As a business owner, you are probably aware that product photography can make or break your business. High-quality product photographs allow your customers to interact with your products. Yes, other factors such as social media and online marketing play a role, but nothing beats a high-quality image.
We thought we would take the opportunity to give you further insight into how product photography can help you to increase turnover and profit. It is certainly a business essential that you should build into your budget.
High-Quality Product Photography – More Important Than Ever!
Images really do matter. That is why leading companies make product images a priority. It is the photographs that attract customers to a product, not words.
The old saying first impressions matter is more true than ever before. When a potential customer sees a great-looking photograph of your product, he is much more likely to explore the product and want to buy it. Normally, the first point of contact a customer has with your product is through photography. After all, that is how digital advertising works. Like the rest of us, you have probably been there.
A photograph has caught your eye and before you know it, you are clicking on the link. In other words, something has caught your attention. Now that you have got their attention, you need to move onto the next step. That is to convince a customer to buy your product.
The best way to do so is to have a string of quality photographs and even video ready for your customer.
Yes, the text does matter, but when it comes to the wonderful world of online sales, the text is very much the supporting actor. The star of the show is ALWAYS the photograph.
This Is What High Quality Product Photography Can Do For Your Business
It is not easy to explain what product photography can do for your business. Photographs are often linked to emotions. As we all know, it is not easy to put your finger on emotions and how they work. However, there are a few things that we definitely know that professional product photography can do for your business.
The User Experience Matters
When it comes to ecommerce, the entire process from start to finish is important. Not only will it matter how a customer perceives your product, it has an influence on how he sees your brand as well.
If you want to hang on to an online customer, you need to deliver a user-friendly experience. Some factors play a more essential role than others, and these are some key players.
- Easy navigation
- Fast loading
- Excellent photographs – would a blurry photograph make you want to buy a product? The answer to the question is no – it is as simple as that.
According to a recent survey carried out by Google, almost half of US consumers now shop online. Over time, online shoppers have built up a certain standard and expectation when it comes to making online purchases. Why should someone buy from you if you don’t provide them with quality images?
Think about it this way – what does a low-quality image say about your goods? Many consumers would think that you are not really that happy about your product and have not invested enough money in it to make it worthwhile buying it. Most consumers think that a low-quality image equals a poor quality product.
How To Increase The Customer’s Confidence and Get Them To Buy
Shopping online is very much an experience built on trust. If you are thinking about having your products professionally photographed, you have probably shopped on Amazon and realized the benefits. Has a poor-quality image ever made you want to buy a product?
Of course not, we would not really trust an online retailer that only has poor quality images of their products. If the product photograph is not good and informative, you are not very likely to buy the product. That applies to pretty much anything.
For example, take a look at skincare. Leading brand manufacturers make their skincare products look fantastic. Text is added, but does it really mean that much? Ask any woman, and she will tell you it is the photograph that draws her in and sells the product.
Why did you change your brand of vodka? Was it the taste that initially drew you to the bottle or was it the image? We all know the answer to that question – it was the image of that beautiful bottle covered in a slight frost.
Get Your Brand And Logo Out There
Leading brands always show off their brand design and logo. Porsche cars have not changed the exterior of their cars for years. The moment we see a photograph of a Porsche, we instantly know that it is a Porsche.
The company takes advantage of high quality images in their marketing and advertising campaigns. As soon as we see the distinct shape of the Porsche, we know what the brand is without us having to see the name.
If you say Porsche, you will instantly see an image of a distinctly shaped car. That is how well established the Porsche brand is all around the world.
Product Photography Has Come A Long Way
In the early days of photography, it took a long time to get an image. The father of photography, Monsieur Nicéphore Niépce, finally managed to snap the first photograph in the early part of the 1820s. Snap is perhaps the wrong word to use as it took the slightly crazy French inventor hours to create a permanent reproduction.
Still, it was a great idea. But, if it wasn’t for his colleague, Monsieur Daguerre, we may not have had access to a much faster photography process. Daguerre managed to make both processes easier and create a much better final photograph.
The Invention Of the Kodak Camera
50 years after Monsieur Daguerre simplified the photography process, George Eastman, co-founder of Kodak, created the first portable camera. Finally, we could all start taking our own photographs.
Photography In The Digital Age
Believe it or not, Kodak went on to develop the first digital camera. It was first developed in 1975 but never launched.
The owners of Kodak worried that a digital camera could swallow up any profits the company was making at the time. Back then, the profits were not derived from selling cameras. Most of the profit was, in fact, generated from the sales of film.
How things have changed. Today, very few of us still use film. At the end of the day, physical film is not something that you can retouch. A “film” photograph would probably not meet the high standard set by eCommerce sites such as Amazon.
Product Photography Pricing
Online sales and stores were initially slow to take off. Many of us simply could not relate to the blurry images that we were seeing online.
It was not until Amazon and eBay started to focus on making sure that they supplied customers with high quality photographs, that we finally realized the importance of high quality product photography. Yes, images will lead to increased sales.
As we can’t physically interact with the product, we need some other way of doing so. The best way to put a customer in touch with a product, and let him or her get a feel for it, is by using high quality image techniques.
Not only do we have better cameras, but we also have access to programs and apps that allow us to manipulate the photographs we have taken. Retouching is an essential part of product photography. As a matter of fact, most photographers think that eCommerce would not be such a soaring success without it.
Different Types Of Product Photography Services
Product photography is one of the fastest-growing fields in eCommerce. If you are good at it and have an eye for a subject matter, it is an excellent career choice. Thanks to the Internet, both large and small companies need product photography.
In the last few years, product photography has really taken off and new studios are springing up. That is great, but what ultimately matters is the quality of the photographs on your website.
Where Can I Find A Professional Product Photography Studio?
Finding a freelance product photographer is not always that easy. When it comes to teaming up with a product photographer, there are some do’s and don’ts that you should pay attention to before you go ahead and contact him or her.
Do’s:
- Make sure your product photographer you are going to be working with, is a professional. Ideally, they should specialize in this kind of photography. Product photography is a skill and a craft.
- Are they local to you? Working with a local photographer has many advantages. You can meet up and discuss current and future assignments.
- Do they have experience? Yes, it is nice to support someone just starting out in business. If you are thinking about going down this line, make sure the person has got TALENT.
- Check out their equipment. Retouching is an important part of the process. If a product photographer does not have the necessary equipment to retouch photos, you could be wasting your time.
- Do they have a portfolio? Having a portfolio matters a great deal. If your choice of photographer has worked with other clients in the area, you can contact them. Finding out if photos have had an impact on a sales campaign is crucial.
- Costs matter but may not be the most important factor. What really matters is the quality of the photographs.
- Has the studio or photographer worked with a range of clients? If a photographer has worked with both local, national, and international clients, it will tell you that he is getting right.
- What about time? Does he have the time to take on another client?
- Does he specialize in a certain kind of product photography? Make sure that your photographer is just as happy to photograph a vodka bottle as he is a sports car, watch or paintbrush.
- Does he work on his own or with colleagues? Yes, it is great to help out a local guy working in his garage, but that may not make for easy scheduling. Working in online sales, or bringing a new product to the market, often means that you need your product photography project delivered quickly.
- Should be able to meet industry standards.
Don’ts:
- Don’t contract a person who you have no confidence in. You need to be comfortable working with your photographer of choice.
- Not sure about the turnaround time? When a photographer can’t give you a completion date, you want to think twice about working with him.
- Visit the studio. If a photographer does not have all of the equipment, he is probably not the right fit for you.
- Does he have professional training? Yes, it is important that a product photographer has professional training and experience.
- Can he help you with “extras?” Extras are anything from small and large props. Be aware that sometimes you may need models to make the most out of your product photography. Who will be responsible for contracting professional models?
There are many things to consider before you go ahead and contract a product photographer.
Pricing In Product Photography
Pricing is indeed an essential part of any kind of photography assignment. But, it matters more when it comes to product photography. Why is that? It is simple. Most of the time, you will need a large number of photographs. You should never underestimate the number of photos that you may need.
Selling products online often means that you need to promote your products across a variety of sites. Remember that different sites expect you to adhere to their terms and conditions. They may vary so you need to make sure that you are ready for almost anything.
You may even want to do a product launch in the mainstream press, trade magazine, or on TV. In that case, you have even more editorial standards to adhere to.
There are other essentials you need to bear in mind. An experienced product photographer knows infographics are an essential part of the package. Remember that going back to a project and re-photographing it is often more expensive. It is best to make sure you have all eventualities covered.
Paying Per Photo
This is perhaps the most popular way of charging when it comes to product photography. What does it mean? It can mean anything from paying per photo taken to paying for each photo you have accepted. Make sure that you are clear on that before you agree to this charging structure.
Does the cost include extras such as models? That is another thing that you want to be clear on before you go ahead and say yes. As already mentioned, retouching is important when it comes to e-commerce. Any cost per photograph should include retouching i.e. the complete finished product.
Working Nine To Five – Cost Per Day Or Hour
Some photographers charge per day. This is a popular way of charging when a photographer has to rent an outside studio to work on an assignment. Setting up a shoot takes time and most professional photographers like to factor in time. That is why many photographers use this charging structure.
You will find that many larger companies and organizations are happy to pay for their photography assignments in this way. If you are going to go down this route, you need to plan ahead and make sure that you are fully aware of what is included in the price.
When a photographer says everything, you should ensure that you are 100 percent clear on what “everything” means. Does it include location costs? The best thing to do is to ask, ask, and then ask again. Never worry about requesting a written estimate or cost schedule.
What Are Additional Costs?
When a photographer starts talking about additional costs, you should make sure you know what he means by additional costs. The last thing you want is to end up with an expected bill at the end of the project. Set yourself a budget and stay within it as much as possible.
Who Pays For Edits?
This is the other thing that you want to be clear on. The cost of paying for edits and new ideas quickly adds up. Before you start working together with a product photographer, make sure you have given him all of the relevant information when it comes to completing the job.
“Going over” things takes time and you will be charged for any edits that you request.
Reshooting Your Products
If the photographer makes an error, it is up to him to take new photographs. However, if you make an error when you hand over the assignment to him, you will need to pay.
Once again, make sure that you go through every small detail with the photographer. You may think that a certain something does not matter. That is not true. The smallest details matter a great deal when it comes to product photography. You don’t want to end up paying for another day because you forget to say that the logo must be displayed in a certain way.
Styling, Props, and Models
All three can end up adding considerable cost to the project. Sit down with the photographer and go through all of the costs. Be very clear about your budget and tell him that you want the final cost.
That includes all of the styling, props, and models of the four-legged or two-legged variety. If you are working to a tight budget, consider if you really need to have an elephant to help you promote your new Indian-style clothing or jewelry range.
In Conclusion
Product photography should always make your product look a million dollars. It should tell a story and promote a brand. It is not cheap, but the truth is that it is worth its weight in gold.
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8 thoughts on “The Ultimate Guide To Product Photography Pricing”
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