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Who is this service for?
This service is designed for individuals and businesses that need clear, high-detail images of physical products. Typical clients include online sellers, small brands, collectors, resellers, and manufacturers who require accurate, professional images for listings, documentation, catalogs, or other digital uses. The service is best suited for products that benefit from controlled studio lighting and detail-focused photography rather than conceptual or environmental scenes.

Who is this service not for?
This service is not intended for lifestyle photography, editorial or magazine-style shoots, or heavily styled, prop-driven scenes. We do not offer environment-based setups, creative direction, or print-focused campaigns. The focus is on clean, consistent product imagery optimized for clarity, accuracy, and digital presentation.

Pricing

Price: $20 CAD per image

Each item includes 4 images:

Hero shot (top, horizontal)
Zoomed detail #1
Zoomed detail #2
Scale reference image

Minimum order:

4 images ($80)
- $40 setup fee
  Minimum project total: $120 CAD

Bulk discounts are available for large orders.

Why this pricing?

Close-up and macro product photography is far more demanding than standard item photos. Zoomed detail shots require precise handheld positioning, manual focus, and controlled micro-lighting — which is physically intensive and significantly more time-consuming than regular photography.

Half of the cost reflects the technical difficulty and physical effort of capturing sharp, high-magnification images consistently.

The other half covers the quality, equipment, studio setup, and post-processing time needed to deliver clean, professional product images.

Our goal is to keep pricing fair while still providing results that outperform typical small-item photography.

What files do I receive?

Every order includes both:

1. Polished, edited high-resolution JPEGs

Your final images are fully processed and ready to use on:

Etsy
eBay
Shopify
Instagram
Websites & product listings

Amazon Note

Amazon has specific requirements for their main product image, including:

a pure-white #FFFFFF background
tight framing (no zoomed-out images)

If you need Amazon-compliant main images, background removal and pure-white clipping can be added for $4 per image.

Our standard images work perfectly for all other platforms. A pure-white background requires an additional processing step, as it involves replacing the background (and any shadows) with a solid white canvas.

Raw files (optional)

RAW files are available for $5 CAD per file (20–50 MB each).

Due to storage limitations, RAW files are retained on our system for up to 2 months and are not uploaded alongside finished JPEGs.

The fee covers internal handling and tracking (file and folder creation, project management) as well as upload time, as each file may take up to one minute to download.

Files are delivered via a secure Google Drive download link.

Is there a minimum or maximum order?

Minimum: 4 images
Maximum: ~20 items/day (~120 photos)
Turnaround: 1–5 days depending on volume Why are your prices so low?

Our studio is optimized specifically for:

Small items
Macro subjects
Controlled, repeatable lighting setups

Because of this specialization, our workflow is highly efficient. On average, each image requires about 5 minutes of post-processing (sometimes longer) to achieve a clean, accurate, e-commerce-ready image.

Heavily retouched, magazine or advertising images typically require 3–4× more time (often 15–20 minutes per image or more) due to extensive cleanup, compositing, and cosmetic refinement. That level of retouching is designed for print and editorial use.

We focus on delivering professionally finished images ready for online use as-is, rather than heavy magazine-style retouching. Clients who require additional post-processing for print, advertising, or stock use are free to further edit their images or request custom work.

This efficiency allows us to offer high-quality macro product images without premium pricing.

We genuinely enjoy helping sellers improve their listings.

Gear Used

Full-frame camera body
Dedicated 90mm macro lens (no diopters or add-on optics)
Calibrated, high-CRI light sources
Enclosed shooting environment for consistent, repeatable lighting
Technical note: Add-on lenses, clip-ons, and diopters often degrade sharpness and introduce distortion.
We avoid all of that and use proper, purpose-built macro hardware for the cleanest, highest-quality results.
This setup delivers image quality well above typical small-item or aquarium-store style photography.

Workflow/How it works

Email jim@macroblast.ca or use our contact/questionnaire form. We will respond with a questionnaire for your project. It starts from there.
We calculate the project cost and give you our estimate. (Invoice is sent. No payment due, yet.)
Ship you items to us.
After we receive the items, we contact you for payment. [we send a special URL for payment. This takes you to the payment form. You enter project cost and enter or press the submit button. This takes you to a payment page for cc and PayPal payments. E-transfers are done through your bank.]
it may take 2-7 days for the bank to process the transfer.
Once payment is received, the project is active.
We photograph and process everything ASAP.
We return or keep the items (your choice — you pay return shipping).
We send finished JPEGs and RAW files. Raw files if requested, via email / cloud link.(Jpegs are included in the service) Raw files can be obtained for an additional fee.

1-5 day turnaround, once items are received.

What if I’m not satisfied with the photos?

You get one free reshoot within the original scope:

Adjust angles
Modify lighting
Fix composition issues

New items cannot be added during a reshoot.

What about lost or damaged items?

Tracking is recommended.
If tracking shows “delivered,” the item is considered received.
We are not responsible for items lost or damaged in shipping.

If we mis-ship or damage an item, we fully reimburse its value.

Shipping & Returns

You ship items to us (post office packing available for ~$5).
We can return your items or keep them (your choice).
You cover return shipping.
Final files delivered by email/cloud.

Image Storage

• We store all client files locally — JPEGs and RAW — for 2 months. • Files are delivered via email with a secure Google Drive download link. • Download links remain active for 48 hours. • If you miss the download window, contact us and we will re-send the files at no charge. • Files are removed from Google Drive after delivery to conserve secure storage space. • We strongly recommend downloading and backing up your files locally once received.

Commercial Usage

Yes — once purchased, you have full commercial rights to use the images in your product listings, marketing, and advertising.

Do you use CGI or AI?

No.
All of our images are photographed using real camera equipment and real lighting — never CGI and never AI-generated visuals.

CGI can look “perfect,” but it is not a true representation of a physical product. For sellers who want accuracy, trust, and fewer returns, real photography is both more reliable and more cost-effective.

To ensure customers know exactly what they’re getting, every item includes a true life-size scale reference image.
This helps prevent the common issue seen in many online listings where small objects appear much larger than they really are. Clear scale reference and true-to-life detail reduce misunderstandings, increase buyer confidence, and lower return rates. (CGI = ~$80 and up for a single picture.)

How do you handle highly reflective or iridescent items?

Reflective items will appear more vibrant than matte items (normal behavior).
Dark matte pieces absorb light and appear less shiny — we compensate with additional controlled spotlights.

We tailor lighting per item to deliver clean, accurate results.

Consistency Guarantee

Our results are not random or hit-or-miss.
Lighting is adjusted individually for each session to produce predictable, repeatable professional quality.

Why the size limits?

Our studio is purpose-built for small-object product photography, using a controlled micro-lighting system designed to capture:

exceptionally fine detail
accurate, consistent color
clean, repeatable lighting
professional macro-level clarity

This setup is optimized for items from 3 mm to 4 inches and up to 1 foot—the size range where precision lighting and macro optics make the biggest difference in image quality.

Larger items aren’t restricted due to space; they simply require a different style of equipment and workflow than what our studio is specialized for. Bigger subjects typically need:

lenses designed for longer working distances
broad, full-size soft lighting
a general-purpose shooting bay rather than a macro environment

Because our focus is delivering the highest possible quality for small products, we only accept items up to 4 inches, where our dedicated setup performs at its best.

Do I need a Photographer for my image needs?

Most smartphones today have very good cameras and are great for everyday photos and portraits. However, they have limitations when it comes to close-up detail, accurate lighting, and consistent results—especially for products.

If you need high-quality, professional images that show fine detail, true color, and a polished look for your business or online listings, you’ll know it. That’s where we come in. (A professional camera and lens can cost $3,000–$10,000 CAD or more, and learning to use it effectively—including settings, lighting, and composition—can take weeks to months. It’s not just the camera, but mastering the full process that requires time, skill, and investment. For occasional needs, such as up to 100 images, hiring a service makes more financial sense. For constant or fluctuating image demands, purchasing the equipment or hiring a dedicated on-site photographer is usually the most practical approach.)

I’m interested in getting into photography myself. Any tips?

Good photography starts with understanding how your camera, lenses, and light work together. While camera settings such as aperture, shutter speed, and ISO are important, the quality of an image is most strongly shaped by how light is placed, controlled, and diffused around the subject. In close-up and macro photography, even very small changes in lighting angle, distance, or intensity can significantly affect surface detail, contrast, and reflections.

With practice, photographers learn to see these subtle differences instinctively. The goal is to capture the subject cleanly and accurately at the moment of exposure, reducing the need for heavy correction later. Thoughtful preparation, careful framing, and light post-processing work together to produce images that look natural, clear, and professional.

Practical photography principles

Know your camera and gear
Understand how your camera body, lenses, and controls operate, including aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and focusing limits.
Learn how light behaves
Light direction, distance, and diffusion matter more than most camera settings. Small lighting changes can dramatically alter the final image.
Practice with repetition
Photograph the same subject multiple times while adjusting lighting angles and positions to see what works best.
Compose deliberately in-camera
Frame the subject carefully, keeping it centered or intentionally placed, and avoid relying on heavy cropping after the fact.
Control reflections and distractions
Especially with small or reflective objects, diffused lighting helps reveal detail while minimizing harsh highlights.
Expect some post-processing
Light cleanup, dust removal, and color correction are normal steps to refine an image and correct minor imperfections.
Use the best gear you can reasonably afford (.) --very important. I Jim J. use the best Lauper's I can find for example, to make pruning plum trees x 2 easy, even fun. Lauper's, the best I can find to make the pruning easy/easier. generally life is better easy = "always use the best tools for the job."
Quality equipment helps and is almost half closer to a solid 40% of it, but understanding light and technique will always matter a bit more than gear alone. I can produce nice images, the max for a camcorder, from maxing the light and it's effects on the look of the image, but it will never be as good as a full frame cam with a dedicated lens. so the lighting/colors/brightness is where it should be but the gear is lacking so it is a 60 + 20 - or an 80 for image quality but with specialized gear it is 60 for the lighting + 40 for the gear - so our work is at a ~100% standard. I have included a camcorder image for reference.

Camcorder image. Lighting was as good as could be. The camera is just not at the level of dedicated photography equipment. This is a similar quality to a cellphone.

Full Frame camera, dedicated, + lens image. This image has minor post processing. It is a standard example, not the best image, not the worst in quality. The main difference from a camcorder/cell and studio gear is the details or sharpness- raw capture has a huge amount of data = megabytes in size, This means you can generally perform a greater post processing [this is known as the Dynamic Range of the image which does not always mean more DR with more data BTW. DR is primarily related to actual light levels.] or alter the image more than with a smaller file for example. Dynamic range means there is a wider boundary for altering color and brightness's. The difference from the 2 x images:: the lower is larger in size and of greater. the above is lower quality, the direct result of the gear/hardware used and data capture measured here in Megabytes.

The difference between the two images above may seem subtle at first glance. The bottom image is superior: its color and brightness can be adjusted much more in post‑processing before quality starts to break down, while the top image has a much smaller margin for safe editing. The distinction is not always obvious side by side, but it is real and becomes clear when images are pushed in editing or displayed at larger sizes.

Photography is mostly about capturing beauty. The aim of this service is to make your products look their best so they attract attention and convert into sales, keeping your marketing effective and economical.

A common question is: “Can’t I just use a cellphone?” The answer is: sometimes, but selling products online is strongly driven by first impressions. High‑quality images can make the difference between someone scrolling past and someone deciding to buy. Because many online purchases are impulsive, better product photos often translate directly into better results for your business.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day.

--Jim Jones