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Frequently asked questions about working with Studio Ballena

Everything you might want to know before we work together — from how we approach a brief to how your files arrive at the end. Studio Ballena is a Belgian food, drink and product photography and video studio based in Welle, near Aalst. If something isn't answered here, just get in touch directly.

About Studio Ballena

Studio Ballena is a Belgian commercial photography and video studio founded in 2006 and based in Welle, near Aalst in East Flanders. We specialise in food, drink and product photography and video for advertising, marketing and e-commerce — working with brands directly and with creative and advertising agencies. Our studio is equipped for tabletop and packshot work, motion control, high-speed video and full food styling productions.

Our studio is located at Regentiestraat 145, 9473 Welle, near Aalst in East Flanders, Belgium. The studio is easily accessible by road from Ghent, Brussels and Antwerp, with ample parking and direct truck access for large deliveries or set builds. We also shoot on location across Belgium and internationally when the brief requires it.

Studio Ballena was founded by Bert Balcaen, who leads the studio as director of photography. For larger productions we work with a trusted core of freelance specialists — food stylists, prop stylists, set constructors, special effects artists and graphic artists — who we bring in depending on the needs of each project.

Studio Ballena was founded in 2006, giving us twenty years of experience in commercial, advertising and product photography and video production.

Yes, we work with both. A large part of our work comes through creative and advertising agencies who bring us in as their production partner for client shoots. We also work directly with brands who approach us without an agency — and in those cases we can take on creative concept development as part of the brief if needed. Either way, the production quality and approach are the same.
Yes. While we're based in Belgium, we regularly work with international brands and agencies. Our studio is well-equipped to handle international productions and we have experience coordinating with clients and creative teams across different countries and time zones. We can also produce content in multiple languages — including multilingual video productions with subtitles or voiceover.

Services & capabilities

Our photography services cover food and drink photography, product and advertising photography, packshots and e-commerce imagery, and creative concept development for clients who need it. We shoot in our own studio and on location, and we offer full post production including compositing, retouching, colour correction and image adaptation for all formats and applications.

We produce tabletop and studio-based video for food, drink and product — including advertising films, social media content, explainer videos and training video productions. We shoot with an 8K high-resolution camera and a 5K high-speed camera for slow motion footage. On top of standard video production we offer motion control using robotic camera systems, which allows for precisely repeatable camera moves that are essential for premium advertising content and composite shots.

Motion control is a system where camera movement is precisely programmed and executed by a robotic arm or motorised rig. Unlike a camera operated by hand, a motion control system can repeat the exact same move frame-perfectly, which makes it essential for composite shots — where multiple elements need to be filmed separately and combined in post — and for creating fluid, highly polished camera moves in advertising footage. It's a technique most commonly associated with premium product and food advertising and gives productions a quality and precision that conventional camera operation can't match.

Packshot photography focuses on clean, accurate representation of a product — typically on a white or neutral background — primarily for e-commerce, catalogues and product listings. The goal is clarity and consistency across a range of products. Advertising photography is more concept-driven: it's about creating an image that communicates a mood, a lifestyle or a brand story, and typically involves more styling, set design, lighting complexity and post production. Studio Ballena offers both, and many projects combine elements of each.
Yes. Food photography is one of our core specialisations. We work with experienced food stylists who prepare and style dishes, ingredients and products for camera — ensuring everything looks its best under studio lighting conditions. Our food photography work covers advertising campaigns, social media content, packaging imagery and editorial-style food shoots for brands and agencies.
Yes. Drinks and beverage photography is another of our main specialisations. This includes still beverage photography, in-hand and lifestyle context shots, product launches, and motion content such as pouring shots and slow motion footage. Beverage photography often benefits from motion control for complex composite shots — for example, combining a perfectly lit bottle with a liquid pour or condensation effect created separately.
Yes. We offer product and packshot photography suited for e-commerce — clean, consistent imagery across product ranges, delivered in the correct formats and file specifications for your platform. For clients with a large number of SKUs we offer graduated pricing depending on volume.
Yes. We offer 3D CGI creation and rendering as part of our production services — either as a standalone service or combined with photography, for example where a physical product shoot is supplemented with CGI environments or composite elements.
Yes. We can create GIF animations and other lightweight motion content from still images — useful for social media and digital advertising where a static image isn't enough but a full video production isn't required. This is something we've done proactively for clients on top of their agreed deliverables, and the results have consistently been well-received and put to use immediately.
Yes. We work with experienced set constructors and prop stylists and can create custom set designs and backdrops for a shoot depending on the brief and budget. Our studio infinity cove provides a ready-made clean white environment, but for concept-driven shoots that require a built environment we can create it from scratch.
Yes. In addition to our studio in Welle, we shoot on location across Belgium and internationally. For food, drink and product work, location shoots typically mean professional, lifestyle and home environments — an office, a kitchen, a living space, a garden or terrace — or purpose-built sets that are dressed and styled to create exactly the right atmosphere for the brief. The goal is always an environment that feels authentic to the brand story rather than a generic backdrop.
If you have a specific location in mind we can work with it, and if you need help finding the right space we offer a location scouting service — identifying and evaluating options that fit the visual direction, the mood of the shoot and the practical requirements of the production.

Studio & facilities

Our studio is 180m² with a ceiling height of almost 4 metres. The infinity cove is 8 metres wide and 3 metres deep, suitable for tabletop work through to larger set builds. Technical facilities include high-speed wifi, a wireless music system and air conditioning. There is ample parking outside and the studio has an industrial sectional door with a clear height of 3.6 metres for large deliveries and truck access.

Yes. Our studio is available for rental to photographers, filmmakers and production companies. We also offer gear rental separately. Contact us for availability and rates.

For photography we work with technical cameras, medium format and full frame digital systems. Lighting is primarily professional flash equipment, supplemented by LED where the project requires it. For video we use an 8K high-resolution camera and a 5K high-speed camera for slow motion. Video lighting uses powerful, high colour-fidelity LED systems that are flicker-free for high-speed recording. Post production is handled on high-performance workstations with a triple backup storage system.

Yes, and we encourage it for most projects. Having the client or agency representative on set allows for real-time approval of setups and means everyone leaves the studio with full confidence in what's been captured. We ask only that you allow the team to work without interference once the cameras are rolling and the crew is in flow.
You can ship products directly to our studio or drop them off in person — please let us know in advance either way. Choose your best, undamaged products and make sure they're well-packaged for transport. Any damage or imperfections that arrive with the products may result in additional retouching time or the need for replacements. We'll also let you know in advance if we need multiple units or any supporting elements.

Process & workflow

Every project starts with a conversation — either a call or a meeting — where we ask the questions we need to understand what you're looking for. We want to know the brief, the intended use of the images or video, the timeline and the budget parameters before we put a proposal together. Getting this right at the start saves time and avoids misalignment later.

A typical project moves through these stages: briefing and creative concept development, pre-production (prop sourcing, product delivery, shot list planning), the shoot itself, post production (retouching, compositing, colour work or video editing), and final delivery of digital files in the required formats. For simpler projects some stages are condensed; for complex advertising productions there may be additional review and approval stages built in. We'll map this out clearly when we scope the project.

When a client comes to us without an agency or an existing creative direction, we take on the concept development ourselves. We'll develop visual proposals based on the brief, your brand references and the intended application of the images, then refine the direction based on your feedback before moving into pre-production. This is a service we offer as part of a full production package — not as a standalone creative consultancy.

We're used to both. Production schedules shift, briefs evolve and deadlines tighten — that's the reality of this industry. We stay in close contact throughout every project so that when something changes, we can respond quickly. We'll always be upfront if a change has implications for the timeline or budget.
We invest time in the briefing and pre-production phases specifically to reduce the need for corrections after the shoot. When revisions are requested, we discuss what's involved, assess whether it can be handled in post production or requires a reshoot, and are transparent about any budget implications before we proceed. We always work toward a result you're genuinely satisfied with.

Pricing & rights

Contact us directly with as much information as you can — the type of photography or video, the product and how many, the style or visual references you have in mind, how many final images or videos you need, and what they'll be used for. The more context you give us, the more accurate the estimate. If the brief is complex or not yet fully defined, we can also start with a scoping call to work through the requirements together.

The main variables are the type of photography or video, the number and complexity of the products, the number of final deliverables and their intended applications. Additional services — creative concept development, food or prop styling, set construction, location fees, motion control and post production complexity — all have a bearing on the budget. We provide a detailed quote based on your specific brief and are transparent about what is included and why.

Yes. For packshot and product photography involving a large number of SKUs we work with graduated pricing depending on volume. Contact us for a concrete quote based on your product range.

As a client, you receive a standard licence to use the images for your own commercial purposes. Copyright and ownership of the images remain with Studio Ballena unless there is a specific agreement to transfer those rights — which is possible but comes at a higher cost and is uncommon in practice. You may not pass images on to third parties or resell them. Full details are set out in our terms and conditions.
We try to be flexible when circumstances change and ask that you notify us as early as possible if you need to cancel or reschedule. Cancellations within 48 hours of a scheduled shoot may incur a cancellation fee, and any costs already committed to external suppliers or partners will be charged regardless of timing. Full details are in our terms and conditions.

Delivery & files

Files are delivered digitally via a download platform — we typically use Digital Pigeon. Download links are active for a limited period. If you need a new link after it has expired, just send us an email and we'll generate one.

Yes. We deliver in whatever file formats and specifications your application requires — whether that's high-resolution print files, web-optimised images, social media crops or specific technical formats such as GS1 compliant imagery. We're experienced across all common use cases and can liaise directly with your printers, packaging suppliers or platform partners where that's useful.

Turnaround time depends on the scope and complexity of post production. Straightforward shoots can turn around in a few days; more complex productions with compositing or video editing may take a few weeks. We agree on a realistic delivery timeline at the start of the project and communicate any changes along the way.

Yes. We maintain a triple backup strategy with copies stored on-site, off-site and in the cloud. Our terms and conditions specify the guaranteed retention period. If you need files redelivered after some time has passed, contact us and we'll do what we can.
We don't supply unedited RAW files or ungraded video. RAW files require specialist software to open and significant processing to reach a usable result — they are a starting point, not a finished product. The editing, retouching and colour work we apply is a core and inseparable part of what we deliver. Supplying RAW files edited by a third party would not represent our work and is not something we offer.

Confidentiality & compliance

Confidentiality is a standard part of how we operate. We regularly work with brands during the development and pre-launch phase of new products, and we handle all associated materials — documents, products, images — with appropriate discretion. This extends to the freelance partners we bring in for your project. If you need a formal non-disclosure agreement, we're happy to put one in place before work begins.

Yes. We're experienced with the technical requirements for retail packaging imagery, including GS1 standards. If your images need to meet specific technical specifications for packaging, retail listings or print production, let us know at the briefing stage and we'll ensure the deliverables are compliant from the start.