Meet the new Hirsch Arne Watch Straps

Our latest photoshoot was dedicated to the exciting new additions to the popular Hirsch Arne range: a rich Burgundy , a sophisticated Dark Green , and a vibrant, limited-edition Yellow. But these aren't just new colours; they represent the pinnacle of modern strap design.

The Hirsch Arne is a true innovation in watch strap technology, offering an exceptional blend of style, comfort, and durability. Crafted with a unique sailcloth-effect surface , it delivers a rugged yet refined aesthetic that’s incredibly versatile. What truly sets the Arne apart is its Performance lining – a high-quality, animal-free material that is exceptionally comfortable against the skin. This lining is also water-resistant, quick-drying, and supremely soft , making the Arne a perfect choice for active lifestyles without compromising on looks.

The yellow variant, in particular, stands out with its sleek black keepers – a personal favourite of mine, offering a striking contrast that enhances its contemporary appeal.

The first crucial step in any strap photoshoot is selecting the right watches. Luckily, we have a fantastic collection of timepieces at our disposal.

• For the Burgundy Arne: We paired it with the Unimatic U1-FDN. This choice was deliberate, as the Arne offers a black PVD sport deployment clasp option, and the Unimatic’s black dial and stark white indices beautifully highlight the strap's black underside and edging.
• For the Limited Edition Yellow Arne: The black Hamilton Khaki Field was the ideal match. Its yellow-toned hands and indices subtly complement the strap, while its black case brings out the strap's black elements.
• For the Dark Green Arne: We opted for the versatile Seiko Prospex Speedtimer. This chronograph showcases the Arne's adaptability across different watch styles, sitting perfectly alongside the field watch and diver.

We'd love to know: which watches would you choose for these straps? Let us know in the comments!

Once the watches are chosen, it's time to build the set.

The Backdrop: We swear by Club Backdrops – specifically, their parquet flooring vinyl roll for this shoot. We've been using Club Backdrops for years and highly recommend them. As a fellow British brand, we love giving a shout-out to their quality products.

Curating Props: With an treasure trove of ornaments, watch tools, and decorations as an office. I start by gathering a variety of items, focusing on different sizes, textures, and colours to add visual interest. Books and magazines (like Oracle Time) are fantastic for adding colour and depth, while watch tools such as a JPM spring bar tool or a watch pouch ensure the shots maintain a horological feel.

The style of the strap dictates our prop selection:

• Dressier straps call for cleaner, more classic props.
• Hardwearing nylon straps pair well with outdoorsy, tool-watch inspired elements.

Adding Depth with Apparel: For wrist shots, a well-chosen sleeve or layer adds texture and depth. We're fortunate to have Cactws, a fantastic clothing and homeware store, located directly below our offices. They graciously allow us to borrow items for photoshoots – a recent trip yielded a great shirt for sleeves and a textured vase that adds character to the scene.

With everything meticulously arranged, it's time to shoot. We typically capture four main images for product pages and five "filler" shots for social media, blogs, banners, and videos like this one.

The Setup: Our camera is mounted on a wall boom, pointed directly down, flanked by two lights. The main light, at full power and a 45º angle, casts the primary illumination. A filler light, set at 1/5th power, gently fills in shadows and adds texture.

Gear List:

• Camera: Canon 5d Mk Iv
• Lens: Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
• Lights: Interfit F5 Pair
• Wall Boom: Manfrotto 098SHB
• Tripod: Manfrotto 190 MHXPRO-BHQ2
• iPad Software: Canon Camera Connect

The above gear list gives you an idea of what I use everyday. This is simply the gear that I use, if you don't have anything here it's easy to swap out any of with with something you have to hand, the lights can be exchanged for household desk lights. The wall boom could simply be a tripod setup high on a table (which incidentally is exactly how I used to shoot before the boom).

The Shot List

It's important to have a goal, for me I know I need four photos for our website, and five filler shots for social media, advertising and marketing. You may only be after one photo for social media, or you could possible want to get as many photo's as you can to give yourself some options, either way, it's best to head into the shoot with a clear goal in mind.

Shooting from Above: We start with lay-flats, direct overhead wrist shots, and a filler shot for each strap. An iPad connected to the camera allows for remote shooting, settings adjustments, and precise focus control. We always take multiple shots for wrist images to ensure no movement ruins the final result.

Close-Ups & USPs: Next, the camera is lowered around shoulder height for close-up wrist shots. This is where we capture more social media content and images highlighting the strap's Unique Selling Point (USP) – for the Arne, it's Hirsch's signature Performance lining. The filler light is often bounced off the ceiling for a soft, diffused fill.

Macro Details: Finally, we move to macro photography. The camera comes off the boom and onto a tripod. The camera and lights are adjusted extensively to capture intricate textures and showcase minute details, including any additi USPs.

Once the shooting is complete, it's over to Adobe Lightroom for editing. I edit on a Mac Mini, but with the extensive abilities of an iPad or even Lightroom for mobile on an iPhone, editing can be done anywhere.

1. Selection: We start by reviewing duplicated shots, checking focus and narrowing down the selection to the best nine images for each strap.
2. Preset Application: My custom-made preset, developed and refined by myself over years, is applied. Because I control all light in the studio, this preset ensures strong visual consistency across all images – a crucial aspect of our visual marketing.
3. Subtle Tweaks: Each image then undergoes gentle adjustments: with masks on the dials, to fix any haze, followed by bringing up shadows, and reducing highlights. Thanks to the air blower, dust removal is rarely a major concern in the editing process.

The entire editing process for 27 shots often takes around 20 minutes – less than a minute per shot! While 99% of our editing is done in Lightroom, very occasionally a final tweak in Photoshop might be needed. For this shoot, that wasn't necessary.