Product Photography Pricing in 2024 – (and How Much to Charge)

Amateur product photographers can charge up to $50-$100 per hour while experienced professionals can charge around $300-$500 per hour. These rates vary depending on the photographer’s experience.

On average, product photography rates range between $20-$300 per product.

Quick fact:

Attractive images and video content inspire 3/4 of the consumers to make a purchasing decision.

However, only professional product photography can help you achieve that kind of result.

But, before you hire anyone, you need to have a good idea of product photography pricing.

Let’s see.

Product Photography Pricing

The average cost to hire a product photographer is $50 to $500 per hour or $10 to $150 per image, depending on their skill level.

Product Photography Pricing Table

Type	Average Cost
Per Day	$300 – $3,000
Per Hour	$50 – $500
Per Product	$20 – $300
Per Image	$10 – $150

Keep in mind that prices can vary depending on numerous factors; the above table is just to give you an idea.

The most prominent factors that product photography costs can vary are:

• The experience of the photographer
• The type of photography (Simple, Amazon or lifestyle photography)
• Your pricing requirements (per image, per hour, or per day)

We’ll take a deeper look at each one of those in detail below.

Let’s first see how product photography pricing varies based on your requirements.

One of the first things you want to ask yourself is:

Should I buy professional photography services per hour, per day, per image, or per product?

Pricing per Day

Paying by the day would give you a better idea about how much you have to invest in a photographer’s time.

Expect to pay anywhere between $300 and $3000 if the per-day photography pricing sounds better to you.

Pricing Per Image

Another option would be to hire a professional on a per-image basis.

Keep in mind that you might need more than a single image per product to showcase it to your audience effectively.

Depending on the experience of the photographer, the price per image may vary from $10 to even over $400. However, on average you should expect to pay $35-$170 per image.

Pricing Per Hour

If you want to pay by the hour, expect to invest anywhere from $50 to around $500. However, the hourly rate can be tricky.

You don’t always know exactly how much time a photographer would take to complete a project.

Therefore, you can easily end up paying more than you have to.

And, it can be problematic when there is a cap on how much you can spend on a project.

Pricing Per Product

The final product photography pricing method is when you pay per product.

This pricing model is especially useful when your products are somewhat similar. Your photographer would be better able to estimate the time and effort required for the project in this case.

Moreover, your photographer can utilize the same techniques and equipment throughout the project.

Generally, the more the number of products, the lesser you’ll be paying per product.

The average rate per product can range from $20 to $300.

How Much to Charge for Product Photography?

In general, product photographers can charge around $50 – $500 per hour. While hobbyists and beginners might charge anywhere from $10 to $25 per product image or around $50 per hour, professionals could charge more than $100 per image or up to $500 per hour.

The amount you charge for product photography depends on many factors. The main one is experience and portfolio.

Let’s discuss each level of experience in detail.

Hobbyists and beginners. The cheapest options are hobbyists and beginners who might want to get more exposure. You can go with them if you have a limited budget, but in most cases, the quality would be average.

Hobbyists or beginners might charge anywhere from $10 to $25 per product image or around $50 per hour.

Amateur photographers. They have a little bit of experience but no formal photographing education.

You can expect to pay anywhere around $50 per image to an amateur photographer.

Their per-hour price could be anywhere around the $100 mark.

Senior or semi-professionals. This would probably be the best compromise between pricing and quality.

Semi-professionals are part-timers, so while you’ll get good quality services, the investment will be reasonable.

Expect to pay an hourly rate of $150 to a semi-professional.

Professional (expert) product photographers. You might want to hire one of them if you have the budget.

They tend to be full-time photographers with a lot of experience and a robust educational background.

Professional full-time product photographers could cost you more than $100 per image or up to $500 per hour.

Keep in mind that your goal is product photography, not photography in general.

So, you are looking for someone who has the right experience.

For instance, an amateur with product photography experience would be a better choice than a semi-professional with no product photography experience.

If you are considering hiring a graphic designer to edit photos after, you can check their pricing as well.

Ecommerce Photography Pricing

Product photography with a plain white background is the most common type of professional photography service used in e-commerce.

It can cost around $50 per image. But, again, it depends on the experience and expertise of the photographer or the company.

Plus, e-commerce product photography pricing may also vary with the number of images you need.

Generally, the more the number of images, the lesser you’d have to pay per image.

The type of product photography is another factor that determines your overall costs.

Lifestyle Product Photography Pricing

Lifestyle product photography is where you place your product in a curated environment.

It helps your prospects to associate your product with a particular lifestyle, which eventually helps the conversion process.

This is because, in lifestyle product photography, people can imagine using your product.

So, how much should it cost?

Lifestyle product photography might cost you more than traditional e-commerce product photography with a plain white background.

This is because it involves creating a set, hiring a model, and renting props. So, you’ll pay the standard rate, plus the additional costs.

Per day, a lifestyle product photography session can cost you anywhere from $2000 to $5000.

Amazon Product Photography Pricing

You’d be paying the standard e-commerce product photography prices for Amazon products.

Amazon is easily the most popular e-commerce platform out there. So, every professional photographer should know how to take product photographs for the platform.

The e-commerce giant has its own Product Image Requirements, which include:

• The right image format
• Using CMYK or RBG color mode
• Keeping your product images free from everything other than the product
• Using a white background for main images

…and more.

Don’t forget to read it all if you are planning your product photoshoot for Amazon.

What to Keep in Mind When Hiring a Product Photographer?

We’ve talked about what variables can affect product photography pricing. But, what qualities should you look for in a product photographer?

Let’s see.

Experience

Although an experienced photographer will cost more than an amateur one, it’s always the better choice.

You don’t have to go with a top-level professional though; someone with decent product photography experience will do.

However, just make sure to work with someone who has experience in product photography, not photography in general.

Equipment

Of course, professional photography requires sophisticated equipment. Extra equipment is an important reason why lifestyle photography tends to be more expensive.

You want to hire someone with the right camera and equipment.

For example, if you are hiring someone to take picture of your real estate, then drone photography costs may vary.

Lighting

Lighting is a crucial aspect of product photography. And, it’s more than placing a product in a well-lit environment.

A product photographer worth their salt would know how to adjust the lighting based on the size, color, shape, and reflectivity of the product.

Editing Skills

Many photographers have image editing experience; working with someone like that will help you minimize your costs and streamline the process.

Plus, if your photographer knows image editing, they would capture images with the editing process in mind.

For instance, adjusting the lighting and camera exposure can help make the editing process easier.

Reasons For Additional Charges

We’ve talked about how much a professional product photographer should cost depending on:

• Their experience
• Type of product photography
• Your requirements

But, there can be other factors that can impact the overall cost of your project.

These include:

The size, weight, and complexity of your product. Generally, heavy and complex products cost more than smaller and simpler ones.

Difficult post-processing. Your project isn’t always limited to camera work. The product photos might need some retouching and editing before you can upload them on your e-commerce store.

And, of course, it’ll add to the overall cost of your project.

Time: Generally, professional photographers charge per image, per product, or per hour.

Let’s say you’ve hired someone for a few hours. Exceeding that pre-decided time would add to the cost.

Studio vs Independent Photographer. Product photography studios have a full team of professionals that generally handles big projects, so they’d naturally cost more.

On the flip side, independent photographers offer their services at different prices, depending on their experience and expertise.

Final Thoughts

However, after reading this post, you should have a good understanding of how Product photography pricing can vary.

Here are the important factors that affect the overall cost of your product photography projects:

• The experience of the photographer
• The type of project (lifestyle or plain white background)
• Your requirements (per hour, per image, per project)
• Photography equipment
• Size, weight, and complexity of the product
• Post-processing (editing)
• Individual vs team (Studio)

FAQ’s