All businesses want to showcase their product in the best possible light. They want to make sure product images are clear, professional, and impactful enough to influence customer decisions. You need professional product photographyservices to get the best results. Most businesses, especially small establishments with limited budgets, are hesitant to invest in professional services. Here’s a look at some facts about this process that can help you make the right decision:
1. What is Product Photography?
Product photography is the process of taking high-quality, descriptive, and visually-pleasing images of a product. Its purpose is to highlight the item’s purpose, appearance, dimensions, and provide details that will help a customer make informed decisions. Product photography is more than just an image of an item. It is a marketing technique that showcases the item in the best possible light and ensures there’s a strong brand presence in the image. Good-quality photography is always purposeful and sends a clear message to prospective customers.
Most customers can easily spot the difference between professional and DIY images, which can influence their purchase decision.
2. Do All Businesses Need Product Photography?
If you sell a product, you need product photography. Even brick-and-mortar businesses need professional services for banners, brochures, displays, and other forms of marketing. Good-quality images are essential for online businesses and eCommerce platforms because customers don’t have the opportunity to interact with the product directly. They will rely on pictures to determine whether the item fits their requirements.
Experts recommend adding 3-8 images to a business page although many add up to a dozen. Shots from different angles with different backgrounds can help customers understand the product and easily determine if that’s what they need.
3. Should I Hire Professional Photographers?
The short answer is yes. Professional photographers are trained experts with ample experience. They know how customers interact with images and understand their expectations. They also have some marketing knowledge, which helps them produce targeted images. Professional photography is refined, polished, and purposeful. Experts endeavor to provide as much accurate information as they can through carefully produced images.
Professional photography has a better brand presence, provides more accurate color and size representation, and ensuresthe images are suitable for all platforms. Poor-quality product images can mislead customers and cause problems for your brand.
4. What’s Included in the Photography Process?
The product photography process is a little more complicated than most people assume. It involved an in-depth consultation, followed by a comprehensive research and planning process. Once photographers have a clear concept in mind, they start preparing for the shoot by choosing different background elements, lighting tools, and models if necessary.
Professional editing follows the shoot. Experts use tools like Photoshop to refine images and ensure they have no flaws. They correct contrast and lighting, remove distracting elements and ensure the product is always the hero of the image. Professional product photography isn’t complete without comprehensive editing.
5. How Much Does Product Photography Cost?
The cost of professional services can vary from one studio to another. It depends on the studio’s location, photographer’s reputation, overhead costs, model and location expenses, and other such factors. The average cost of product photography is around $20 and $50 per image. Some studios charge anywhere between $500 and $3,000 per day.
A studio will provide a custom quote after the consultation so you can make informed decisions on the price. Experts recommend adding all expenses and dividing the sum by the number of images you have. For example, if you pay $500 for professional photography and get 10 images, you have spent $50 on every image. If you want to upload eight images of every product, the cost of photography per product is $400. Breaking down the costs in such a way can help clients make an informed decision.
6. Where Can I Use Product Images?
Businesses can use professional product images on all kinds of online and offline platforms. Some of the most popular places to use professional product photography include:
- eCommerce platforms like Amazon and eBay.
- Business websites.
- Social media platforms.
- Print media like magazines and newspapers.
- Offline promotional materials like flyers, brochures, and banners.
- Packaging.
As you can see, professional product images are versatile and can be used for multiple purposes. You can use digital copies freely on any platform as long as the images don’t violate the platform’s regulations. A professional photographer will be familiar with the rules of all popular websites and tailor their images accordingly.
7. What’s Included in Good-Quality Product Photographs?
Most business owners don’t know how to distinguish between good-quality product images and bad ones. Pretty images can catch the eye but they don’t always lead to conversions. Professional photographs should include:
- Accurate information about the product’s size and dimensions.
- Accurate color representation.
- Strong brand presence.
- A clear message about the product and its purpose.
- Shots from different angles so customers can see the whole product.
Photographers should make sure the product doesn’t include any false or misleading information. For example, you shouldn’t use photo editing software to make colors look brighter than they actually are. Misleading images can lead to negative reviews and compromise your brand’s reputation online.
8. Who Owns the Rights to the Images?
Clients have full usage rights to the images they pay for. You can upload them on all platforms like Amazon, Instagram, your business website, etc. You have full ownership of the images and can use them for as long as you want. Clients also have full rights to deny other people usage of their images. For example, you can ask people to remove your product images from their website if the situation warrants it.
Photographers retain creative rights, which means they get credit for the images. Clients or third-parties can’t claim they produced the images and deny the studio its creative rights.
If you have any more questions about product photography, contact a local studio and request a free consultation. An expert will explain all of the expenses involved, provide information on the process, and offer nuanced advice. Find a reputable photographer by looking at online reviews and testimonials.
