A taste of the shoot. More photos are in the full gallery further down the page. Click any photo to see it large.
Most product photography happens on a table. This job was different. Southcott, an industrial products manufacturer, needed photos of a new industrial unit about the size of a shipping container. It sat in a warehouse, and it wasn't going to move. They needed a photographer who could work around that and still deliver photos good enough for their website, brochures and sales materials.
The brief: one large product, many selling points
Before the shoot, I worked closely with the Southcott team to plan the session and check that the space would work for what they needed. The brief covered four things:
- The new industrial unit as a whole.
- The team working on the unit.
- The unit's selling features.
- Details of its design and engineering.
Southcott also wanted photos of the engineers who designed and built it. A product like this is the result of a lot of skilled work, and showing the people behind it helps a buyer trust what they are looking at.
Large product photography in a working warehouse
We finished the session in a couple of hours, without disrupting the workflow in the warehouse. The unit stayed exactly where it was. Instead of moving the product, I moved around it, photographing it from the front, the corners and the sides.
A warehouse background is busy, so I edited a set of photos of the full unit onto a clean white background. Those cutouts let the unit stand on its own on a web page or a brochure, with nothing to distract from it.
What I photographed
The set is a mix of full product shots and close-up details. The motor control panel on the unit is labelled hydrostatic test unit, and much of the shoot focused on how it is put together and operated.
- The whole unit, from several angles, as white background cutouts.
- Southcott's engineers at the control panel, and portraits beside the unit.
- Hands on the controls: switches, knobs and the main pump pressure dial.
- The gauges, indicator lights and data screen on the control panel.
- Inside the switchboard: breakers, power supplies, soft starters and wiring.
- Inside the unit: hydraulic pumps, hoses, pipework, valves and cable chains.
- Small details such as the Built by Southcott badge and the lifting points.
Engineering detail shots matter for a product like this. The people who buy industrial equipment want to see the build quality: neat wiring, labelled controls and solid fittings. A close-up can show that better than a wide shot.
Where the photos were used
Southcott used the cutouts on their website and in brochures. The photos were also used for social media, public relations and LinkedIn. The marketing materials were created for their commercial sales teams and reseller partners, so the people selling the unit had good photos to show customers.
A shot list for manufacturing photography
If you make large equipment, this is the shot list I'd start with. Match it to where the photos will be used, such as your website, your brochures and your sales decks.
- The whole product, from the front and from each corner.
- A set of cutouts on a white background, for web pages and brochures.
- The controls and screens, with a hand in shot to show scale and use.
- The parts that set your product apart, photographed up close.
- Inside panels and compartments, if the build quality is a selling point.
- Your badge or branding on the product.
- The engineers and team who designed and built it.
Plan the session with whoever runs the space. That way the photos get done without stopping work around you.
Industrial product photography in Sydney
I'm a Sydney photographer, and I photograph products, premises and teams for businesses. Business photography starts at $495 for up to an hour, with up to 10 edited photos and a commercial licence. See business photography in Sydney for what's included.
Shoot details
Client
Southcott
Industry
Industrial products manufacturer
Where
A warehouse, with the unit left in place
Time on site
A couple of hours
Photographed
The full unit, close-up design and engineering details, and Southcott's engineers
Used for
Website, brochures, social media, public relations and LinkedIn, plus materials for sales teams and reseller partners
The full gallery
More photos from the Southcott shoot. Click any photo to see it large.
Need photos of your industrial products?
I can photograph your equipment, its engineering details and the team who built it, without moving it or stopping work. Business photography starts at $495.
