Ship-In Product Photography
Ship Your Products to Our Chicago Studio
Shot in Chicago. Delivered Anywhere.
You Ship It. We Shoot It.
Zimmerman Photo is a Chicago product photography studio, and a significant portion of our work comes from brands outside Illinois. Brands across the Midwest, New York, LA, and everywhere in between ship their products to our West Town studio. We shoot them, and the finished images arrive online.
Tell us about the project. Send the products, quantities, the shots you need, and where the images will run. We reply with a proposal and a realistic timeline. If you want to get an idea of pricing first, take a look at our cost calculator→
Ship your products. Send them to the studio with your project name in the attention line and let us know when to expect them.
We check everything on arrival. We confirm receipt and flag any condition issues before shoot day.
We shoot and retouch. We share selects along the way and flag anything that needs a quick decision from you.
You download your finals. Then your products ship back on your carrier, stay with us for the next shoot, or get discarded, whichever you prefer.
Send Them Shoot-Ready
Product condition is one of the biggest variables in how smoothly a shoot goes. A product that arrives with fingerprints, packaging damage, or assembly issues takes time to fix on set, and that time adds up.
Send production-ready units with clean, intact packaging. Add a backup unit for anything fragile, like glass bottles and jars. Wipe down beauty products and glass packaging before they go in the box. For apparel and softgoods, pack to limit creases, since they photograph worse than they look in person.
We handle final prep in the studio. The better condition your products arrive in, the faster the shoot goes.
A Schedule You Can Plan Around
The timeline depends on the size of the order. A few SKUs on white move quickly. A full catalog with lifestyle sets takes longer. Either way, you get a realistic timeline in the proposal, before anything ships.
Working toward a launch or a holiday season? Build in time for shipping both ways and a round of feedback. Our seasonal campaign timeline→ walks through how far ahead to start.
Final Files, Ready to Use
Finals arrive in a private online gallery, where you can download single images or the full set. Standard delivery is high-resolution JPEG, which covers the vast majority of web and print uses.
Need TIFFs, layered PSDs, or web sizes for Amazon and your store? Say so in the brief. Format variations cost nothing extra as long as we know upfront.
Want a ballpark before you reach out? Try the cost calculator→
Common Questions
Straight answers about shipping your products to the studio.
Where do I ship my products?
Ship to Zimmerman Photo, 333 N Oakley Blvd, Suite 106, Chicago, IL 60612. Put your project name in the attention line and let us know when to expect the package, so we can watch for it.
Can I ship products before we talk?
No. Please don't ship anything to the studio until we've talked and your order is set. It keeps every package matched to the right project and avoids confusion when it arrives.
Who pays for shipping?
You cover shipping to the studio and return shipping afterward. We send products back with your preferred carrier, so you can use your own account and rates.
When do I pay for my order?
Most orders are paid in full before photography begins. For larger orders, we can accommodate a 50% deposit.
How long does a ship-in project take?
It depends on the size of the order. A handful of SKUs on white moves faster than a full catalog with lifestyle sets. We give you a realistic timeline in the proposal, before anything ships.
What if something arrives damaged?
We check every product when it arrives and flag condition issues before shoot day, so there are no surprises. For fragile items, send a backup unit. It's the simplest way to keep a broken bottle from delaying the shoot.
Can I be on set instead?
Yes. Chicago is easy to get to, and we're always happy to have clients in the studio. For well-defined ecommerce and on-white work, most clients ship products and let us run the shoot. We share selects along the way and flag anything that needs a quick decision.
What happens to my products after the shoot?
Your call. We can ship them back with your preferred carrier, hold them for a future shoot, or discard them. Just tell us upfront.
More questions about working with us? See the full FAQ→
Ready to ship your products?
Get in touch and Paul will respond directly, within one business day.
Start a Project