The Story Of Your
Product Photographers
Jeff & Paul at the original studio 2014.
How We Got Started
The internet has made it possible for anyone with an idea and the dedication to start an ecommerce businesses online and make a real living following their dreams.
Our entrepreneur story starts in 2010. Paul Zimmerman & Jeff Delacruz were both freelance photographers and friends sharing a photo studio in heart of Chicago. They met as photo assistants and over the previous decade they had worked their way up the ladder as lifestyle and product photographers.
It all started with a few and grew into a steady stream of calls from ecommerce pioneers that we’re looking for extremely high quality product photography that would make their product stand out on their Amazon listings and Shopify stores. They were individuals that saw the wave before anyone else and realized that better photos could give them an edge in this new marketplace.
Prior to the internet, large retailers took care of the product photography for their vendors, so the traditional way of producing a photoshoot was designed for big companies. There was no easy way for the little guy to get great professional product photos.
That’s when Jeff had an idea and everyone but Paul thought he was crazy. POW! was born.
The Problem We Solve
Most traditional photographers normally have 1 big client with 1 big order at a time. POW! has lots of customers & lots of small orders.
How do you manage 1000’s of order’s from 1000’s of different customers with 1000’s of different ideas about what makes a photo look good?
How do you share a day rate and divide it up amongst many different clients with only a few products?
How do you maintain a professional quality image at this scale and deliver those images on time, every time?
No other photographer had dealt with these questions until POW!
the POW Team 2017
The Solution
To manage the complexities of an increasingly demanding business model, Jeff & Paul developed 3 pillars that make up the foundations of POW.
Professional Quality Photos
Pillar 1: The Shooting Workflow
Image quality comes before anything. Every product is different and requires different light to make it look its best. Therefore, no light tents, photo machines or anything automated when it comes to actually taking the photos. Jeff & Paul developed The Shooting Workflow, which weaves a combination of highly advanced lighting and retouching techniques that can be utilized in a simple but highly versatile photography set.
Our set is designed to rotate quickly between specular and diffuse light sources, allowing us to create custom shadows and highlights that give shape and enhance texture in each unique product.
Our workflow uses multi-capture compositing, a technique where a product is captured in different lighting and photoshopped together into one final image. This allows us to create really sophisticated lighting styles that would normally take hours to create.
Within the context of The Shooting Workflow, a POW photographer uses their deep technical knowledge and understanding of light to craft photos quickly and beautifully.
An Easy Process
Pillar 2. Software Automates The Business Stuff
The customer’s input is highly important in defining the general of what gets shot. Things like billing, inventory and communication at this volume all require a sophisticated process to ensure flawless execution while maintaining that personal touch every client wants from a creative. POW looks for opportunities to automate and streamline the business process not only for our customers but also for our photographers so they can focus on what’s important, the photos.
Awesome Photographers
Pillar 3. Hire The Best Product Photographers
It’s not the camera that takes the photos, it’s the photographer. POW’s hiring process is brutal but in the end only the strongest and awesomest survive. Like a martial art, young photographers are trained in the way of POW. Shooting becomes a movement within “The Shooting Workflow” and synergizing customer direction. POW! photographers are some of the best product photographers in the industry and are master of The Shooting Workflow.
Our Mission
To Create The Best Product Photography With The Easiest Process In The World!
Check Out Our Studio
Our state of the art photography studio is located in the Ravenswood Industrial Corridor in the Northcenter neighborhood of Chicago. Sandwiched between the Brown Line Train and Metra Train, POW is easy to get to and surrounded by a unique, vibrant neighborhood of light industrial and residential. Parking is available and we have a nice ground level loading dock.
Studio Stats
- 7 Awesome Photographers
- Creates 200 photos a day
- Oversized items up to 8 feet
Customers
- Over 3000 Businesses
- Over 10,000 orders
- 150,000 photos delivered
