photography allows for quite a bit of experimentation in terms of surfaces that you can put your pieces on: retro tables and mirror stands, ultra-modern steel-and-glass tables and luxury beds, the possibilities are endless.

Make Statement Shots with Accessories & Props

This tip is specifically useful when you are assigned to do some merchandise photography. Your brand may have some distinct positioning, visual, or contextual features that you will want to convey in your content.

Props and accessories are used extensively in such scenarios, as no piece of clothing is used in isolation. Moreover, combining, mixing, and layering garments is an art in its own right. That’s when you can fully appreciate the help of professional stylists who ensure your product with props looks exactly as intended.

When we do merch product photography at Squareshot, we often do a group shot of the entire series: combining a T-shirt, a cap, and a hoodie, for example.

You can also integrate any corporate visual symbols in your merch images: brand colors, mascot, fonts, word puns around the naming and slogan, any relatable symbols (think classical men's suit & business symbols: a laptop, mobile; bridal dress and a bouquet, etc).

Unfold a Story in GIFs

Clothing brand product photography provides a set of guardrails — you have to reflect the brand’s values, messaging, and ICP portrait, but there’s plenty of room to experiment within that framework.

GIFs are an underestimated format that is great for Instagram stories and product detail pages on your website. You can even run a UGC contest, where you invite your customers to create their GIFs that include your fashion item.

Volumize with Tissue Paper for a Natural Look

Streetwear photoshoot ideas don't always belong to the lifestyle images domain: you can actually do fun pictures in a studio too. When doing so, it's important to keep it casual. Creases and life-like volume in your jeans and hoodies are a must-have for a sporty look characteristic of street fashion. Tissue paper is perfect for creating some volume, that’s both natural and laid back in flat lay streetwear product photography.

COSTS OF A PHOTOSHOOT FOR A CLOTHING LINE

In the U.S., one of the most advanced e-commerce markets, product photography ranges from $35 to $1,000 per image. We have elaborated on the topic of pricing in product photography in detail in our blog, but we are happy to recap some major points below. The wide gap depends on a few key factors:

1. Photographer’s expertise — Experience, reputation, and portfolio affect both the rate and the quality of the final images.
2. Production setup — Studio rental, shipping, and team size are major cost drivers.
3. Shot type — Single-product photos are priced differently from group shots. The more products in one frame, the higher the cost.
4. Pricing models — A shoot can be charged:
   • By the hour or day
   • By the image (larger orders often get discounts)
   • By the product (complex pieces cost more to shoot and retouch)

For example, a flat-lay T-shirt is inexpensive and straightforward to photograph, while a sheer mesh top requires more effort and budget.

GUIDE AND TIPS FOR PHOTOSHOOTS FOR BEGINNERS AND SMALL BRANDS

For smaller or younger clothing brands, a photoshoot will be one of the major costs after the design and production of the merchandise.

While many e-commerce platforms, like Shopify, provide free website builders, it is cheap and easy to make a decent-looking website with integrated payment systems.

The only thing left to be done to fill in the online shop with brand identity is to produce professional photo content.

• Try to organize a clothing photoshoot in the low season, where professional photo studios are likely to be more flexible.
• Look for photographers on Instagram, not Google. It is likely, that beginners may not have yet established a website presence, but are using hashtags to attract customers: #ProductPhoto, #ProductPhotography #ProductPhotographyNY #FashionPhoto #PhotoStudio. While they may lack the experience to take your online store from zero to hero with their images, newbies are usually very motivated and keep their prices significantly lower than those of professional photographers.

Here is a little hint, how we do it at Squareshot:

• Make sure to bring all of your merchandise for the shoot together in one batch – if you ship it or drive it yourself, it is cheaper to do it all in one go. And the discounts apply depending on the number of products to shoot, so you will see a better price per image if you shoot 50 items in one go than 20+30 orders.
• Plan and book all services in advance. The early bird rates may apply in studio rentals and in shipping services. The more urgent or express the service is, the more expensive it is likely to get.
• Even as a first-timer, you can facilitate a much smoother process and ensure a better outcome by planning the shoot thoroughly in advance.

GUIDE AND TIPS FOR PHOTOSHOOTS FOR ESTABLISHED BRANDS

Established brands in the fashion industry face fierce competition, whatever segment they represent: luxury, mid, or mass market. They are competing for different metrics – average check, loyalty, return rate, brand mentions, or quantity of items sold- but the competition is tight across all price segments.

Tips for the established clothing brands on organizing a photoshoot:

• Treat product photography as an investment, not a place to cut costs. Poorly executed images don’t save money; they create losses for any established brand.
• Choose a studio with state-of-the-art equipment over the one closest to your office. You may overlook the nuances between camera brands and lighting setups, but they’re as real as the gap between car models, and they show in the final images.

• Learn from competitors. If you love a shoot your competitor pulled off, reach out to the same photographer. Their creativity will translate differently with your collection. The goal isn’t to copy, it's to study what works (and what doesn’t) in your market.
• Experiment boldly. Leading brands stay relevant by reinventing themselves and setting trends. Don’t be afraid to push into the new, the fresh, and the unconventional. That’s how you shape the market, not just follow it.
• Stay consistent once you’ve found the right partner. Working with the same studio saves time, reduces costs, and ensures visual consistency across your catalog, an essential part of a strong brand identity.

PHOTO INSPIRATION & MOOD BOARD

While commissioning any kind of visual works: be it web design, video, makeup, tattoo, or product photography — it is paramount to show some references to your service provider. Finding some images that you like and you think hit the target with your target audience is vital to pass your vision to the executor of your ideas.

In order for a photo service vendor to pick up on your idea, the message you want to bring forward to your audience, it is best that you find images that resonate with you and your brand. Make sure to provide a brand book, if this is available. If not, advise the service provider of a color palette, values, and describe your target audience in detail.

A mood board, a.k.a. an inspiration board, is the best way to approach this task. Pinterest is convenient for creating and sharing mood boards.

HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL PHOTO SHOOT: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

1. CREATE MERCHANDISE

It is easier for established clothing brands and tougher for fashion design beginners. Ideally, you will have produced enough items in different colors and sizes to work with any model that best fits the job. Once the collection or a line of products is ready, the next step is to create high-quality imagery of those pieces.

2. MAKE A LIST OF PRODUCTS TO BE SHOT

In order for a photo studio to process your order efficiently, prepare a list of all items for the photoshoot. Each product that you need images of needs to be enlisted, so that all stages are smoother: from taking it out of inventory, shipment, shooting, to editing and filing them.

Every product on the shoot list should contain the following info:

• Category (clothes, shoes, accessories)
• Subcategory (tops, bottoms, duffel bag, slip-ons)
• Color (red, blue, beige)
• Size (M, S, L)
• Preparation (Wrinkles need to be ironed? Assembly required)
• Positioning (lay flat, ghost mannequin, pinned)
• Background (white, dark, color, street)
• Number of images & angles (close-up, front, side, shoe sole)

This list will also come in handy to estimate the price for the works and to do a shop around when looking for a photographer.

Our e-commerce team always prepares line sheets of the products so we have the style information and reference images. We also made our own photography protocol handbook to follow exactly which angles to shoot for which types of product, along with edit feedback so the products are positioned and retouched correctly. Thus, we’re ensured we will like the result.

– Gina Gargiulo, E-Commerce Coordinator at American Exchange Group

3. FIND MODELS FOR THE PHOTO SESSION

If you’ve decided to go with the on-model photoshoot, this part would be one of the most time- and resource-consuming. Depending on your budget, the models for your shoot may be sourced from your close friends and family circle or from the top modeling agency in New York.

THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN BOOKING A MODEL FOR A SHOOT

• Book in advance – you will have more options, as the best models get booked out long in advance.
• Negotiate with the agent – there might be flexibility.
• Look for wannabe models & influencers that match your profile on Instagram. If budget is of concern, hiring an amateur model might be a good option
• Opt for diversity – glam has yielded the spotlight to diversity and natural looks these days
• Check out the Facebook Groups and Instagram hashtags for models in your area, using the search “city+models”
• Share your mood board and any other requirements that you have highlighted for the shoot
• Send a list of clothing/shoes/accessories you need a model to wear during a shoot if you are not providing some part of the look
• Hire a make-up artist & hairstylist in advance
• Remind your models about the shoot 1 week and 1 day before the big day
• Exchange contacts within the entire team (photographer, makeup artist, models, hairstylist) before the shoot to facilitate communication.

4. DESIGN A MOOD BOARD

Sharing it with the entire team helps to set the expectations and standards of the shoot for all parties involved. Pinterest and Instagram are the best resources to go through while hunting for the most inspiring images for the mood board.

5. FIND A LOCATION FOR THE PHOTOSESSION

For most of the product photography, a well-equipped studio will do the job. Well, an essential part of it. But an editorial photo session and lifestyle photography may require a busier background or location.

Favorite locations for luxury clothing brands:

• castles
• museums
• galleries
• city squares /especially those in Milan, Paris, Dubai, New York/
• rooftops
• nature
• helicopters, jets & yachts

Great locations for mass-market clothing brand photography:

• streets
• nature
• abandoned building sites
• dilapidated buildings
• shopping malls
• hotels
• cinemas

While looking for the correct location, it is important to make sure you get all the permissions and arrangements with the administration of the property. If shooting in the public space, make sure to take into account privacy – opting for the early morning will reduce the crowd size. Look how our client Minted NY combined product photography and an editorial photo session on their website:

6. FIND A PHOTOGRAPHER

Finding a photographer to do your clothing photography for e-commerce is a multi-faceted mission that involves many vital factors:

• You need somebody closer to your warehouse to cut the shipping costs
• You need somebody experienced – to guarantee top results (check website, Facebook page for content, number of fans, reviews to estimate professionalism & expertise)
• You need somebody available – this is a huge filter if you are looking to execute on an urgent order
• You need somebody within your budget – this may be a filter for younger businesses, with all established fashion businesses knowing the ROI on photography services is proportional to the investment.

7. PLAN A PHOTOSHOOT DAY

Having a schedule, a shoot list, equipment, and coffee breaks all organized and ready to go will make this day less stressful and more enjoyable. Make sure the entire team is on board with the schedule and models know where and when to arrive.

8. EXECUTE PHOTOSHOOT

When the day comes, you can only work with what has been arranged beforehand. This is why we have compiled this guide on how to plan a photoshoot – so that the process is easier for all the new creative directors, marketing managers, and clothing online store owners.

Sometimes reading a good manual takes a newbie up to speed and helps to foresee all the small nuances that cannot be fixed on the day of the shoot.

The preparation is probably the most exhausting part of the process. It’s a lot of coordination with different teams to receive the samples on time, then finding inspiration images, and figuring out timelines as to when the products can be posted with these images. Still, if all the preparation was well thought-through, it’s always worth it and works out in the end.

– Gina Gargiulo, E-Commerce Coordinator at American Exchange Group

9. EDITING IMAGES

Depending on the budget, purpose, complexity, and type of photo session, editing may take anything from 10 minutes per image to a few hours per image. Count that time in, when planning a new collection release, so you can take care of other tasks while the retoucher is working on your images.

10. SHARE IMAGES WITH YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

Sharing the ready-made images is a process that has a best practice page of its own:

• Start sharing the content of the clothing brand photoshoot in live mode during the session – give your followers a taste of what’s coming
• Share in batches – do not release all the content at once – portion it throughout the period of time
• Ask models not to release it without your content – or orchestrate their social media activity for best results
• Diversify channels, edit styles, mix and match with graphics and text – the same very images may come in different forms and render different messages.

The most exciting part of the whole process is definitely receiving the final images. You can’t have sales or an item live online without incredible product images, and that’s exactly what Squareshot delivers. Then the fun continues from there to upload them all to our multiple channels and see how our consumers react to them.

– Gina Gargiulo, E-Commerce Coordinator at American Exchange Group

Preparation is half the battle. It involves lots of people, it involves lots of funds, and it involves lots of creativity. No wonder many creatives in the fashion industry may feel frustrated and lost when they get this task. This is why we've set these principles and nuances of the planning process for you.

If you need more insider info or have a specific question – drop us a line: about apparel retouching, bags product photography, best angles for your jewelry – we'll be glad to help you out.