How much does product photography cost?

Product photography—using visuals to sell your product

If you’re in the market for product photography services, you may have noticed a wide range of estimated costs from photo studios. It’s true, product photography pricing can be intimidating, especially if it’s your first time negotiating rates with a professional studio.

But there are a lot of reasons why that product photographer you’re looking at charges more than those college students, freelance photography services, or that friend with a camera phone.

We’re gonna look at some of the real costs of expert product photography, as well as what you should consider before your next (or first) product photography purchase.

Product photography is an essential marketing cost

Anyone can call themselves a photographer but being a product photographer requires a unique skillset.

Great product photography is more than taking pretty photos of your product. Product photography convinces consumers to purchase products by displaying them in a way that is visually appealing but also conveys information needed to make a purchase.

How product photography differs from other types of photography

The art of photography can take years to master; it’s a highly technical trade with many different categories including:

●    Portrait photography

●    Wedding photography

●    Commercial photography (including product photography)

●    Photojournalistic

●    Sports photography

●    Real estate/architecture photography

●    Landscape/nature photography

Each category requires photographers with unique characteristics or abilities for project success. For instance, the wedding photographer must be personable, able to blend in, all while taking flattering photos on the most important (and often frantic) day of their customers’ lives.

Successful product photographers also have their own set of traits and skills to ensure great product photography.

What makes a great product photographer or studio

When you hire a product photographer, you’re paying for more than a person who knows how to shoot. So, here’s just a few reasons a good studio product photographer may cost a little more (but are worth it):

●    Understands lenses and knows how to use them to turn a flat, inanimate product into a dynamic subject

●    Knows the ins and outs of photocomposition to create pleasing images

●    Understands color theory, how to use it to make photos “pop”

●    An expert in lighting object surfaces and materials (fabrics, metals, woods, stone, etc.)

●    Pro-level product photographers are experienced, have a reputation; their abilities can be verified by past client work

●    They may charge more, but their expertise may help them work faster

Professional product photographers know about branding

A professional product photographer or studio will use various design techniques to intensify focus on your product and amplify brand messaging. They have an eye, not only toward what’s visually pleasing, but also know visual marketing and will use tactics to help you sell your product.

Expert photographers may use props, sets or backdrops to bring product photos to life

Though some photographers do photography only, many will know more than a little about props, product styling and set design (or they may work at a studio with a dedicated stylist.)

Using props to spruce up your product, convey information to sellers

Props, sometimes known as set dressings, can enhance your product photo’s usefulness to consumers. Their use can show your product being used in its proper context and illustrate product function. For example, a product photo for cold weather jackets may also have skis, snow goggles, boots, and other props to reinforce your product's use or function. A culinary product such as a cooking pan may be photographed on a high-end stove with serving plates, utensils, and other accessories in the background.

Though an experienced product photographer/studio can negotiate for reasonable costs if they have relationships with vendors, expect to pay more for product shoots requiring props or set dressing.

Product or photo styling can reinforce branding

Hiring a photographer or studio that knows how to style your products is one perk that may increase costs–but is worth it.

Photographers may style their own shoots, or they may hire someone else to do product or photo styling for them. In many cases, the product stylist will research, source (procure), and arrange set dressings or props to create an environment that will best sell your product and/or tell your brand story. They’ll also help with lighting and assist photographers in other key areas.

Using a studio that employs someone with knowledge in photo or product styling is well worth the cost and can help business in many ways including:

·        Branding: Like product photographers and studios, a good product stylist will know about branding. They’ll pose your product based on your audience, and what competitors are doing. They’re focused on getting the right images for your marketplace needs.

·        Planning your look: Effective product photography isn’t by coincidence, it requires preparation. A studio or photographer offering product styling will do the planning necessary to ensure you get the right images to sell your products. This may mean employing their knowledge of color theory, psychology to create a color scheme that creates the mood needed to market your product. It may mean creating mood boards to help you visualize and plan your marketing and promotional materials. They’ll be composition experts, placing your product in exactly the right position to gain and keep customers’ attention.

Pro photographers will use many tools to make your product look fabulous

To add visual interest and make unique images, photographers may use studio space, require additional equipment.

Set design

You may need to pay more if set design is needed. This maybe the case with several product photo styles, like e-commerce projects requiring photos showing their product being used (lifestyle photos). Lifestyle product photos show your product in context or use, versus flat product photo styles, also heavily used for ecommerce. For example, if you’re selling yoga wear, you might take a photo of a person in a yoga outfit in class, versus a photo with aflat, white background and product only.

Studios or locations

It’s worth noting, a professional-grade studio can cost upwards of $30,000 or more to set up, yet another reason some may have higher product photography pricing. However, going with a studio for your product photography needs also means you’ll have access to professional backdrops, sets or locations. You may even have access to green screen backgrounds (like Zoom backdrops). You’ll have more flexibility for backgrounds and design.

Equipment

Using a professional studio also means your project will benefit from the use of higher-end equipment, than used by freelancers. The type of equipment your photographer uses will affect estimates for your product photography service  .This includes:

●    Lighting or flashes - some products may require the use of special rental lights from a third party

●    Customized or oversized backgrounds/backdrops

●    Special camera lenses

●    Props and costumes

Additional crew

More complex shoots may require the additional hiring of models, stylists, assistants, etc. These factors may also lead to higher costs, but the inclusion of additional photo professionals may also lead to better images and results.

Some product photo styles–how they affect product photography rates

A product photographer has many different creative choices at their disposal when it comes to telling your product’s story through images.

Just as there are many different types or categories of photographers, there are distinct styles of product photos. Rates will be affected by the style of product photography you choose, as well as artistic choices made by the photographer.

Product photography styles

Basically, the types of commercial product photography you’ll commonly see will fall into one of these categories:

●    Solo images / individual product photos - just what it sounds like, it’s your image on a background by itself, usually without a seam, often white or other basic colors

●    Group or product category photos –These will be multiple products in one image, often of a product family or category. If you sell hair products, you may want an image that shows multiple products, shampoos, conditioners, etc. in one shot.

●    Close up or detail shots – these show more detail, like the magnified print of a dress fabric or a close-up shot of calorie counts, cooking instructions, etc

●    Lifestyle photos – as mentioned earlier, lifestyle photos show your product in use or context; a happy couple with one person prominently wearing a wedding band for example

●    Top-down photos – these photos show your product(s) on a plain background or surface, like a tabletop from a bird’s eye view as well as other angles. A variation is the “floating” image shots; backgrounds are erased with a photo editing program to make them appear to float in mid air

A simple product photo taken on a plain table top or white background may cost a little less while a lifestyle product shoot with props, set design, and costumes may cost more. Again, however, you may find the benefits to your marketing are well worth the additional costs.

Can you really get useful product photography from services like Fiverr or Upwork

Though there are many people who call themselves product photographers, not everyone has the skills needed to make your products images come to life—or the marketing knowledge needed to create images that sell.

There are numerous freelancer websites like Upwork, Fiverr, and other third-party providers advertising cheap product photography services. Unfortunately, there often is no way to verify their ability to create product photography that converts.

A genuine product photography studio like Pophaus will collaborate closely with you, the client. We use our knowledge of branding and photography to make your marketing vision come to reality.

Can you really get high-quality product photos from a phone

We’ve all seen them—articles proclaiming your camera phone can take photos as good as any studio photography camera. Camera phones indeed have gotten better and can, in the right hands, take great shots.

But here’s what they don’t tell you.

It’s not the camera that makes great product photos–it’s the product photographer.

Phones can take pictures but photographers have vision and branding expertise

The most important asset you’re paying for on your product photography project is the photographer.

You’re paying not just for their technical expertise with cameras but also their creative vision. Photos with visual style or flair make customers feel more comfortable about purchasing your product and give your brand instant credibility. A skilled photographer can create professional-level photos in just about every situation, combining their knowledge of branding, color, composition, and other techniques to help you convert sales, build customer trust.

Other problems with using phones for product images

Website, ecommerce, and advertiser platforms may require several different formats, resolutions, or file sizes. Meanwhile, many camera phones only deliver photos in one or two formats(usually .jpeg or .png) or may use their own proprietary format which has to be converted for others to view.

Also, camera phones still have lower resolution than most pro level cameras. If you must crop your image to match size requirements for an advertiser or website, your resolution will decrease even more in quality. You also may have difficulty editing photos taken from a phone making color correction and stylistic choices impossible.

High-quality product photography and branding may cost more—but it’s worth it

Though you certainly can take your own product photography with a phone or hire an unvetted freelancer to take dimly lit photos, remember great product photography can make or break your brand. Doesn’t your product deserve more?

Contact us at Pophaus today to learn how you can get the best product photography around at a cost you can afford.

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