Whether it is about tempting customers or influencing their purchasing decisions, product photography is capable of making any e-commerce business thrive. By getting the right clients, anyone can boost their sales with this ultimate weapon called photographs.
That being said, you might wonder what your pricing strategy should be if you are a product photographer. How much to charge for product photography? It’s one of the most common questions that comes to the mind of photographers. Who doesn’t want to be adequately compensated?
And to make sure that you offer competitive prices, you need to have a proper strategy and understanding of how much you should charge as a product photographer. In this guide, I will walk you through every single thing you need to know about having a pricing strategy for product photography.
What is product photography?
Product photography deals with capturing perfect and high-quality shots of a brand’s products to use in advertisements and other marketing materials. It is a popular field in photography that focuses on drawing the attention of consumers and your target audience.
With perfectly-designed shots that are tailored to your needs, you can compel your audience to make a purchase, hence boosting sales. Product photography focuses on showcasing your products and services in a way that generates leads and promotes sales.
With visually appealing pictures reflecting every single detail of your product and the right techniques of product photography, you can connect with potential clients and customers to make your business flourish.
Product photography is usually used to create premium product catalogs, brochures, e-commerce websites, and various kinds of advertisements, among many other things. By ensuring excellent quality, product photography emphasizes bridging potential customers with your brand.
Is Product Photography In Demand?
It is a fact that the demand for online shopping and e-commerce has skyrocketed. With that, the demand for product photography has automatically increased. In fact, it is more crucial than ever.
The reason for this is very simple. Product images are all that a customer is expected to rely on while shopping online. And if you are able to click high-quality pictures that define your products and highlight their intricate details and features the best, you will automatically attract customers and improve sales for your business.
With carefully-captured shots and the use of product photography techniques, you can imprint a positive impression in the minds of potential customers and make it more likely for them to order from you.
Product photography can help with social media campaigns and various marketing strategies that involve showcasing products. It can help a business in retaining customers and build a strong brand reputation.
With so many e-commerce websites looking to get their products recognized among customers and make their businesses thrive, it goes without saying that the demand for product photography is higher than ever.
How Much To Charge For Product Photography
Now that you know how popular product photography is, you might wonder how much you should charge as a product photographer. Well, your pricing strategy should be based on a number of factors. From your experience in photography to the complexity of the project that you are taking up, you can consider a number of aspects to deciding your pricing.
Usually, the packages range from basic to advanced and customized. You can also offer additional services and have a pricing model based on hourly rates, per-image rates, project-based pricing, and day rates. All of these pricing models and packages have been explained in detail below.
Basic Product Photography Package
A standard photography package usually consists of a particular number of product pictures captured on a white background. This number is decided beforehand. The pricing of this package tends to start from $25 and can go as much as $75 for every image.
Advanced Product Photography Package
An advanced product photography package consists of a few more complex things. From lifestyle shots to 360-degree product pictures, the setup of an advanced product photography package can include more intricate things. The pricing for this can range from $100 to $500 for every picture.
Additional Services
If you intend to offer additional services in your package, you can include an additional fee for the same. While curating the package, you can include the costs for things like re-touching, editing, and styling if you plan on offering those additional services.
If you offer picture editing and re-touching services, you can charge anywhere between $5 and $100 per picture. However, for offering styling services, the pricing can be between $50 and $200 per hour.
Customized Packages
Some clients have unique needs, and they might want you to tailor your services to suit them. In that case, you can come up with customized packages that are specifically designed to suit specific requirements. For customized packages, you can charge anything between $1000 and $5000 or even more.
Pricing models
Pricing models are an excellent way to ensure that you get properly compensated for the work you do. At the same time, it is also crucial to provide your clients with a competitive pricing structure. You can refer to the following pricing models to have better knowledge about curating a pricing strategy.
Hourly rate
Some clients have the kind of requirements that include only a few pictures. In that case, you can easily determine the shoot duration and charge on an hourly basis. In fact, it is a common and popular model for pricing.
Per image rate
For clients that are in need of a large number of pictures, you can charge per image. By estimating the number of pictures requires, you will be able to charge through this pricing model effortlessly.
Project-based pricing
As mentioned before, some clients possess unique needs and expect you to tailor your services according to them. You can charge such clients by designing a customized pricing model for them. Project-based pricing is used for complex requirements like 360-degree images and product videos.
Day rate
Some clients may have the requirement for a large number of pictures along with an extended duration of the shoot. In that case, you can charge as per a day rate.
Cost of Product Photography Across Industries
Different industries can have different costs and pricing models. Let’s have a look at some of these industries and their cost of product photography.
Food photography
Food photography is one such niche that can cost a lot. A food photographer is supposed to capture food in a visually-appealing way with the help of appropriate staging and lighting equipment. For food photography, you can charge anywhere between $150 and $300 per picture.
Fashion photography
Fashion photography is not confined to having general photography skills. You need to be a good stylist and have expertise in makeup. As a fashion photographer, you can charge between $200 and $500 per picture.
Jewelry photography
Capturing the intricate details and various textures of jewelry demands knowledge, skills, and expertise in this field. Since the cost varies as per the complexity of the jewelry piece, you can expect the cost to be between $100 and $1000 per picture.
Electronics photography
Electronic photography can be relatively more affordable as it does not require a heavy setup. You can carry it out just with basic pieces of equipment. Therefore, the cost generally lies between $50 and $200 for every picture.
Home goods photography
Home goods photography is about capturing interior decor and household items like furniture. Just like electronic photography, the cost does not go too high for home goods photography either. You can charge anything between $50 and $200 per picture.
Why is product photography so expensive?
The time and effort one has to put in while capturing a perfect shot for your brand is what makes product photography expensive. On top of this, there are a number of reasons that increase costs, making product photography expensive. Some of these reasons are explained below.
Expensive equipment
Product images are supposed to reflect the intricate features and details of a brand’s products. To be able to capture rich quality, investment in high-end equipment might be required. A camera, lens, and some other lighting equipment are required to ensure clarity.
Expertise
In order to achieve the best results with product photography, skills, and expertise are crucial. Without an understanding of lighting and color theory, one will not be able to capture high-quality pictures.
Furthermore, one needs to be well-worn with composition. Product photography also focuses on making your images look visually appealing. All of this definitely adds up to the cost and makes product photography expensive.
Post-processing
Editing and re-touching images is an integral part of product photography. Without final touch-ups, you will not get the results that you want. These touch-ups and post-processing work will not just be time-consuming but also expensive. You may have to spend in a particular software.
Additional costs
When a client has specific requirements, the photographers are obligated to tailor their services to those needs. If this requires them to style things differently and rent a studio and props, additional costs will be involved.
Conclusion
Product photography is not just about displaying high-quality product pictures. It is a crucial aspect of taking a business to heights. Although product photography can be a little expensive due to equipment and the skills it demands, it is an investment that can drive more customers and boost sales.
With the growing demand for online shopping, customers can only depend on online product images. With that, the demand for product photography has only skyrocketed.
I hope this guide was able to solve all your queries revolving around the price strategy of a product photographer. Based on your experience, post-processing work, and complexity, the costs may vary. From basic to advanced, there are several packages to choose from.