Availing the product photography outsourced service for the newly established brand is filled with hesitancy. Pricing for a professional photoshoot is one of the roadblocks that is common to get stuck at.
The market for product photography is so vast that it can easily take months to navigate through an arduous journey. There are widely 3 main types of photographers you would find: beginner, freelancer, and professional.
Let’s bifurcate and explore various pricing ranges for product photography alongside some essential considerations to assist you with an informed decision.
How Much Do the Product Photographers Charge?
At first, you should be clear with your requirements, as the product photographers in the market are dissected. Certain photographers specialize in a particular product line, for example, jewelry photoshoots, automobile photoshoots, and so on.
By focusing on a specific niche photographer, half of the hunt gets simplified. Then comes the segregation in the industry based on quality and experience. And to steer across this challenge, it requires your clear vision on what kind of visual representation you want.
As we mentioned earlier, three main types of shutterbugs can help in a product photoshoot, each of which offers a distinctive touch.
1. Professional Studio Photographer
A professional photographer charges around $50 to $250 per product, which usually gives you 5 photographs from different angles. In case you have a wide range of collection, you can book an hourly session, which would be a lot cheaper, around $1000 to $3000.
And the best part about availing a studio photoshoot is the access to props and various backdrops to enhance the aesthetics of the photoshoot. Not only that, all of your product shots will be taken under professional lighting and with the supervision of an expert eye.
This is ideal for a situation where:
- Have no budget constraints
- Full e-commerce launch
- High-resolution campaign
- Third-party marketplace listing (Amazon, Etsy, etc) that demands HD quality photos.
Moreover, in some studios, you might get retouching service included with the package, so make sure you inquire about the add-ons as well.
2. Beginners
If you are someone who has a significant budget issue, the best option is to get a beginner-level service. A beginner photographer charges around $100 to $200 for an hour, in which you would have to sacrifice on refinements.
Irrespective of the type of service or experience you get, this is a great option for bulk photography and social media campaigns. By going for a beginner-level photoshoot, you get:
- Cheaper photoshoot
- Quick delivery
- Revisions or retakes
- More control over results
This makes it a preferred choice for startups and even well-established brands that need an immediate photoshoot for urgent projects.
3. Freelance Photographer
Yet another economical method to get your work done is by appointing a freelancer. Sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and Guru.com are some prominent platforms through which you can check out the portfolio and choose the best photographer that fits your needs.
Typical charges of a freelance product photographer are around $10-$50 per shot. However, the major issue with freelancers is commitment regarding timely delivery and a lack of professional setup.
With this opportunity, you get:
- Wide pool of options under one platform
- Flexible pricing
- Nominal charges for add-ons like editing and retouching
- Bulk delivery
In some cases, a freelance photographer might charge extra for traveling and conveyance if the location is far away. And another thing you should know is that if the photographer lives in a different state or country, you would be required to ship the product to them.
This leads to the inclusion of additional costs of shipping and freight insurance. That takes us to one of the biggest paradoxes in the photography market, that is, how greatly external factors influence the charges.
Factors Influencing the Pricing of Product Photography
The global market plays a significant role in influencing the pricing of product photoshoot services. How does it work? Let’s say you are availing a freelance service, and the photoshoot service is situated in a third-world country.
They would charge less compared to first-world countries, making it an economical option.
This was one fine example of how external forces can fluctuate the service cost. Similarly, the Latent factors that largely manipulate the product photography market are mentioned below.
- AI Creation: There are various newly launched AI tools now trained enough in recreating images just based on prompts. It makes it easier to generate the image without actually going for a professional photoshoot. The best thing to do is to get the Pro version of the tools and generate images as many times as you want. This is largely influencing the market of product photography, and day by day, it is getting cheaper.
- Experience and Quality: Experience and quality offered by a photographer have a price. The bigger the name in the industry, the more it will charge you handsomely. And it’s all about creative direction, a top-notch studio, and strategic framing that adds up to your cost.
- Turnaround Time: For faster delivery, photographers might charge more. Generally, you can see an upsurge of 10-15% on nominal charges.
- Bulk Images: Going for a photoshoot in bulk is often economical, as many studios and shutterbugs reduce the per-image cost as you increase the quantity. Something that is a must to consider.
- Complexity of Photoshoot: Products like jewelry, shoes, and cars, where every angle should be captured in a way that justifies the aesthetics. This complexity naturally pushes the price up due to the added time, lighting techniques, and retouching work needed.
Moreover, the photoshoot doesn’t end with just capturing the perfect angles; there is a lot more additional work to it. A photoshoot is just a one-time job, whereas editing that image and making it useful in such a way that it can be used in various projects requires additional cost and advanced planning.
It is essential to understand exactly what photo editing means and why we should treat it as a long-term asset. But let’s also not forget it takes a significant amount from your cost.
Additional Cost and Consideration
Once you have gathered the aesthetic shots of your products, the next essential add up cost is post processing or also known as retouching. Many studios do offer this service as part of the package; however, this add-on gets missing if you appoint a freelancer or a beginner photographer.
So the first thing you are required to do is get a retouching service that brings uniformity and fixes any kind of color distortion that gets captured through the lens. Visuals Clipping retouching service provides a comprehensive solution for advanced editing needs and enhancing aesthetics.
Furthermore, the refined snapshots can be used for social media campaigns, advertisements, creating pamphlets, and banners. For industries looking to expand their product lineup, the combination of freelance photographers along retouching provides a cost-effective and professional-grade result.
How Much Does Product Photography Retouching Service Cost?
The retouching service is so vast that it comprises various techniques that can be incorporated based on the requirements and complexity. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept; each of the edits applied has a distinctive price range.
The estimated pricing of the market is $0.50 for basic retouching to $50 for advanced retouching per image. However, with Visuals Clipping, you are not only getting a wide range of quality-based services but also at competitive pricing.
| Service | Description | Cost (Per Image) |
| Basic Retouching | Dust removal, color correction, contrast adjustment, cropping, and resizing | $0.30-$2 |
| Clipping Path | Isolating the subject/product from the background | $0.30-$2 |
| Ghost Mannequin | Using an invisible mannequin to enhance the texture | $0.30-$5 |
| Background Removal | Removing unwanted items from the background | $0.30 |
| Image Masking | Advanced separation for hair, transparent items, or intricate edges | $1-$5 |
| Deep Etching | Accurate selection of products that are used in catalogs and online marketplaces. | $2-$10 |
| Automotive Editing | High-end retouching for cars, including paint correction, reflectors, and background swap | $5-$15 |
| Complete e-commerce photo editing | Includes all the necessary edits to make the product stand out | $5-$50 |
Please note that the pricing mentioned above is subject to change based on the quantity, type of product, and additional requirements.
Tips for Negotiation and Analysis
Before you finalize your collaboration with a photographer or editing partner, certain checklists need to be considered to ensure you get the best value for your investment.
- Make sure you are getting a bundled package from a professional studio that includes editing and retouching as well.
- While finalizing your photoshoot companion, the best way to get a discount is to go for a bulk shoot.
- You can save the cost of basic editing by learning how to do it by yourself on photo editing software for professionals and amateurs. If the requirements are high, the best solution is to find the best photo editing agency.
- Clipping path and image masking are a must for product photography. It helps you to repurpose the product images for various projects.
- Don’t forget to ask for a portfolio and testimonials before choosing your photographer. It is better to focus on comparing past experiences rather than pricing.
- Once you have finalized, make sure you document everything in writing.
- Samples and revisions are the necessary offerings that must be clarified. Get the samples first, whether it is from an editing agency or photographer, and in case of dissatisfaction with the results, exercise your revision right.
Visuals Clipping is your one-stop destination to fix your worries and get the post-processing thing right. By availing the e-commerce product retouching service, you can be assured that product photos always look sharp, clean, and market-ready.
Final Words
Choosing the best product photography service is indeed a formidable task, especially for startups or newly launched brands. The complexities lying within this industry surely make things difficult initially, but once you understand the art of tapping into a photoshoot, you’ll fabricate one of the most appealing visual presentations of your brand.
FAQs
Q1. Do third-party e-commerce sites like Amazon have specific requirements for product photographs?
Ans: Yes, the majority of third-party sites like Amazon do indeed have strict guidelines on uploading product photographs. It should have a white background with high resolution to get pixel-perfect zoom.
Q2. Can a beginner deliver a professional-quality image?
Ans: There is no guarantee on whether a beginner-level photographer can deliver professional-grade results. It’s a cost-effective choice for business, and entirely depends on what kind of results we are expecting. So, it is feasible to always check out the portfolio first.
Q3. Is it safe to send my products to a freelance photographer residing in a different country?
Ans: In many of the cases, it is safe to send your products for a photoshoot across the country if the photographer has strong reviews. Avoid dispatching at all costs if the deal seems shady.
Q4. How much time does Visuals Clipping take to edit one photograph?
Ans: For product images, it hardly takes 15-20 minutes to make minor edits on a single shot. However, it greatly fluctuates on the basis of requirements and complexities.
