How much does a product photographer cost?

without fabulous product photos, the chances of selling your product diminish exponentially. so the question becomes, is it worth it? and if so, how much should it cost?

pricing can be one of the hardest pieces to figure out in this content-driven world. hiring an individual contractor or freelancer may actually cost more than outsourcing a studio to shoot content for your online store. this may make it more challenging to stay on budget on a project per-project basis. there are a few ways that individual product photographers bill their shoots.

freelancer vs an outsourced studio

some freelance product photographers choose to quote based on the number of products and use an equation that is something like the following-

(# of products x base rate) + # of hours to shoot= $$$

others will factor in the number of deliverables, or images, you want from the shoot-

(# of products x base rate) + (# deliverables x rate/photo) +  # of hours= $$$

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factors that affect freelance photographer quotes include:

• deposits- freelance photographers typically ensure to secure a deposit to ensure their efforts are not wasted. 
• props and models: photographers charge extra if they have to source props or models, themselves.
• photographer's time including client communication before and after the shoot
• photographer’s experience and education: the more experience the photographer has, the higher their rate is likely to be.
• shipping of your product: the cost of shipping your product to and from the photographer’s location is not covered by the photographer and is often left for you to cover. 
• overhead charges: general costs that may be integrated into a quote or estimate will likely include a set amount for equipment (camera setup, lighting, backdrops– you name it!), studio space, travel time, and editing software. 
• editing and retouching- it takes as much time if not more to edit and finalize photos after a photoshoot. photographers typically charge for this additional time or have a hefty upfront fee to cover this part of the editing process.

overall, if you decide to go with the route of hiring an independent contractor or freelancer, expect to pay anywhere from $750 to upwards of $3000+. once the shoot has been completed, ambiguous charges on the final invoice may come as a shock to you as a client. 

the above costs also do not take into account the time spent finding and vetting the right photographer, communicating back and forth, scheduling and balancing the involved parties’ calendars and all the other mumbojumbo. additionally, the added time associated with editing and retouching from the freelancer photographer can really hold up timelines. especially if they don’t work with a team. 

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pronto on the other hand has the ability to charge less for photoshoots because we have the team and resources to produce higher volumes of quality work which allow us to pass on the cost savings to our customers. our pay for only what you love model allows the customer to decide what to spend the marketing budget on. we also provide glow-up services that enhance a photoshoot. these add-ons include things like:

• models 
• hair and makeup
• styling services
• prop-shopping

since the focus is on creating impactful content, clients decide where to allot budget to these add-ons. in addition to all of the cost savings, pronto has simplified product photography, removing all of the back-and-forth of finding, vetting and negotiating with a photographer as well as communicating about the needs of the photoshoot. 

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simply tell us what you need, and we can take it from there!

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