by SAN JOSE, Calif. — Outward, Inc., an independent Williams-Sonoma Inc. company and pioneer provider of cutting-edge photography solutions for the home furnishings industry, unveiled a first-of-its kind photography solution at the Fall High Point Market. The Aperture Platform is built on a host of newly developed technologies that make it easy to produce and publish high-impact product photography for a variety of visual merchandising uses. The Aperture Platform is on display and available for demonstrations year-round at the company’s recently opened High Point office, located at 134 S. Main Street in High Point.
Using a cloud-based web application and a cloud-connected photo booth (RIG), all developed in-house, the platform automates the product photography process for home furnishings manufacturers and retailers, allowing companies themselves to photograph their entire product line with all the creative flexibility built-in, at a fraction of the time – and cost –of a traditional photographer and studio setup. Users can immediately upload professional-quality product photos to social channels, e-commerce websites, traditional print publications and more.
Outward, Inc. invented Aperture as an industry disruptor, with a mission to redefine the traditional product photography process. “We saw an opportunity to fundamentally revamp and improve the product photography process so that everyone can produce excellent content, regardless of their budget or familiarity with conventional photography,” said Gaurav Sethi, co-founder of Outward, Inc. “From a technology perspective, this is the culmination of almost 10 years of research and development. The Aperture Platform is a convergence of multiple technology disciplines and it enables complete end-to-end functionality, from composition to lighting and shadows to finalizing an image for publishing, eliminating the need to use any other service or resource.”
The service’s slogan “Capture, Create, Conquer,” summarizes the seamless, service that it provides. The platform is intuitive and easy to use, with assembly, training and troubleshooting handled by the Outward, Inc. team at the client’s location. A photography rig is delivered to customers to be used as the photography studio. With a power outlet and Wi-Fi, the rest of the process is automated with built-in strategic lighting. After products are photographed, they are perfected with the use of artificial intelligence (AI), saved and organized in the secure cloud-based system, and able to be shared in any file size and format. The professional-grade photos can easily be saved and distributed on e-commerce websites, social media platforms, and other channels.
“The Aperture platform is meant to redefine and replace the traditional and lengthy product photography process,” said Leah Kirkland, senior director of business development at Outward, Inc. “Our technology saves companies time, money and stress that is normally associated with product photoshoots. Hundreds of photos can be produced and made public in a matter of days as opposed to weeks or even months, and we believe this is the future of the industry.”
Outward Inc. is a visual transformation and technology company. Since 2012, the company has been reinventing the way product photography is created, presented and consumed. Inspired by its deep experience working with Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn and West Elm, Outward brings the advantages of automated, AI-perfected product photography to manufacturers and retailers of all sizes by producing a large volume of product images at the push of a button and publishing them in any format — from e-commerce to traditional media. Outward is an independent Williams-Sonoma company. For more information, visit www.outwardinc.com.
