Welcome to Elysian!
This onboarding page contains everything you need to know to begin your journey with us. Use it as your main resource as you work with our studio team to create amazing visual content for your brand!
We shoot it all, see for yourself:
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If you’re reading this, that means you are already in touch with a studio team member, so get excited to begin the shoot-planning process!
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Our team will take the time to learn about your brand, your goals, and your creative vision, ensuring we can execute your project exactly how you want us to.
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This is the most important step. Your shot list is what we will use to organize your products, draft a quote, and execute your shoot, so take your time and include as many details as you can. Click here to begin creating your shot list.
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Once we have approved your shot list, we will use it to draft a formal quote so you know exactly how much the project will cost. No surprise fees! We then require a 50% deposit to schedule your shoot.
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Getting your products to us is the hardest part, but once they’re here, we take it from there! You may ship your products to us or drop them off on weekdays between 10am-4pm by appointment only. Click here to be taken to our shipping webpage which has our address and other helpful shipping info.
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We take it from there! Depending on what you ordered, photography, styling, editing, and design are completed in record time by our team of talented creatives.
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The next time you hear from us is when your final photos are ready to deliver. You will receive an online proofing gallery to approve all of your images or request revisions.
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Once you approve the gallery and are satisfied with the images, we collect your final payment before delivering the high-res files.
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That’s a wrap! We will send a link containing your high-res files for you to download and begin using right away.
How is this process going to work?
Now that we are in touch, the photo shoot process is a team effort. Here are the steps that you can expect to experience once we get the ball rolling on your project, so click the arrows to expand each step and get an idea of how this is going to work.
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We are different than other studios because we offer you customization and consultation with our team of industry experts that you won’t find anywhere else. Expediting the shot list-making process frees up time to talk more with us about creative direction and inspiring ideas, AKA the fun stuff!
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We can shoot any product you send us, but by involving you in the shot list-making process, we avoid making assumptions about your brand story or how you envision representing your products. This gives you full transparency into our plan for shooting for your unique brand, guaranteeing we are on the same page.
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It’s impossible for us to draft a quote and execute a photoshoot without a detailed shot list, so we will make one regardless of if we are provided with one. So we quickly learned that when our clients help us make their shot list, they can make sure everything is perfect and exactly what they always imagined.
Creating your shot list
The best way to make a great plan is to make a great shot list, and it’s impossible to do that without your help. You know your brand and products better than we ever could, so we ask you to do a bit of homework upfront to avoid revision requests and numerous back-and-forth emails and calls down the road.
Why?
Completing a shot list in 3 easy steps:
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1 row = 1 image
The first step is to decide how many photos you want. Each row in the shot list template equates to an individual photo, so, for example, if you are ordering 50 photos, you will fill out 50 rows.
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Style each image
This is the fun part! Let us know how many items are in each photo, as well as how you want them positioned or styled. You can describe the styling, or simply drag and drop a cell phone photo into the template.
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Confirm technical details
The final details we need to execute your shoot include your shadow preferences, as well as specific file types or file naming that you require. After that, we have all the details we need to start shooting!
Creative Freedom vs Creative Oversight
How much both you and our studio are involved in the planning process directly impacts the cost and timeline of the project. Both options are great, but understanding the differences is key:
Creative Freedom: You are flexible with your expectations and prefer we use our experience and talents to do what’s best for your projects. You don’t require back-and-forth planning communications and you relinquish oversight and revision requests, allowing our team to do what they do best.
Creative Oversight: You have a vision for your project and would prefer to be involved from start to finish. You prefer to speak to our team and make sure we understand your brand and your goals. You are okay with the fact that the project will be more expensive and take more time.
Want our lowest pricing?
Interested in skipping the shot-list creation process and unlocking our lowest pricing tiers? We have a collection of non-customizable photoshoot packages, ready for you to purchase right now, no shot lists, emails, or phone calls required. What do you think?
Our Services
In your shot list, you’ll be asked to define what services you want to order. Here’s a refresher on all the visual content we can create for you.
On-White
Stunning, high-res photos of your products on a white background, professionally lit, and fully retouched.
Ideal for product listings and online marketplaces.
Lifestyle
Captivating stylized photography that introduces environmental scenes, models, and propping.
Ideal for social media, advertising, and website banners.
Infographics
White background or lifestyle photography incorporated with text, graphics, and various other design elements.
Ideal for online marketplaces like Amazon.
360° Spins
360° spins allow you to click, drag, and zoom to view any angle and detail you want to see, facilitating the best, most fun customer experience.
Ideal for product listings and online marketplaces.
What do we need to schedule your shoot?
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Your completed shot list and product data
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A 50% deposit of approved invoice
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Your products need to be in the studio
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Register your account for billing purposes
Pricing & Invoicing
Fully understanding your project and your vision are the first steps to providing you with a quote. Every photoshoot is different, and we never want to mislead you, so we ask you to fill out your shot list before talking about pricing. Once we know how many photos you need and what each one entails, we will draft a locked-in quote.
We accept ACH transfers, credit cards, and checks. There is a 3% processing fee for credit cards, and we wait for all checks to clear before scheduling shoots.
A 50% deposit is required before shooting can begin, and quotes are locked in for 14 days.
Shipping & Drop-Offs
Getting your products to us is the hardest part, but once you do, we take it from there! Here are some of our most common shipping-related questions:
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Elysian Studios
Attn: (Order # from your invoice)
30405 Solon Road, Suite 9
Solon, OH 44139
(Don’t forget to include a return shipping label in your package if you would like us to return your products)
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We accept drop-offs and pick-ups by appointment only on weekdays between 10am-4pm. Please coordinate a date and time with the studio team member overseeing your project.
Elysian Studios
30405 Solon Road, Suite 9
Solon, OH 44139
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Rest assured, we have it covered. We have implemented an advanced linear product flow through our studio to ensure all products stay organized and safe once they arrive. We’ve never lost or confused products before, and we plan to keep it that way. To play it safe, we recommend including a return address or another clear marking with your name on or inside of the box, along with your order number as the “attn.”
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You have 3 options for how we will handle your products when shooting has been completed: “Return to Client,” “Donate,” or “Trash.”
All “Return to Client” items will be put in the mail to be returned to you within 3 business days of the delivery of the final assets. Please include a return label in your shipment or send a label to us via email.
All “Donation” samples will be donated to the charity of Elysian Studio’s choice. Client information will be withheld from the donation unless otherwise specified by the client.
All “Trash” samples will be disposed of. The first 2 options are preferred.
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Shipping Insurance
Your products are important to you, and to us. We recommend insuring your shipment to ensure you are covered if something happens to your items in transit. If you want the products insured upon return as well, please contact us.
Communication
Once we receive your products, our team will be in touch with you every step of the process to let you know how your shoot is going. Remember that the quicker we receive replies from you, the sooner we can complete your shoot, so keep an eye on your email.
Expectations
Outlining how our studio process works is one thing, but defining expectations is the most crucial part of it all. Keep scrolling to explore expectations for each of our services.
On-White Photography
As our simplest service, white background photography offers our lowest pricing and fastest turnaround times. A shot list is always required for this service.
To take advantage of our lowest pricing and to skip the shot list creation process, for white background photo orders, we recommend ordering via Express Checkout.
If you’d prefer to work with us directly, know that our lowest advertised rates and turnaround times will not apply.
Pricing varies significantly. The product type, 2+ items in 1 photo, product size, special styling, or reflective properties all increase the cost.
Prep, styling, shooting, and retouching are all included in any quote.
Lifestyle Photography
By far the most compelling service we offer, lifestyle photography also requires the most planning and participation from both you and our studio. The planning, shooting, and revision process will always take much longer than other services.
Lifestyle projects are always custom, so a clear understanding of your vision is needed before we can provide a quote.
Photos become “lifestyle” when any environmental scenes, propping, or models are involved.
If stock photos are used, we will purchase the usage rights on your behalf, but that cost will be reflected in your final invoice.
If propping is needed, we recommend you include your preferred props in your product shipment so we use exactly what you want us to.
Professional models can be booked at starting rates of $180/hr (2-hour minimum). Rates increase based on the model, nudity, or special commercial usage.
Product Infographics
As informative as they are compelling, product infographics give customers maximized information as they view your product listing. They are the best way to highlight the unique features and benefits of your products and brand.
Infographic design can be applied to pre-existing on-white or lifestyle images, or, we can create both the photos and designs from scratch.
We will always send you the photos for approval before we apply the infographic design in order to avoid rework.
Pricing for infographic design only starts at $30 and increases depending on the complexity of the design.
If you provide the puzzle pieces, we will build the puzzle. What we mean by this is that we require you to send us any text, logos, or graphics that you need to be featured in the infographic. We don’t know your products as well as you do, so it’s always best when these assets come from you.
Professional Models
We are affiliated with 4 modeling agencies that provide us access to their talent rosters at discounted rates. We can book the perfect model on your behalf, bringing a personality and lifestyle to your brand.
Model rates start at $200/hr, 2-hour minimum. This is the agency cost, our studio does not upcharge.
Things that could increase that rate: expedited timeline, model experience, nudity, custom commercial usage, or special model (baby, pet, etc.).
You can typically expect us to shoot about 3-5 products/hour with a model, but that varies dramatically depending on the product and creative direction.
The model we use is 100% up to you. You tell us your desired traits and then make your top 2 picks from a handful of options.
Interactive 360° Spins
At the cutting edge of e-commerce, interactive 360° spins truly are the next best thing to picking up a product in the store. 360° spins allow you to click and drag to view any angle and detail you want to see, facilitating the best, most fun customer experience.
If you plan to use 360s on an online marketplace such as Amazon, you can do so, but please check to make sure you are approved to use this feature before placing an order with us.
Pricing starts at $74 (12 intervals) and increases based on the number of intervals/images.
Unlike pricing for static photography, 360 pricing never includes retouching. One spin could require retouching hundreds of photos which would be very expensive, so we let you choose if you’d like to pay for that.
360 spins are delivered as a collection of static images. You are always responsible for the hosting/building of the spin to embed onto your website.