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How much to pay for product photos

Updated: Apr 18, 2023


Black watch with rose petals aside

Pricing product photoshoots can be a difficult task for a product photographer. Many different elements need to be determined before the photographer will be able to price your project. Let's take a look at the main points you need to consider before you ask for a price quote.


  1. What type of product photos do you need?

  2. How many products and how many final images?

  3. Location and production costs



What type of product photos do you need?


It is important for a photographer to understand what is the concept of the project. In other words, what is the type of photos that you need?

The easiest way to quickly determine this is to have a few examples you find online that reflect the ideas you have in mind.


Do you need product photos for e-commerce with a clear or color background? Or do you need to show images in use, with a model?

Sometimes you might need both types which should also be clearly defined by you.


Here it is also worth mentioning that knowing your direction doesn't mean the photographer will not share any creative ideas with you. You can give your photographer more creative freedom and allow him to give you examples of how he sees this project and discuss it further. However, the first general idea of which direction you want the photos to go to need to be decided and communicated by you.


A silver watch on pink font

Woman spraying hands with perfume



How many products and how many final images?


Next is the amount of photos needed. Without a clear idea of how many images you need the photographer will have a difficult time to giving you the final price. Think of how many products need to be photographed and how many images per product you will need.


Then also keep in mind the more images you need the higher the price as it requires not only to photograph the product but also the photographer spends a lot of time editing and retouching the images after the photoshoot is over.



A set of cosmetic products

Room spray product photography

Product photography of open facial cream



Location and production costs


There could be extra costs associated with the photoshoot beside the photographer's fee. Depending again on what kind of images you need, there could be location or model costs involved.


Some photographers use their own studios to shoot, others will need to rent a more professional studio to make sure all the requirements are fulfilled. In other cases the location needed could be an apartment or a restaurant, depending on the concept.


Usually, when working with models, a makeup and clothing stylist is required.


A woman in long dress between big green leafs
A hand in pocket of black trousers with white watch

Keep in mind that also working with products itself, there could be a need for product styling. Some photographers are skilled in this as well which will save you additional costs. You may also need props that will be used in a photo, that's added to production costs.


These kinds of details you can discuss with the photographer who will advise you whether it's needed to use styling and other services, you don't have to know this upfront but keep in mind there could be extra costs. Your photographer will try to make the photoshoot as cost-efficient as possible.



Product photography of perfume on yellow font

A watch with pink rose and yellow flowers on pink font




It's worth a mention that the products have to be delivered to the photographer's studio. Sometimes products can be photographed in the studio without your presence and the photographer can share the images while working on them for your approval. Other times you spend a day in the studio, calculate parking costs.



When it comes to pricing, it again depends on the project and the photographer.

Some photographers charge per hour, others per day.

To give an example, hourly rates with professional photographers start from 65 EUR (hours count on the day of the shoot and also post-production time) or daily rates starting from 450 EUR half day to 1200 EUR a day.



Slice of orange on top of a glass

A dish on black plate


As mentioned before it's hard to determine the cost of the photoshoot without knowing all the necessary details. At Booking a Photographer we like to work with price quotes based on the project. You will receive a quote from our Amsterdam product photographers for the whole project once we determine exactly what you need.


One thing is absolutely sure, with great product images your sales will skyrocket much faster, this kind of investment is crucial for your business.


To help you determine your project you can ask us to send you Project Clarity Questions. It will help you clarify your project requirements before you ask the photographer for a price quote. Mention your request in the contact form.




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