How McLeod Accessories improved their product photography workflow with Orbitvu

The challenge: time-intensive and inconsistent shoots

McLeod Accessories needed versatile content that could be used everywhere, from the website to print and social media. On top of this, through images, they needed to show the potential customers that the gear is comfortable and safe to use.

So at first, McLeod Accessories was relying on a manual process for their product photography. That meant each photoshoot involved working with external photographers, staging product setups, and editing the images in post-production to achieve the needed result.

“It was typically a four-day process,” says Tim Dawson, Marketing Manager at McLeod Accessories. “We were just using a photographer and getting the model to make multiple actions, multiple poses, and then, eventually, just photoshop it all together to get what was supposed to be an accurate picture. That, though, was a long and stressful process.”

The variety of surface types - matte, gloss, leather, metal - also made lighting difficult to control, which often led to inconsistent results. 

For a company whose customers care about details and product appearance, the outcomes were far from ideal.

The solution: automated product photography with Orbitvu

To simplify and speed up their process, McLeod Accessories bought Orbitvu’s automated photo system in-house. They chose Alphastudio XXL - a complete, automated product photography solution for various item sizes, allowing the team to handle everything internally.

“Off the bat, Orbitvu showcased a lot of value,” Dawson explains. “We had a full studio, so we could use the lighting, we could use turntable sets, we could create a lot more than we currently had in a much, much shorter time frame.”

Automated features like consistent positioning, quick image editing, and background removal helped reduce the need for post-processing. The final images are now ready to use across a wide range of materials and platforms.

Faster turnaround, better consistency

With Orbitvu, McLeod Accessories now creates content for websites, online catalogs, printed brochures, and third-party retail listings - all from the same system. The team can photograph more products, more often, and with better consistency.

“Motorcycling is all about the feel of being on the bike,” Dawson says. “So, you have to feel comfortable, you have to feel safe. If we have products that don't look good or don't look the part, specifically for a range of different riders, they're not going to be interested.”

Why Orbitvu works for motorcycle and automotive accessories

As we already know, motorcycle and automotive accessory photography presents its own set of challenges: varied shapes and sizes, heavy or oversized components, reflective surfaces, and the need for high-volume content, all without sacrificing visual consistency or accuracy. How automated product photography solutions can help with that?

Handling size & logistics efficiently

Taking heavy parts to a studio or shipping them back and forth, adds cost, time, and complexity. Sony‑metallic and chrome wardrobe parts can be bulky, while also creating a logistical headache. Orbitvu lets you shoot 100% in‑house, drastically cutting transportation and storage overhead. 

Standardized workflow & inventory management

Spare parts and accessories come in endless variants, sizes, and finishes. Orbitvu enables easy labeling, part-number association, and tagging directly within the workflow. Also, pre-defined custom templates ensure every image is categorized and ready for inventory or catalog use.

Taming reflective surfaces

Motorcycle accessories often include gloss, chrome, metal, or leather finishes that reflect studio lights in unpredictable ways. Orbitvu’s advance lighting zones, motorized camera, and lighting accessories handle shine and glare automatically, capturing complex finishes with precision and minimizing time spent retouching.

High volumes without flooding resources

Large inventories mean many parts to shoot. Orbitvu supports batch shooting with 360° spins, stills, and videos, automatically adjusting angles and exposures. This efficiency makes even high-volume shoots manageable, freeing your team to focus on other tasks.

Consistent branding across channels

Using pre-defined custom templates, covering lighting setup, camera angles, and post-production, ensures each product page, flyer, or e-commerce listing carries the same visual style. This consistency strengthens the brand and helps reduce product returns from mismatched expectations.

Flexible for any product type

From small nuts and bolts to helmet-sized parts and bulky components, Orbitvu’s modular hardware fits your specific needs. The system adapts to different scales through adjustable lighting zones, turntable sizes, and customizable mounting accessories.

Being a part of the automotive industry, motorcycle gear comes with unique photography challenges: curved surfaces, reflective materials, and varied textures. Orbitvu’s system helps solve these challenges with:

• controlled lighting for consistent results
   
• 360-degree rotation to show every angle
   
• hardware-driven post-production process to save time
   
• repeatable custom templates that keep content uniform
   

By automating both the capture and processing stages, Orbitvu allows teams to create high-quality product photos without needing to outsource or spend days on each shoot.

Final thoughts

McLeod Accessories was able to simplify their product photography process, improve output quality, and free up time for other work. They’ve since recommended Orbitvu to others in the industry.

Want to improve your product photography process? Book a call with us, and let’s find the best solution for your business.