Have you ever found yourself googling “How Much Does Product Photography Cost?” I’m guilty over here. Maybe that’s how you came across this post here. If you own a product based business, you know how important quality visuals are. Good photos don’t just make your social media feeds look good – they reveal details to customers that help them decide to purchase, or not. There’s no doubt that brands need product photography, but sometimes brands don’t know what to expect for the cost. To be honest, there isn’t a standard answer to the price of product photography. However, I’m going to break down and point out some variables to help you better understand.

Amount of images needed

The more images you need, the more you can expect to pay for product photography. More images means that your photographer is spending more time on setting up the shot and editing the final image. This is why I always recommend a detailed shot list. Providing a shot list to the photographer helps avoid any missing shots and keeps them from overshooting. It works as a clear guideline to make sure all images are counted for. If you need help creating a shot list, work with your photographer to create one.

Difficulty of Shot

Sometimes you’ll see an images that is super cool, but was very difficult to create. Keep in mind that some shots require certain equipment. For example, floating objects can require many stands to hold up the items. Other shots make not require equipment, but can take a lot of time. For example, an image of your product shown under water, like this Sun Bum photo, can take many tries and time to get just right. Your photographer will be able to explain is any additional equipment, or time, is needed for the shot.

Models and Rentals

Another factor that can influence pricing is hiring models or renting spaces. It wouldn’t be fair to the photographer to pay this from their profits, so we do add these expenses to your invoices. Some models have a higher rate than others, and some rental spaces are more expensive as well. If you’re looking to avoid these costs, ask your photographer if they can style the set to look like a certain space, or use their own hand to showcase the product.

Images Use

This one is super important, yet widely misunderstood. As your product photographer, we need to know how you intent to use the images. It’s not fair to price every image the same – all usages are priced different. Why? Because the monetary value varies. For example, a billboard that will display on a busy highway for 6 months will most likely generate way more sales than an IG post. Remember; product photography brings money into your business by helping you to sell products. Without that beautiful image tempting your customers to ‘buy now’, you’re unlikely to enjoy sales!

If you’re a business owner who needs product photography on a regular basis – such as monthly shoots or quarterly shoots – outsourcing your product photography is a smart move, and I’m happy to help! Let me help you focus running your business while my team and I ensure that your product photos are doing their job of selling.

You can fill out an inquiry form today and I’ll be in contact soon!