Studio Ballena was founded in 2006, so we have over 15 years of experience in commercial, product and advertising photography.

Our permanent team consists of 2 people, founder Bert Balcaen and partner Caroline Temmerman.

In addition, we work with a permanent core of freelance partners that we engage depending on the needs of the project.

Each of these freelance partners has its specialty of styling, special effects, graphic artists, set construction, ...

We have our spacious and very accessible studio of 180m2 and height of 4m which has a curved infinity wall with width 8m and depth 3m.

All technical facilities are available such as high-speed wifi, music system as well as air conditioning so that that we can respond to all conditions.

There is also plenty of parking space at our studio and trucks can also come right up to the studio.

The studio has an industrial sectional door with a clear height of 3m60 which therefore perfectly allows larger objects to be delivered to our studio.

We offer a whole range of services that support the creation of images such as:

- Devising or collaborating on creative concepts

- photography in our studio or on location

 - 3D CGI creatie and rendering

- set, product and food styling

- image editing and photo composition

- drone and aerial photography

We use a wide variety of professional equipment such as high-end digital cameras, lighting equipment and accessories to achieve the perfect image in our studio or on location.

We work with technical cameras, medium format and full frame cameras, for lighting we work mainly with film equipment but also with LED lights according to the needs of each project. Furthermore, we have a whole range of tools that help us to obtain the optimal result for clients.

For post processing, CGI 3D renders and image storage and backup, we also use the highest performance computers and peripherals that provide the quality, flexibility and security we want to offer our clients.

We are always looking for the latest trends in the market and invest very heavily in continuous learning for our team, both in technical training and business training.

Furthermore, we are part of professional networks in marketing, photography, packaging and general business networks in order to pick up new developments as well.

We put all this knowledge about new developments, engineering and emerging technologies at the service of our customers.

Product and advertising photography is a specialized type of photography focused on creating high-quality images of products for use in advertising and marketing campaigns.

A professional studio specializing in advertising photography has the expertise, equipment and experience needed to capture stunning images that make your products stand out in the crowded marketplace. Professional photographs can greatly enhance the effectiveness of your advertising and marketing campaigns.

Virtually any type of product can be photographed, including food, beverages, jewelry, electronics, cosmetics, technical equipment, electronics, medical products and more.

Product and advertising photography plays a crucial role in creating a brand or company image, defining its identity in the marketplace, and helps build trust with customers and increase sales.

Of course, we are happy to work with your regular partners in graphic design, copywriting or other creative professionals.

When flying a drone, one must adhere to the applicable EU legislation and certainly observe the weather conditions. These include restrictions on locations, heights and distances that must be taken into account. The pilot and drone operator must have the necessary permits and insurance.

We like to start each project with a conversation in which we ask the necessary questions of the client in order to clearly understand the client's expectations and translate them into a proposal in terms of budget and execution.

For a shoot we go through different stages depending on the complexity, starting with creative concept definition together with the client, pre-production and collection of products and accessories for the shoot, the shoot itself, editing of images, post-production and retouching and finally delivery of the digital files.

It is important to provide as much information as possible with your request such as type of photos or product, style of photos you want, number of photos desired, application of the photos and additional info you can provide. This way we can give you the most accurate estimate of budget. If you wish, we can also determine together the needs of your project and thus determine an estimate of budget.

This is described in our terms and conditions. As a client you obtain a standard right to use the photos. The copyright and ownership of the photos remain with Studio Ballena unless there is an agreement to purchase the property rights of certain images. However, this is very exceptional given the higher cost for this versus the added value for you as a customer. Specifically, you may use the pictures for your own use but in no case pass them on or sell them to third parties.

We are very flexible and used to working with tight deadlines as well as necessary changes during the course of a project or shoot. We are always in close cooperation with clients and therefore communicate clearly and quickly about the progress of your project. We always do everything in our power to meet our clients' expectations.

We provide the images in the formats and file types you need for your application and can even be in direct contact with your partners or suppliers for this purpose. We are very experienced with images for specific applications both in print and digital and specific regulations such as GS1 we are also familiar with.

We often work for large brands where we are involved in the development phase of new products or projects. Naturally, we exercise the necessary discretion to guarantee the confidentiality of your projects. This as well in the choice of our partners that we involve in your project as in the treatment of all documents and images related to the project. Of course, if desired, we are also prepared to provide a declaration of confidentiality by mutual agreement.

Images are delivered digitally in the desired formats and file types via a digital download platform such as Digital Pigeon or WeTransfer. The download link is only active temporarily after which it expires. If you want a new download link at a later time, a simple email to us is sufficient and we will send you a new link.

The duration of a shoot can vary depending on the complexity of products or project, the number of photos to be taken and external conditions. A typical shoot can last from a few hours to a full day.

We welcome clients to be present during the shoot to ensure that we take the desired photos. However, we ask clients not to interfere with the photographer's work or equipment set-up.

Depending on the complexity of the project, it may take several days to several weeks before you receive the final images. We will give you an estimated timing at the beginning of the project.

Yes, we offer post-production services to enhance and retouch images. This includes image composition, detailed retouching, color correction, cropping, background removal and other post-processing.

For product photography and packshots, we work with graduated prices depending on the quantity of products per shoot. Contact us for a concrete quote or information.

We understand that circumstances can change and we strive to be flexible with our clients. However, we ask that you notify us as early as possible if you need to cancel or reschedule a session. If you cancel within 24 hours or 48 hours before the scheduled session, we may have to charge a cancellation fee as outlined in our terms and conditions. Specific costs for the project that we receive from outside parties as a result of the cancellation will also be charged.

You can ship the products to our studio or bring them in person, please do send a message in advance. It is important to carefully select the products and choose the best, least damaged ones. It is also important to send or transport them sufficiently protected and packed. Each damage or deviation of products will possibly lead to redelivery or extra retouching costs. In consultation, we may also ask for several pieces of each product or wish to obtain additional elements.

Yes, we can shoot on location, we have experience shooting in a variety of environments, including factories, warehouses and offices. We can set up a mobile studio at the desired location to capture the images. Furthermore, we can also help with the search for a suitable location.

Yes, we can provide aerial photography using drones or helicopter. We have qualified and experienced drone pilots who can provide stunning aerial shots for your project.

Yes, we can provide custom backdrops or set designs for your project according to budget. We work with a team of experienced designers who can create a unique and visually stunning set for your project. Contact us for more information.

No, we concentrate only on high-end photography and its associated services. We deliberately focus our investments, know-how and services only on photography in order to provide the best possible quality, flexibility and service to our clients.

You can if you want to request the files again please send us an email for this and we will try to provide you with a new download link as soon as possible.

We keep all files on our servers and have established a triple backup strategy with backups both on-site, off-site and in the cloud.

There is a guaranteed time limit in our terms and conditions how long we keep the images but contact us and we'll see if we can help you further.

We do not provide unedited RAW files for a few reasons, not only are they huge files that require special programs to open, but it is an unfinished product! Our team puts hours and hours into learning how to process our images in our own style. If we gave away RAW files and someone else edited them, it would no longer be our work.

We try to have a detailed briefing and expectations for each project in advance. Nevertheless, it will certainly happen that corrections and revisions are still requested and we always strive for satisfied clients. Together with the client, we discuss the requested corrections and in consultation discuss the possibilities and in some cases the possible implications on the budget.

After consultation, we then consider whether the necessary corrections require a reshoot or are possible in retouch and we then work as quickly as possible toward satisfactory results.