Magic Mannequin II revolutionizes product photography | Profoto (AU)

Magic Mannequin II revolutionizes product photography

25 February, 2023

Written by: Annabelle Plueckthun

Get to know our revolutionary Magic Mannequin II for e-commerce photography.

With over 20 years of industry experience, Irma Veelo is a true expert in styling products for e-commerce. Coming from a visual merchandising background, the Dutch stylist has worked on countless product images, lookbooks, and video productions for various international brands. We asked Irma to style one of her latest projects using our innovative e-commerce mannequin, Magic Mannequin II. Read on to find out about Irma’s experience.

An e-commerce mannequin that’s lightweight and easy to use

“I can’t believe someone completely overhauled e-commerce mannequins with us stylists in mind,” Irma gasps in amazement when she first lifts the torso of our Female Magic Mannequin II. Designed for high-quality, high-volume e-commerce content creation, our latest innovation in e-commerce mannequins weighs less than a liter bottle of water. “At the end of a day of styling, I often have pain in my hands and wrists from moving around heavy mannequins. That’s a thing of the past now!” Thought up with stylists in mind, the mannequins are incredibly easy to handle, pinnable, and optimized in shape. This allows for a streamlined styling workflow and minimal need for post-production.

Made from a revolutionary, lightweight material 

Magic Mannequin II is made from an innovative hybrid foam material that makes it lightweight but robust at the same time. “I can remove the mannequin torso with one hand and put the legs in place with the other. That saves me so much time in the styling process!” Like tough styrofoam, the material is pinnable, making styling a flowy blouse or button-down shirt a breeze. However, no matter how often you pin a garment in the same place, the needle will barely leave a trace in the material. 3D-designed and locally produced, the hybrid foam used for our mannequin production is much kinder to the environment than fiberglass and hard plastic traditionally used for conventional mannequins.

Optimized in shape and with removable necklines 

The shape of Magic Mannequin II is optimized for e-commerce photography. Its perfect fit enables easy styling and shooting of jeans from relaxed to super skinny. Whether you’re capturing fitted crop tops or oversized Oxford shirts, a perfectly shaped garment is never easier to achieve. No need to work with clips or tape – all you need are styling pins that can directly be attached to the pinnable mannequin. “It’s just so much easier! I can simply pin the fabric right on the mannequin, no more tape that leaves sticky and dirty residue,” says Irma. Made for versatile content creation needs, the mannequin torsos feature removable necklines to minimize the need for post-production.

Consistent ghost mannequin packshots in a streamlined workflow

The 3D-designed models are perfectly symmetrical in shape and come with magnetically removable arms. The removable arms support a streamlined styling workflow, allowing for easy dressing and undressing of the mannequin. Zooming in on the mannequin’s arm sockets, the stylist can choose various arm positions that can be remembered and easily reproduced for consistent visual output and minimal retouching needs. “To avoid unwanted shadows, I usually use a coin to separate the arms of a mannequin when styling jackets or oversized sweaters. Unfortunately, that can look quite inconsistent on the final images. Now I can easily adjust the arm positions and even recreate them,” states Irma.

Seamless compatibility with our automated systems

Our Magic Mannequins II are compatible with all generations of Profoto StyleShoots Vertical but can also be used stand-alone in other photography setups using a wheel stand. Compatible with our Dual Pin system, both torso and legs can be used with all Profoto e-commerce accessories for Vertical. Magic Mannequin II Female comes in EU size 36 with a 28-inch waist. Magic Mannequin II Male comes in EU size 52 with a 32-inch waist. Both mannequins are available as torso and legs for easy dressing enabling fast and efficient mannequin photography.

Written by: Annabelle Plueckthun

Products used in this story

Profoto StyleShoots Vertical

Background-free mannequin packshots and hanging flat lays.
New

Female Magic Mannequin II

Optimized for e-commerce photography and compatible with Vertical.
New

Male Magic Mannequin II

Optimized for e-commerce photography and compatible with Vertical.

Caddy with tall fixture

Caddy with a tall fixture to take mannequin images of tops, dresses, and jumpsuits using Vertical.

Wheelstand for Magic Mannequin

A wheelstand with two height options to easily move and photograph torso, leg, and full-body mannequins for e-commerce.