Meet Eric, a professional product photographer who specializes in 360-degree photography. He also juggles his job as a programmer.
But he gets his creative fix with his photography business.
“Photography, of course, is a very creative job.” –Eric, CiReC 360°
Let’s learn more about Eric and how he juggles his job as a programmer, his photography and film business, and traveling along the way.
Challenge
Eric has a lot on his plate. Balancing his photography business with his day job as a programmer was already a challenge. But the real pressure came from the time-consuming nature of his photography work.
For each product, he needs 48 images to create a full 360-degree view.
“The most important thing is consistency,” he says. “One person alone can’t do [the edits] because of how much time it takes to clip one of these images.”
Plus, inconsistencies are common in 360-degree shots, making the editing process even more important. “It’s always a compromise. You can take an image with perfect lighting from one direction and the image looks fine, but in the rotation, the moment it rotates, the lighting isn’t perfect. This is the reason I did these kinds of corrections by myself. The important thing is the consistency of these images.”
The products in his photos tend to be fairly complex. “For example, there’s no need to do a 360-degree photo of a bottle. Mostly these are very technical products where you can get a feeling of the dimensions of the structure and function, for example. Or with clothes, you get a feeling of the cut and how it looks when you're wearing it.”
At first, he attempted to do all the clipping paths himself. “I clipped about 1,000 images by myself and I realized, ‘Wow, this is a hard job,’ because time is important. The client sends me the product and they want to get back the image immediately. If you’re clipping 500 images by yourself, you can’t deliver within a reasonable timeframe.”
Despite his programming skills, which allowed him to streamline some of the processes, time constraints and the sheer volume of work meant he couldn’t deliver to clients as efficiently as he wanted. He needed help—someone who could handle the intricate and precise work of image clipping while maintaining the consistency his clients expect.
Solution
Eric turned to outsourcing. “In the beginning I wasn’t sure if it would work. I was a little afraid that everyone has their own technique—but these images have all to be handled in the same way,” he says.
He turned to Google to start searching for options and tried a few different providers. He came up short.
“I wasn’t that satisfied with their web interface, with their handling of the images. They wanted me to send the images per email, which is nonsense. I contacted one company in Germany and they told me, ‘Okay, we can do this. You can have an account on our FTP, but first we want you to buy 5,000 images from me and then we can do this.’” But Eric didn’t know when he would have 5,000 images. It was too much of a commitment.
That’s when Eric found Path.
He loved the signup process. “There was no problem. I made my account, I could upload the images. It was super nice that I got my quote immediately,” he says. “So I sent one image, I said, ‘Hey, I have 48 of these, how do you calculate these?’ And it was super simple.”
Path provided Eric with an efficient process: He would upload his images to our FTP server, and we would return the clipped images organized in the exact order he sent them. This eliminated any logistical headaches, allowing Eric to focus on what he does best—capturing stunning images and communicating with clients. Even when minor issues arose, our support team responded promptly and effectively, ensuring Eric’s workflow remained uninterrupted.
“I was very happy that Path had this organization with one folder—I can put my 48 unedited images into one FTP upload folder and get them back the same way. They’re just named by numbers. And I get them back exactly the same way and the same name I sent them to you. It was perfect from the beginning on. So from my side, there are not many things Path could improve.”
He appreciates the human touch we put on every project.
“You can’t do this by AI at the moment. And hand-drawn paths are definitely worth much more.” –Eric, CiReC 360°
“I look at the edits I get back from you and I say, ‘Hey, these people think about what they see, and they do the path this way because there are small mistakes in the product.’ The person who clips sees every mistake, and they clip it the way I want it. You can’t do this by AI at the moment. And hand-drawn paths are definitely worth much more than a masked clip by wand or something like that.”
Outcome
Eric was pleased with the quality of the edits he received from Path. “I was very happy to see the consistency was perfect. I think I’ve had between 10,000 and 20,000 images clipped by you. It was never a problem—the workflow was perfect for me. And if there was a question, support contacted me and asked the question, I answered, and everything was done.”
The collaboration has transformed Eric’s business.
“Finally, I can concentrate on photography and, of course, talking to my clients. That’s the most important thing. I’m able to put my time into the things that matter because of your help. I don’t have to worry about anything because I work on these photos simultaneously. When one set of images is finished, I load it up and I can do the next photo while it's uploading. There's nothing more for me to do.”
“I can concentrate on photography and talking to my clients. I’m able to put my time into the things that matter because of your help.” –Eric, CiReC 360°
By outsourcing the time-consuming clipping process, Eric can redirect his energy towards the creative aspects of his work and managing client relationships. His clients receive their images on time, and the quality remains impeccable.
Eric’s business has grown as a result. The consistent quality of the images not only meet but exceed his clients’ expectations. The streamlined workflow allows him to take on more projects without the stress of managing every small detail himself. In fact, the collaboration was so successful that Eric couldn’t think of any improvements to suggest when asked—everything simply worked.
By freeing up his time, Eric can now focus on expanding his business in meaningful ways, exploring new markets, and continuing to innovate 360-degree product photography.
Get your 360-degree photo edits with Path
Eric’s story highlights the importance of finding the right partners to handle specialized tasks. By outsourcing the complex and repetitive work of image clipping, Eric was able to focus on growing his business and doing what he loves most. The partnership not only solved his initial problem but also set the stage for future success.
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