As the name suggests, product photography is done for commercial purposes which is why it is also known as e-commerce photography.
Product photography has become an essential part of business especially to attract online consumers. The more a product looks fine and attractive the more it will be sold out.
Why Product Photography?
The online world has given consumers unlimited sources to buy from. That’s why product photography has become a major tool to earn higher amounts of profit these days. Also, the e-commerce world constantly remains in competition concerning generating more sales which ultimately means more revenue.
Product Photography and Consumer Psychology
Product photography visually appeals to human nature. There is some research evidence that visual aid consumers’ sense of ownership and increases the chances of profit by manifolds. Product photography plays a decisive role in the rankings of brands as it increases sales by facilitating consumers to buy.
Product photography inspires customers to purchase high-priced goods. Even customers of expensive brands like to share product photos with family and friends. Also, regular customers of a brand have become attached to that brand with a sense of pride.
Product Photography Techniques
Photographic products aren’t a big science. If you know how to use a camera and have some shooting experience, you can do product photography as well. However, you need to have a business sense as product photography is all about capturing a product in such a way that it catches the attention of consumers at first sight and they don’t scroll without ordering that product.
There are some helpful tips mentioned below to make you a successful product photographer:
- Online Research
Do some research online. View photos of the products that you wish to capture, from different angles.
- Purpose Clarity
Be clear. Make sure about what you are looking for. What is the usefulness of the targeted product? What need would it serve? What aspect is essential to be captured? Make up your mind clear about what you want the consumers to see in the photo.
- Planning for Product Shooting
Plan the photo. Take some time and think about the background of the product. Whether it would be daylight or nighttime? What color scheme should you adopt to perfectly highlight the product? Decide these aspects well before taking final shots.
- Take and Re-take Product Photos
Get into product photography by practicing shots. Yes, after deciding and arranging all the above-mentioned aspects, take some practice photos from different angles of the product. See the overall image to make it a nearly perfect product photo.
- Viewing your Product Images as a Consumer
View your photos as a consumer. It would be of great help if you view your photos from a consumer perspective. Even get your family and friends to do so and help you decide which photos are attractive and sale deriving. Be open to constructing opinions and make your product photos better.
Kinds of Product Photography
Product photography has become an established field in photography. It is divided into the following kinds:
- White Background Photos
Most top-ranked brands place online photos with white backgrounds. Similarly, top e-commerce websites like Amazon and eBay, etc. also display product photos mainly with white backgrounds as it gives a clear picture of the product and details to make buying choices easier.
- Product Context
Such photos display the actual use of the product in the photo. For example, if a lamp is advertised, it would be typically shown as lit up, and place in a corner of your bedroom. Similarly, products such as air conditioners, deep freezers, and water dispensers are shown with their contexts of utility.
- Lifestyle
It involves human beings enjoying the product i.e., some beverage or food items, together. In this way, the consumers are appealed to buy that product and increase their happiness.
As lifestyle photography includes models and a set, therefore, it costs more than just product photography. Its cost ranges from $2000 to $5000 per day.
- Scale Shots
It is a frame of reference in which the size of the product is shown to the consumers so they can have an idea about the adjustment of the product. For example, a person holding a plate and a cup of tea show how the cup would fit into your hands.
- Detailed Product Photography
Such images show the details of small products or invisible parts of products such as the buckle of pantaloons belts, wristwatches, studs, etc. Similarly, group, flat layout, and user-generated are some other types of product photography.
Pricing of Product Photography/Two Popular Models
Experts say that about three-quarters of consumers get inspired by product photos. And, the product photographers are responsible for such a huge impact on sales and profit. That’s why they can cost you a little more than your expectations.
But how much you should pay them? Let’s see what is working in the market of product photography:
- Common Payment Criteria
Product photographers are paid per day, hour, product, or image basis. The following details would help you understand clearly:
- Per hour Service
Per-hour service generally costs from $25 to $500 whereas the average per-hour rate remains between $94 to $262.
The general problem that generally occurs during product photography is when you have multiple products and don’t know how much time each image would consume. In this way, you may end up paying a lot more price than you expected.
- Per day Basis
Per-day product photography rates range from $300 to $3000. Per-day service is better than per hour because it lets you complete your work without larger cost variations. However, you’ll need to make a plan about what and how many products would be covered each day so that your day and budget are spent well.
- Per Image Basis
Per-image product photography is also a popular option. Its rates vary from a minimum of $10 to $400. However, you need to make sure that you get the image that you have picturized in your mind.
- Price per product
Price per product image is another popular method of charging for product photography. This method would suit you more if you have relatively similar products. Because different products will require different equipment, techniques, and time of the photographer which will result in a high cost per image.
You can also categorize your products and get the alike ones photographed at once. Moreover, such products’ images would cost you lower as compared to other products. The average cost per product photography stands at $20 to $85.
The above-given mode of product photography charges would help you to have an idea to get your product photographed properly while remaining within your budget.
- Photographers’ Experience
The experience of the photographers also contributes to the price of product photography. Beginners or hobbyists usually charge $50 per hour and up to $25 per image. However, the quality of the image may be a little less than your expectations.
Similarly, there are part-time product photographers and they charge about $50 and $150 per image and hour basis respectively.
The photography rates of full-time professional photographers are higher as compared to the previous ones.
They usually study it properly and built a reputation in product photography. A professional photographer can charge up to $300 per hour whereas his per-image cost usually starts from $75 per image.
The top product professionals’ per-hour photography usually stands at $500 per hour. Their per-image cost can go higher even to $1000 per image. It is this level of photography that helps brands yield higher profits.
Two Popular Models of Product Photography
Product photography is dominantly done per image and per-day basis. E-commerce product owners mostly prefer per-hour shots pricing. On the other hand, creative photography for products is commonly done on per-day service charges.
Most e-commerce products businesses demand two to three photos per product and the cost of each image with white background varies from $20 to $90 per photo.
On the other hand, creative photography on per day service can cost from $500 to $3000. And, this is the price of shots only. Editing, settings, photoshop effects, etc. will have a separate invoice which is variable concerning the experience of the photographer.
As a beginner, you can charge from $20 to $50 per image. As the cost of product photography depends on the experience and expertise of the photographer, you can increase the price with time.
Summing Up
Product photography has become a profitable field in the world of prevailing e-commerce businesses and brand popularity. You would have experienced the desire for some product while looking at its image online.
Exactly, this is why product photography plays a decisive role in brand rankings and generating profits. Any business particularly an e-commerce one, cannot survive without product photography.
Therefore, if you want to become such a photographer, you need to assess your passion, ability and technical know-how first to get started. Over time, you can also become an expert product photographer and charge accordingly.
It is more important to have an idea about product image service in case you own a business. In this way, it would help you to correctly assess your needs and budget requirements.
Also Read: Indoor Photography Tips – A Complete Guide