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Robotic studio takes fashion photos without a camera crew

StyleShoots' Live machine handles camera movements and lighting all on its own.

StyleShoots

Fashion photography is a time-consuming process, to put it mildly. The constant adjustments to angles and lighting can take ages, and that's not including formatting your photos for different media outlets. StyleShoots might just have the problem licked, though. It's launching Live, a robotic photo studio that theoretically eliminates the need for a camera crew. The intelligent machine combines a depth sensor, lighting rig and camera (a Canon 1DX Mark II) to capture photos and videos using simple instructions on an iPad -- the stylist just has to decide on the intended results while models go through poses.

Live will automatically output photos in formats designed for everything from online stores to Instagram or Snapchat. And no, you aren't forced to shoot against a plain backdrop. You can customize the walls and floors to achieve a specific look, and props are welcome.

Suffice it to say this is strictly for pro use. StyleShoots wants you to get a quote if you intend to buy Live, and even leases run for at least 2 years. And of course, this only works for certain kinds of shots -- you'll still need photographers if you want a more complex shoot or need to go outside. However, this could streamline many of the more common fashion shots, especially for clothing stores that need to fill out their catalogs as quickly as possible.