In today’s competitive marketplace, where visual content is vital in enhancing brand presence and driving sales, the demand for professional product photographer has reached new heights. The importance of selecting the right product photographer cannot be underestimated, as they possess the skills and expertise to transform ordinary products into captivating works of art through their lens.
They can create stunning visuals highlighting the product’s unique features, craftsmanship, and quality by utilizing their keen eye for composition, lighting techniques, and attention to detail. These visuals are crucial in attracting potential customers, instilling trust, and ultimately influencing purchasing decisions.
Why are Quality Images Essential for a Business?
Well, there’s no doubt that most brands have revised how they present their visual content, but not everyone has done it. They don’t understand the complete need for high-quality ecommerce product photography images or their impact on the business’s overall sales. Yet, one may consider it a mere process, but statistics do not lie. 3 out of 4 customers say that high-quality images help them decide whether to purchase the product.
Yet, one may consider it a mere process, but statistics do not lie. 3 out of 4 customers say that high-quality images help them in deciding whether to purchase the product.
The Importance of Hiring The Best Product Photographer
Only some businesses have a budget to hire the best product photographer. Bootstrapped brands mostly rely on a plethora of tutorials available on YouTube on DIY product photography. A good photographer will provide you with a consistent look and feel for your product photos. By maintaining a uniform style, lighting, and composition across your product images, a photographer ensures that your brand’s aesthetic is well-defined and easily recognizable. Whether to hire a professional photographer? Do I outsource product photography images? Or should I tie up with a product photography studio? These are a few questions where brands almost get stuck. However, this blog is meant to clear all your doubts.
While writing the blog, we also spoke with the top photographers using Spyne on – what criteria they consider while hiring a photographer. What are the best qualities of a professional photographer? And how to measure their expertise in photography? There are so many things to consider while hiring a product photographer who can produce beautiful pictures for your brand with the highest precision and consistency. Difference between an amateur photographer, a professional photographer, and an on-demand photography studio
To save the budget, many bootstrapped businesses try their hand at DIYing their product photography but, eventually, understanding how impactful visual content can be, they switch to hiring a professional photographer. Visual content is 40 times more likely to be shared than any other content. And it cuts the return rate by 22%. Also, over 75% of shoppers say quality product images play a pivotal role in deciding to purchase. So, keeping this in mind, brands are convinced to hire a skilled photographer to shoot their products and services.
Necessary Skills For A Product Photographer
You must consider several skills when hiring the a product photographer. However, what measures the expertise of a professional product photographer is the creative and technical skills and managerial or organizational skills.
Executional skills
Firstly, for product photoshoot, you must ensure that the professional is skilled in packshot or flat-lay photography. Has he ever done a product photoshoot? How many images were shot? What was the turnaround time of a shoot? What equipment was used? Who was the shoot for? All these questions will give you an understanding of the photographer’s credentials.
Both businesses and photographers must ensure what kind of requirements brands have and do they need a single product image or multiple images. What are the standards to be followed during the shoot? If it’s for a marketplace or a magazine, brochure, or any advertisement. The photographer you’re choosing must know the precise details of the two and should be able to demonstrate the skills required for this shoot from his previous works.
Technical skills
Then comes the technical and creative part, where you need to check the professional’s understanding of the role of lighting in product photography and his practical experience on different types of shoots like indoor shoots and outdoor shoot, etc. If you’re looking for a high-end product photography shoot, you must know what equipment he uses. Whether he owns or rents them? If you’re a jewelry brand, then asking how to avoid light reflections on jewelry items is inevitable.
We spoke with Spyne’s top photographer, nitinaraoraphotography.com, Canon India’s official photo mentor, to learn what photography brands expect in a candidate while hiring a professional photographer. Nitin said, ‘There’re several technical, organizational as well as behavioral skills we expect in the candidates we look for.
Nitin, Spyne’s top photography user, mentioned the following abilities as necessary skills in any professional photographer.
1. Equipment knowledge
2. Knowledge about lighting
3. Understanding of the product
4. Knows marketplace and businesses image specifications
5. Technical background and experience in photography production
6. Patience, organization, and responsible
Post-Production
Nitin also said that the candidate must be well-versed in post-production. Since the client needs finished images, a photographer must have experience of using Photoshop and Lightroom.
Professional Skills
When you’re relying on a person for any shoot, you must know how well the person can organize and manage things during the shoot. He should have the capability to plan for a smooth and safe shoot. Ask the candidate if there’s any process that you follow during your shoot, say tracking of the shoot process? Do they have any an app or software? How many professionals in a team, and how long have they been working together? How well are they aware of the product photography trends?
Here’s the due process to follow while hiring the best product photographer
Brainstorm yourself: As a client, you must have finalized details of the products or the services that need to be shot so that you find the perfect match for the shoot accordingly. Along with the terms for the photographer, you should also know how many products you require for the shoot. Is the contract on a one-time or annual basis?
Launch a Search: Look into all the possible spots from where you can compile a list of top product photographer. (Google, Instagram, and Facebook pages are the best places to find the right choice).
Scan: Scan the photographers’ work and list them in an Excel sheet. List at least 10-20 photographers whose work you liked.
Propose: Send out a request for proposals (RFPs) to all the selected photographers and ask them for their portfolios. Also, mention the shoot’s details, like the product’s nature, size, complexity, volume, shipment requirements, and deadlines.
Narrow down: Once you get the portfolio from the photographers, study it thoroughly and narrow the list down to 3-4 photographers by examining their style, match of your expectations, shipment costs, budget, etc.
Trial shoot: You can ask for a trial shoot from the shortlisted photographers. Some of them might charge, and some might do it for free. Send them items for a trial shoot.
Best Professional Product Photographers to Hire
Here is a list of top professional product photographers in the market so you can find the best suit for your products.
These photographers have immense talent that will take your product photography to the next level.
Nori Inoguchi
Nori, a Japanese-born photographer, discovered his true calling in luxury photography. After pursuing further education in New York, his passion for luxury items helps him find creative his creative flame. Nori Inoguchi has a unique perspective and dedication to capturing every essence of the product, establishing him as one of the most famous object photographers in the world.
Lucas Zarebinski
Lucas, a renowned photographer in NYC, has a fascinating journey that led him to his current success. He aspired to be an artist from a young age but faced challenges due to his limited drawing skills. However, at 17, a life-changing moment occurred when his girlfriend, Olga, a photographer herself, recognized his hidden talent in photography. This discovery pushed Lucas towards a path where he could fully utilize his photographic abilities. He is a prominent figure in the industry today, thanks to his unique vision and exceptional skills in capturing product images.
Peter Belanger
Peter, a former product photographer based in Rhode Island, had a remarkable journey before making his mark in San Francisco. He initially gained recognition for his captivating donut photography. However, his expertise extends far beyond this niche, as his passion and skills continue to evolve.
Harold Ross
Harold’s passion for photography ignited during childhood, setting the foundation for his remarkable journey as a creative fine art photographer based in Philadelphia, USA. What sets Harold apart from his peers is his distinct focus on night landscapes and the captivating technique of light painting. Working in a completely dark studio, he skillfully paints light over long exposures, creating a truly unique and mesmerizing style that permeates all of his photographs.
Timothy Hogan
Timothy Hogan, is a highly accomplished still-life photographer, who has an impressive collection of award-winning titles. Based in California, he has established himself as a famous figure in the industry, known for his exceptional talent and creativity. Timothy’s expertise spans a diverse range of subjects, from capturing the intricate details of jewelry to showcasing the allure of cosmetics, fragrances, watches, beverages, accessories, clothing, and even automobiles.
Sam Kaplan
Meet Sam, a master photographer whose obsession with patterns has propelled him to new levels in fashion product photography. With a background in Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, Sam’s journey led him to the vibrant city of New York. His remarkable attention to detail sets Sam apart, which is truly awe-inspiring. He has produced mind-blowing artistry that captivates audiences with his unique approach to product photography.
Questions you need to ask your product photographer
You need to ask your photographer some questions so that you have full closure about the shoot.
What equipment do you use?
A photographer needs to have all the right and necessary equipment. If your product photographer has all the professional equipment then it is a good sign as this means that your photographer has clearly invested in professional equipment.
And if you are wondering what all equipment is needed for product photography, then here is a list of the must-have tools:
1. Camera
2. Lens
3. Tripod
4. White Background
5. Table
6. A Room
How many photos can you expect?
This is another question that you should ask your photographer right away to be assured that you are getting your money’s worth. Usually, you can expect many images in these product shoots, which is not the case with other genres like fashion.
How many product shoots have you executed in the past?
This question can eventually tell you whether the photographer is experienced or not. If he/she has done a lot of product photoshoots, then you should check out their portfolio to know their style.
What is your turnaround time?
Most of these shoots are time-sensitive hence you always have to know when can you expect the images. A great photographer is no good if he/she delivers the images late.
Which is the proper lighting setup for Product Photography
Like many other photography genres, 3-point lighting is one of the best lighting setups. Light in this system is correct, neither hard to form unwanted shadows nor too soft to make the image look underexposed. To know more, you can read our detailed blog on Three Point Lighting.
Photographers vs Studio
Freelance photographers might have low prices for their photoshoot services, but they’ll also have higher risks concerning image quality, consistency, production, logistics, and keeping deadlines. Freelancers are a team of photographers, and they cannot deliver the results you require from their post-production. So, it is important to tie up with a studio that will help you in an end-to-end shoot – meaning from shoot order to shoot delivery. They take care of everything.
From shoot order to post-production to final delivery, Spyne is a go-to place for all shoots. Looking for an on-demand photography studio? Join our top market clients, such as Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, OYO, and PP Jewellers.
Conclusion
While freelance photographers may have lower prices, working with a studio like Spyne can provide end-to-end support and ensure consistent quality, production, logistics, and timely delivery. Overall, selecting the right product photographer is crucial for businesses to create high-quality, captivating visuals that attract customers, instill trust, and drive sales in today’s competitive marketplace.
