Product photography is an essential tool that ensures a business can present its wares in the best possible light. It is especially crucial for eCommerce businesses because their customers rely on images to make purchase decisions. Good-quality product photography services will ensure your website has attractive and descriptive imagesthat influence a customer’s choice.
1. What Exactly is Product Photography?
Product photography is a service provided by qualified professional photographers. These experts have the training, equipment, and artistic vision to provide detailed, impactful images of your product.Good-quality product images are necessary because they provide important information about the item. They learn about the colors, textures,size, and dimension through these images before deciding whether the item is a good fit for them.
2. How Much Does Professional Product Photography Cost?
Professional product photography services costs can vary based on the location of the studio, type of photography, qualifications of the expert, and other such factors.In most cases, the service can cost around $20 to $50 per product. Some studios can charge anywhere between $500 and $3,000 per day based on the number of images and complexity of shoots. It is a good idea to request a detailed quote from a studio after you have discussed all of the requirements with them. That will give you a clear idea of what to expect and plan your budget accordingly.
3. What Types of Product Photography Would I Get?
When you browse through the different product pages, you may notice three distinct types of approaches. Product on white is the simplest image because it involves an item placed against a plain white background. There are no distractors so customers can focus on the item directly. Creative in-studio photography involves a few background elements that highlight the product’s purpose. Lifestyle photography showcases an item in real-life conditions, providing essential information to the customers as well. You can incorporate all of these types into one product page.
4. Do I Need to Prepare the Product Beforehand?
You just need to make sure the product is in a good condition and represents your product line well. Businesses selling used items should clean and fix the items as much as possible before sending them to a studio. Some businesses may want to provide photographers with their own props to highlight the product’s purpose.Some studios include props, models, location shoots, etc, in their product photography services. Discuss what the studio expects from you in detail during the consultation before making a choice.
5. Will the Studio Return the Product to Me and How?
Yes, studios do return their client’s products to them after the shoot is completed. Clients can make shipping arrangements based on their product’s requirements. For example, expensive and delicate products will require some protection during the shipping process. You can discuss the transport options with the studio and ask for recommendations. Most professionals have ties with local shipping companies and will be able to recommend a good option. Make sure you hire a reliable company to transport products to and from the studio. It is also a good idea to get some insurance coverageagainst accidental damage and other such concerns.
6. Who Owns the Rights to the Product Photographs?
Most studios give clients full usage rights and retain creative rights. This means clients can use their product photographs on any platform without restraint but they can’t claim that someone other than the studio involved in taking those pictures. Clients should understand their rights before they hire product photography services to avoid issues down the line. Most studios will be happy to explain all of the intricacies to you.
7. What’s Included in Professional Product Photography Services?
Product photography services include every aspect of photography. It starts with a consultation where the photographer and client can sit down for a discussion. You can share your requirements, priorities, goals, and targets during this session. The photographer will share their ideas, thoughts, and tentative composition sketches with you as well.Once this session is complete, the photographer will start researching your target audience and industry. They’ll determine what kind of images will appeal to your target audience and come up with finalized ideas. The photographer will start working on the shoot as soon as they get your approval. This is followed by a comprehensive editing process before the images are delivered to the clients.
8. Are There Any Additional Costs to Consider?
A studio will provide a detailed quote that includes almost every expense but they may not add external costs like shipping, models, cost of outdoor shoots, etc. Study the quote provided carefully to understand what’s included and excluded from the expense list. You can ask a photographer directly if there are any other costs involved. Add up all the expenses and divide the number by the number of pictures you’ll get to determine the cost per image. That will help you understand the true cost of product photography services.
9. Do I need Different Photographs for Different Platforms?
Professionals produce images that are optimized for most modern platforms. This means you can upload the photographs to social media, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and other such platforms easily. These images are also suitable for mobile browsing and app interfaces. You only need a fresh batch of tailored images if you want to run a specific campaign. For example, regular product images may not fit in with the festive Christmas theme. In such cases, you may need to start a new campaign to stay ahead of the competition and capitalize on the festive atmosphere. An experienced photographer will keep up-to-date on all guidelines put forth on popular platforms so your images won’t violate any rules. It is still a good idea to ask about it before booking product photography services.
You can ask all of these questions to a trained professional before hiring product photography services. It is also a good idea to get quotes from multiple vendors and compare the prices carefully before making a choice.
