How we perfected the “Virtual Photo Shoot” — The Elysian live-feed experience
You don’t have to be here to be here. With our real-time remote photography, we are changing how we collaborate with our clients. Here are the tools and processes that allow our clients to direct their shoot day from anywhere in the country.
Summary:
Traditionally, clients have to either physically attend their photo shoot or relinquish creative control as the studio executes the shoot without them.
With a modern studio, creative collaboration and project oversight can be achieved fully remotely, giving brands significantly more flexibility.
A virtual photo is made possible with the right technology, tools, and team.
Every brand needs great photos, but the way those photos are made has changed. We’ve rebuilt the entire photo shoot experience from the ground up, rethinking how clients collaborate and defining what the modern photo studio experience should look like. The Elysian Live-Feed Experience is the result: a streamlined, transparent process that gives clients real-time creative control from anywhere in the country.
To appreciate why this matters, it helps to remember what photo shoots used to be like.
The client’s perspective: What photo shoots used to look like
Not long ago, attending a photo shoot meant actually being there, and often spending a lot to do so! Clients booked travel, cleared their schedules, and spent a full day on set to give real-time feedback. If they couldn’t make it, their only option was to hand the reins over to the studio and hope everything came out as envisioned.
That meant giving up creative control, trusting that the shots, styling, and direction would align perfectly with their brand. Sometimes it did. Sometimes it didn’t. But the lack of modern tools made it difficult to coordinate any production remotely.
There was another hidden downside. When clients had to physically attend every shoot, they were effectively limited to the studios in their own backyard. Great creative partnerships across the country were out of reach simply because of geography or budget. Many teams settled for convenience over quality, working locally, even when their perfect creative partner might have been hundreds of miles away.
The result? A process that was rigid, expensive, and logistically demanding, the exact opposite of what creative collaboration should feel like.
The truth is, the old way just wasn’t built for modern brands that move fast and think forward.
The client’s perspective today
Now, everything has changed.
Our clients can work with us from anywhere in the country, without sacrificing connection or control. From concept to delivery, every step of the process is streamlined, transparent, and collaborative.
We start with pre-production: creative briefs, mood boards, shot lists, and planning sessions that ensure total clarity before the first photo is even taken. Our team is deeply devoted to this stage, coordinating every detail to such precision that clients often feel completely confident skipping the live session altogether. The goal is to make the planning process so comprehensive and transparent that the shoot feels like a formality.
On shoot day, clients have a choice. They can join us live through our secure real-time feed, watching every image appear as it’s captured, commenting, ranking, and color-coding shots in real time, or they can skip the session entirely, confidently knowing the process will run flawlessly without them.
Either way, they get the best of both worlds: freedom and confidence.
Clients are no longer bound by geography. A brand in Seattle can work with our Cleveland-based team just as easily as someone down the street. Collaboration is effortless, creative decisions happen in real time, and the results speak for themselves.
How we make it happen
Behind the scenes, our virtual photo shoot system combines modern tools with thoughtful strategy to create a seamless experience.
Pre-Shoot Planning and Coordination: Before cameras start rolling, we use modern collaborative tools to storyboard concepts, create mood boards, and build detailed shot lists. This is where every idea takes shape. Our planning platforms keep clients in sync as we schedule, style, and organize each phase of production. By the time shoot day arrives, everyone knows what’s happening, when, and why. Every team member can quickly and easily understand the project, and future projects are made more efficient by the documentation of past work.
Real-Time Capture Software and Live-Feed Gallery: Once the shoot begins, every image captured by our cameras feeds directly into our computer system through a process known as tethering. Seconds later, those photos appear in a private live-feed gallery built specifically for each client. This gallery can be accessed from anywhere, allowing clients to see new shots as they’re taken, without delay.
Collaborative Interface and Live Communication: Within that same live gallery, clients can comment, flag, and rate images in real time. Our chat and video tools ensure every note and idea is shared instantly, keeping creative alignment tight even from thousands of miles away.
Direct Communication: We keep communication open and personal throughout every project. Clients can choose to join via live video feed for a behind-the-scenes view, or connect directly with our creative director via his personal cell. This ensures immediate access, quick decisions, and a genuine sense of presence even from afar.
Fast Delivery and Multi-Stage Approvals: Once shooting wraps, our team transitions into the next phase with clear checkpoints and transparency. Clients often review an initial proof gallery or short list of selects before any editing begins, ensuring alignment before post-production starts. Throughout this period, we provide image status updates, previews, and communication about next steps so nothing feels hidden or rushed. As the editing and design teams begin their work, those early planning phases prove invaluable, guiding every adjustment and decision. The process remains transparent and collaborative through each round of approvals until the final images are delivered.
Modern Creative Tools: Our photographers, editors, and designers use up-to-date, industry-standard Adobe software such as Photoshop, Lightroom, and Illustrator, alongside AI-powered efficiency tools that speed up workflow and enhance consistency. We rely on secure file-sharing platforms and advanced backup systems to keep projects organized, accessible, and protected at every stage.
Every phase, from planning to delivery, is designed to feel modern, intuitive, and personal, giving clients the confidence to collaborate remotely without losing any of the energy or precision of being on set.
A new kind of photo shoot
The virtual photo shoot started as an experiment. Today, it’s a cornerstone of how we work.
Our goal was never just to make remote shoots possible; it was to make them better while building a studio fit to grow as fast as technology is. With the Elysian Live-Feed Experience, clients can direct their shoot, stay connected, and collaborate freely with the best talent for their project, no matter where they’re based.
Because in today’s world, creative partnerships shouldn’t be limited by location. And you don’t have to be here to be here.
