5 reasons your e-commerce brand needs a prop kit for product photos

Prop kits remind of capsule wardrobes. At the beginning it requires a bit of strategy, intention and investment in *just* the right type and quantity of items. 

Then, for the entire season you’re set… everything more or less goes together, and you can make dozens if not hundreds of looks. There’s a little wiggle room too, if you find a great new necklace or a must-have blouse.

So what exactly is a “prop kit”? For some background, I work with most of my product photography clients on an ongoing basis. We shoot together anywhere between 1-3x per quarter to ensure they’re covered for all marketing photos.

After we kick-off with photo strategy, content categories and a style guide, the next step is building a prop kit: a curated collection of items that align with the style of your brand and can be used in photos over and over again.

Let’s say you’re an ice cream brand, your prop kit is essentially a pared down version of your brand’s kitchen cabinet (but: on the go). It may include a few pretty scoops, some great bowls, a handful of spoons, a couple pinch pots for toppings, few pretty linens and maybe even a sundae dish. When shoot day arrives, you just need to source fresh and seasonal props, like seasonal floral for a lifestyle scene, or fresh berries to top a summery scoop.

Whether you’re working with myself or another photographer, there are five reasons why you need a prop kit as an e-commerce or product brand…

1 - it will save you $$$

I get it, it sounds counterintuitive because you do need to make the investment up front. But, over time having this strategic mix of props ready to utilize across brand and e-commerce photos over time will save you a lot of cash.

Not only will you get a lot more use out of all of these strategically curated items, but your future prop investment will only be fresh items (like food or floral) and anything required for seasonal or campaign-specific styling. Which bonus: hopefully your shoot team can take home to enjoy.

2 - Everything is Mix-and-Match

Like the capsule wardrobe, each piece is completely aligned with your brand’s style and compliments your products beautifully.

Plus with a strategically curated kit, it can all mix-and-match too, so each photo is different. There’s plenty to create different combos, but not so much that it’s only used once.

3 - You’ll Prevent Waste (And: Stress)

When I’ve worked with brand partners in situations where everything is planned last minute, which real talk: often means they’re haphazardly rushing to gather or buy props ASAP (hello, Amazon) with only this single shoot in mind. And then, end up with excess.

These items may not even be used in shoot day and even more rarely are used repeatedly, which is not only a waste of budget, but also the environmental equivalent of fast fashion.

While I would hope these items would be donated or distributed for great use (and often they are), I’ve too often seen them tossed or never utilized again while gathering dust on office shelves that would make Kondo cringe.

4 - It Makes Your Life Easier

With your prop kit in place, you have a massive chunk of the your production complete. No communication, no prop estimate approvals, tracking codes, breaking down boxes.

When I prepare prop kits for clients, I’ll also buy a storage bin that everything fits in. We just grab the bin and bring it to shoot location. Then at the end of the day pack, it up until our next shoot day. Easy as that.

5 - Ensures Photos are On-Brand

Get it right the first time. Again this requires a strategic, thoughtful approach at kick-off ensure everything is the right style, it compliments your products and aligns with your consumers lifestyle. And once you have all the pieces in place, your marketing photos will look more cohesive and streamlined across all platforms — from email to Instagram.

And I swear, no one will notice if the same vase is pictured 27 squares down on the ‘gram, but they will notice if your style isn’t aligned.

curious if a prop kit is right for you, and How to create just the right mix for your marketing goals?

Book a free 15-minute consulting call and I’ll fill you in on how to make it happen. Or, if you’re looking to have a prop kit curated for you I can help you out via a 90-minute consulting sessions, no shoot required. Say hey for details.