While the internet & shipping industry have dramatically changed and transformed the way we perceive, buy and sell products and services, one thing that hasn't changed is the need for highly impactful imagery to help sell those products. Whether you need your products photographed on a white background for an e-commerce website or epic hero shots for your next ad campaign, with so many competitive products on the market these days, the need for high quality product imagery is more important than ever.
The Role Product Photography Plays In the Success of Your Marketing & Sales
If the success of your brand depends on selling the very products your company designs and manufactures, the role product photography plays in that success should not be understated. When done right, product photography helps consumers visualize how your products fit into their life and ultimately helps make your company more money. There are so many levels to that statement, so let's put it into perspective with a hypothetical scenario.
Hypothetical Scenario
Before we can begin discussing the cost of product photography, we first need to discuss the fact that the term "product photography" can mean a lot of things to a lot different people. So let's start with a hypothetical scenario. Envision that your product is designed to solve a very specific problem. Let's pretend that your company designs, manufactures and sells an RCA to HDMI Converter, a device that enables consumers to with the ability to connect and convert the analog signal of older devices like VCRs and gaming consoles to a digital signal for use with modern day televisions. Now let's take a look at couple of options as it relates to the need for product photography.
Product Shot #1 - Standalone White Seamless Background
Creating standalone product shots of the HDMI adapter on a white background can help a consumer make an educated purchasing decision based on visual facts. These types of product images are often created to provide a sense of scale, visualize key features and otherwise create a clear and accurate representation of the product a customer can expect to receive after a purchase. Pretty straightforward concept. (Side note: the complexity of these types of images can vary widely depending the the type of products you have. Just because it's photographed on a white background doesn't mean necessarily mean that it's a "simple" image to create or have less value than other types of product images.)
Product Shot #2 - Product In Use with Styled Set & Hired Talent
On the other side of that coin, your company might envision a cross platform advertising campaign focusing on the need to create product imagery that focuses more on the emotion benefits and lifestyles associated with your product. You might think to yourself, what kind of emotional benefits would an HDMI converter have? Hear me out.
In the case of the RCA to HDMI Converter example, your brand might want to create a "product in use" image that depicts a happily married couple cuddled up on the couch in a candle lit room, enjoying some red wine while using your RCA to HDMI adapter to re-live their wedding day by means of connecting their old VCR to their brand new 70 inch high def tv. Man, that was a mouthful! But hopefully you’re envisioning this image in your head.
This type of product advertising image still shows your product clearly in view, but focuses more on the emotional impact and lifestyle that your product evokes. In turn, this creates the need, want and desire to purchase your product while simultaneously reinforcing the influence of your brand. In this type of product image, you're selling a lifestyle and emotion.
Two Completely Different Product Shoots - Two Completely different costs
As you can see in the examples above, I’ve provided a couple of hypothetical scenarios involving two completely different types of product images for the same exact product. Appropriately there would also be different costs involved as it relates to producing each of these jobs.
The standalone product shots (product shot #1) on white background might only require the product and a commercial photographer knowledgeable in creating really nice product shots in studio. The product in use image (product shot #2) on the other hand, might involve an advertising agency, a creative director, an art director, a producer, a set designer, a talent agency, hair and makeup artists in addition to the commercial product photographer. (Obviously the amount of people involved can vary depending on a client's vision, wants, needs and budget. But you get the idea.) Both of these scenarios result in product images being created, but one of them is going to cost more to produce. Chances are, so will the usage license.
(Recommended Reading: THE 4 MOST COMMON TYPES OF PRODUCT SHOTS IN PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY)
Commercial Product Photography Is An Art form Based on Value
Commercial product photography is an art form and like many service based companies, the associated cost is based on the problem that it’s solving as well as the value that it creates. As we've all come to know, the term "value" is always in the eye of the beholder. In other words, whats important to some people, may be worthless to others. Going back to our hypothetical scenario, an RCA to HDMI Converter might be worthless to someone who doesn't even know what a VCR is, but can be priceless for someone who wants to watch their old VHS wedding video from 1988 on their modern day high definition TV.
The Cost Of Product Photography
With all of the aforementioned, how much does product photography cost? Well, that itself is a loaded question. The short answer is, "It depends." The term “product photography” can mean different things to different people. A small business that resells wholesale products on Amazon for a premium is very different from a global consumer electronics brand advertising their products in Wired Magazine. While both need “product photography” the expectations and budgets of each of these two clients would be drastically different from one another. So would the level of photographer required to do the job.
Here's the honest to God truth. The reality is, there are no standard or set prices for producing product photography (or any commercial photography for that matter.) There's no one size fits all pricing model that works for everyone. Furthermore, there's no single resource that you can turn to in order to get pricing information. Sure, you can Google this query, but you’re going to find rates that are incredibly low and depict an unrealistic representation of what it actually costs to produce compelling product imagery. As the old adage goes “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
The cost of commercial product photography varies widely based on a multitude of factors including but not limited to the scope of work, the production costs involved in producing the work as well as the final usage of the photographs. Other factors can include geographic location or simply the skill level and reputation of product photographer that you choose to hire.
To put it another way, asking how much a product shoot will cost is similar to asking how much it would cost to remodel your kitchen. There is no concrete answer to that question because there are so many factors to consider.
If you were to hire a contractor to remodel your kitchen, the contractor would ask you several questions. Things like, do you want to strip and refinish your hard wood floors or do you want to cover up your original floor with a modern laminate material? Do you need stainless steel energy star appliances or something less expensive? Do you want solid wood cabinetry or can you live with particle board? Do you want under cabinet lighting? If you plan on relocating the kitchen sink, there's probably going to be some underlying plumbing work that would need to be done. All of these variables effect the final cost of a kitchen remodel. Sounds like a lot to consider, am I right? Product photography is much the same!
The cost of product photography is ultimately based on the specific and unique needs of the client. The size of the project, the scope of work, the production costs involved (i.e. props, set building materials, stylists), the usage of the photographs, and the skill level of the photographer you require etc. are all variables that impact the cost of a project.
Companies pay anywhere from the thousands, to tens of thousands all the way up to the hundreds of thousands for product photography over the course of any given year. Just as there are small businesses, medium sized businesses and large corporations each with own unique goals and advertising budgets. There are also product photographers at various levels of their career that correspond with each of those market segments.
All of that being said, in terms of day rates for commercial product photography, on average you can easily expect to pay anywhere from $1500/day to $5,000/day for the photographer’s fee alone. That’s not to say that it can’t be higher. Keep in mind, that doesn’t include post production services like compositing and retouching, production expenses like props, stylists or talent. And also doesn’t include the usage license fee.
My advice is that if you see a photographer performing product photography services for a mere $500 dollars....run!!! A photographer wouldn’t even be able to rent the equipment to do the job for a price that low, let alone pay taxes, make a profit and put money into a 401k in order to hopefully retire someday. (I’d also caution you to be, Be Weary Of Freelance Websites For Creative Services.)
As you can see, the value of commercial product photography can vary widely based on a variety of factors as outlined above. But ultimately, the end goal is that there is a mutual value for all parties involved. If the success of your company relies on selling the products you create, how much is product photography worth to you? That answer will be different for any given company.
Again, if your company that simply buys products at a wholesale price and resales them on amazon to make a quick buck, you may not value product photography as much as a company who actually designs, manufactures, distributes and advertises their products on a much larger scale. Ultimately, the cost commercial product photography should be proportionate to the marketing and advertising goals of your company. High level product imagery is not an inexpensive service.
Furthermore, if you design, manufacture and sell your products, chances are, you've invested heavily into research and development, building prototypes, manufacturing and distribution. Marketing and advertising are the next steps in that process and visual communication tools you use to sell your product a.k.a. product photography, plays a major role of that journey. Having access to engaging product photography can prove to be a worthy investment that will ultimately make your company more money.
General Fee Structure For Product PHotography
While there aren't any set standard prices for product photography, there are a variety of line item fees that are pretty standard on an estimate or invoice for product photography services. Whether you're hiring a commercial product photographer specifically or a commercial photographer specializing in another genre of the industry, there are some common fees that you can expect to see on any given estimate or invoice. These fees include but are not limited to a Creative Fee or Day Rate, fees for Retouching/Post-Production services, expenses associated with producing the job, as well as a licensing fee based on the usage you're asking for. There can be other fees as well, but these are some of the most common fees you can expect to see.
Creative Fee - This fee generally describes the cost of shooting the job and is based on the project and scope of work.
Day Rate - This fee basically the same as the Creative Fee, however some photographers prefer to charge on a per day basis as opposed to a project fee, sometimes these are interchangeable.
Retouching/Post-Production - This fee is designated for all of the work that needs to be done after the photo shoot. This includes things like file organization, processing of RAW files, pathing, compositing, retouching and final output.
Expenses - Expenses can include a variety of items such as shipping, set building materials, props, stylists, talent etc.
Licensing Fee - This fee reflects the usage rights of the final images being delivered to the client. I've written extensively about this in an article called What Is A Usage License? A Client's Guide To Licensing Commercial Photography.
Setting Your Brand Up For Product Photography Success
As you can see, there's no one-size-fits-all pricing model for product photography because it's both an art form and a service based on value. As you’ve read throughout this article, that value can vary widely based on a variety of factors.
Ultimately, the cost of your commercial product photography needs will come down to knowing what your brand wants and and what your brand needs. How do you know what your brand wants and what your brand needs? That's for your internal marketing team or advertising agency to decide. And those kind of decisions are made based on market research, brand development, creative strategy and host of other factors beyond the scope of this article.
The cost of creating high quality product imagery for your brand is ultimately going to be based on the specific and unique needs of your business. One of the best ways to prepare yourself for a conversation as it relates to product photography services and cost, is to know How to Hire A Commercial Photographer.
