Product photography is done for commercial accessories so sellers can get better product value. Amazon and other ecommerce companies use automation to moderate and edit images on their website. This helps them to show their products online more accurately. Since this is so important, there is no doubt that the services of photographers won’t be affordable for small and starting businesses. So, in this blog, we will discuss product photography pricing charged by photo studios for their services.
How much does Product Photography Cost?
Different studios will offer you their services depending on their expertise and experience. In general, the services can cost around $60 per image to several hundred dollars per hour. Which studio to select will also depend on you and your requirements. If your need is for product images in high volume, then you can hire an agency that specializes in this regard. Then choose the quality of images depending on your financial health, because product photography price per image can be as high as $600.
You can also go for per-hour changes which can be between $100 and $300. Keep in mind that photographers can negotiate these prices, which will depend on the complexity of the image.
Creative Process for Product Photography
There is a reason for these high prices of product photography pricing, as this process requires a lot of time, skill, and effort. Let’s understand why this process is so time-consuming.
1. Preparation
Different factors matter a lot in photography, for example, equipment, backgrounds, lighting, position, etc. All of them need to be customized for the product so that they can complement the product. Along with these, their position of them is also important in order to portray the product in an appealing and accurate way.
2. Shooting
This is the process where the image of your product will be clicked. The photographer keeps track of lighting, colors, settings of the camera, reflections of the light, etc. The photographer makes sure to click images of the product from every angle needed for commercial purposes. It is a skill that takes time and effort to develop.
3. Editing
After images are clicked, they need retouching for a variety of reasons. Clicking perfect images is next to impossible, so editing is done, which can do anything but represent the product in an accurate way. These editings include changing intensity, blurring the product photography background, cropping, etc.
Hence, the cost of product photography is justified as people who have spent years honing their skills have put in time and effort on your images. The result is appealing images and the products being of more value in the market.
Is Product Photography Profitable?
Product photography is a very competitive field, so how much you can charge for your product photography services will depend on your skill and experience. An amateur photographer can make $10 to $30 per image for any ecommerce industry. An experienced professional can charge more than $3000 per day and will offer services of better quality. These seem high income, but there are costs associated with them. These costs would include, equipment, background, effort, etc.
Furthermore, a lot of time will be spent understanding the products, their needs, and their character. This means that there will be initial costs, but the returns on investments can be largely based on experience. A typical freelance can earn between $2000 to $3000 per month. A professional can earn $5000 per job. This proves that product photography pricing is indeed profitable.
How much to charge for Product Photography?
As mentioned previously, if you want to charge more, then the expectations of the client will also go up. If you are a beginner, then it is best to work for a product photographer in order to learn from them. This experience will help you develop skills and learn how a photographer thinks and how he evaluates his value in the market. Once you have gained experience, then you can either become a freelance photographer or work for a large product photography studio.
We have already discussed how much a typical freelancer earns, so it is a profitable business but remember to offer your services relatable to what others in this services charge who have skills and qualifications similar to you.
Product Photography Pricing Structures
1. Amazon Product Photography Pricing
Amazon has been described by many as dependable on art direction. Depending on how you want your product to look, the prices can be lower than $200, and they could be higher than $600. The lower prices on amazon are basically the image of the product on a white background. Whereas higher costing images will have the product but also include props, people, locations, etc. They might even have a product photography pricing template which has to be enquired about. Some of the packages include,
- Essential Package: 5 premium quality images for $545
- Seller Package: 7 premium quality images for $845
- Pro Package: 10 premium quality images for $1295
2. Product Photography for other Ecommerce Platforms
For general ecommerce photography pricing, costs are lower, but that may also mean fewer skills and experience. In this profession, skills and experiences matter a lot, so it is imperative that photographers know their value. The number of images required also affects the prices of ecommerce platforms. In general, expect $50 per image for a decent photographer.
3. Lifestyle Product Photography Pricing
For these kinds of images, we choose a natural or a carefully selected environment for its background. This associates a product with a certain environment that the buyer can understand. Here more costs are associated as models are hired often, which skyrockets the prices. Around $2000 to $5000 can be charged per day for a photo session. Many studios have product photography packages for this.
Important Factors in Product Photography Pricing
There are many smaller costs, but three stand out in large.
1. Material Costs
If you have to spend money on good gear, then it is a good start. This means that you can get better compensation for your images as they will be of higher quality. Similarly, more high-quality equipment means more good images. This makes material cost a major factor when determining the pricing of product photography.
2. Time Costs
Photographers are investing their time and effort in your images to make the image look appealing to the general public. This helps you in increasing your sales of the product. If the photographer is skilled and experienced, then, he will invest his time in such a way that your returns maximize. Hence time costs are also a very important and necessary factor.
3. Studio Costs
The photographer in real estate also makes investments to get enough space to conduct photography. As we have seen above, factors such as lighting and colors impact images of products a lot hence there is a place needed for the images. A better place will mean better images. This factor often goes unnoticed, but it is still an important one.
Additional Product Photography Charges
Then there are also some additional charges which happen during product photography which should be taken into consideration. These can depend on the small changes you want in the images. The reasons are that the photographer will have to put more effort and time into the image.
1. Editing and Post Processing
Images sometimes require some retouching, so it can be done, but product photography rates will increase. You can use editing to
- Blur the backdrop to bring the product into focus
- Improving the quality of the image
- Color corrections
2. Reshoots
This is to make sure that poorly clicked images that can’t be edited to betterment should be reshot. This will require going through the process of a product again, which might increase the price of the product.
3. Props and Stylist
An accessory, a stylist, or a model helps enhance the product. Paying their fees might increase the cost of photo sessions. There is also clothing product photography pricing for commercial apparel, and this is where stylists shine in what they do.
4. Rush Fees
Photographers or photo studios will demand extra money to work on your images urgently as they have to work extra hard and give your images priority.
5. Innovative Ideas
You might come up with a novel idea to click the image. For this, you will need to pay the photographer an extra amount for his effort. For example, you can get 3D product photography from Lazy Susan table. The photographer might put in place 360 product photography pricing for you.
Outsource your Product Photography needs
Outsourcing this photography can be a wise decision if your organization neither has the time nor resources to organize a studio. Furthermore, professional studios are more effective with their techniques, main thanks to their experience and skills. This can be cost-effective as well as you will be spared from buying equipment for photography.
There is a more affordable option, instead of hiring a studio to do this work manually, Spyne will automate this process for you. Spyne will use an AI that is trained in more than twenty-five different images to give you the best results. Some of its most important features are:
- Background Replacements
- Aligning products centrally in the image
- Checks image for any vulgar content
- Decreases time to market for a product
- More affordable as studios are not involved
- Removes Watermark
There are also special features for product photography, such as
- Packets get straight if any folds in them
- Bar code can be scanned to give accurate details about the product
- A magic eraser can erase anything in the image if it is not relevant
- A packeted item can have its nutritional values displayed
Spyne is more affordable as it will give you results quickly thanks to its API script. Moderation in the ecommerce platforms is just one of the features ecommerce domains can access, thanks to Spyne.
Conclusion
Product Photography pricing is notoriously costly and time-consuming, but these costs are understandable. Products need to be displayed in a variety of ways to woo customers. This is a skill and an art that takes time to learn and master. Results are guaranteed in the number of sales, so images of products are important. Using services that automate this process is quick and affordable. Spyne is one such service that will automate the process of product photography and make it more affordable with quick results.
