Quality product images as the minimum requirement

The growth of e-commerce has been driven by the 66.2% of the global population with internet access — shoppers who prefer high-quality images that are bright, bold, attractive, neat, and visually appealing.

Brands that don't take product photography seriously risk losing sales: 75% of online shoppers rely on product photos to make purchases.

The importance of hiring a good product photographer

E-commerce store owners face the dilemma at some point:

• Do I outsource product photography?
• Do I DIY product images?
• Do I get the in-house product photography studio?

Whatever the case, it's crucial to know what you are looking for when hiring a product photographer, whether in-house or as an outsource.

Photography is abundant with nuance. Technical nuance, mind you. There are so many tiny things to be taken into account. So many lessons to be learned. So many skills require years to perfect.

Below, we share our empirical know-how on picking the best talents — so they can produce quality product photos daily with consistency, imagination, and speed.

The impact of professional photos compared to amateur ones

Every small business is tempted to try DIYing everything when it starts out. This can range from setting up an online store on Shopify to handling SEO, SEM, modeling, and even product photography.

Smartphones can produce high-quality images, and there are many YouTube videos on how to DIY your first product photoshoot, so this is certainly a possibility.

However, it requires much effort. Product photography involves technique, light, styling, working with models and stylists, retouching, etc. To take captivating photos, you must fully immerse yourself in this process while ensuring that other business needs do not disappear. The quality of your photo affects the perception of the product and, accordingly, the number of sales. Lost sales are a risk no e-commerce company can afford.

If you have the time and desire, you can learn photography. However, it is more efficient to delegate these processes to professionals.

Requirements & skills for a product photographer

There are 2 primary skill sets for appreciating a photographer's quality or experience: technical and managerial.

Our Lead Photographer, Keith (yes, that's him in the photo below – stylish as always), is going to help us sort everything out:

Technical photographer experience: photography and image editing skills 

First, ensuring the candidate is skilled in tabletop photography and has some relative experience is good.

• Has he ever done product images?
• Who was it for?
• What equipment was used?
• How many photos were provided to the client as a result?
• What was the turnaround time?
• What programs were used?

All of those FAQs will help you understand the candidate's credentials.

Secondly, it is good to determine how the person measures the time spent producing an image. Both the e-commerce store owner and the photographer must understand the standard of the required result: do they need multiple images for website product pages in a short time, or do they need a perfect image for the first page of the top glossy magazine? A candidate must know the difference between those two and be able to demonstrate a quick turnaround in his past professional life. A great polished image takes 2-3 times as much time as a high-quality product image against a white background.

Thirdly, you may want to estimate the level of understanding of the role of lighting in photography and the expanse of practical experience on the subject.

Here is the list of questions you may want to ask:

• What equipment do you use for your product photography sessions?
• Do you own it or rent it?
• How do you avoid reflection of the source of light on jewelry pieces?
• What was the most challenging client in terms of lighting, and why?

Photo-editing skills come under scrutiny last but are a significant part of a photographer's competency. More than just a year of verifiable image editing experience in Photoshop is required. In the best-case scenario, your perfect candidate will have 2+ years of full-time work with Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom. The more, the better. But the progression applies to rates, too.

Here are the primary skills I am looking for:

1. Patience, concentration and organization.
2. Technical background in-camera function and lighting design.
3. Knowledge of current capture software.
4. The ability to improvise and construct makeshift sets.
5. The ability to understand light and shadow. 
6. Handling products with delicate precision.  
7. Knowing how to properly use grip equipment.
8. The ability to focus on stack images.

– Keith, Lead Photographer

Managerial skills and experience

Organizational skills:

The product photography session requires plenty of planning and a proper system to go smoothly. Moreover, it needs adaptability to change and multitasking skills to put all the pieces of the session puzzle in place. Consider asking many questions to check for organizational skills, including the following: Do they use photography workflow software? Do they have an intuitive App to place orders?

‍Managerial skills:

Ask about the candidate's organizational chart. Are there any assistants involved? How long have they been a team? What is the hierarchy? What is the legal basis for cooperation?

You want to ensure your candidate has the managerial skills to complement the creative set for a smooth collaboration.

Troubleshooting:

This one is optional, but it is good to inquire if your products are out of the regular size, shape, or behavior or need extra work to handle. It's good to enquire about the most unexpected turns in the candidate's experience and how they were handled. It's also good to ask why delays happened and how they were reflected in the final pricing for the client.

Communication:

You can pick up clues from the very first communication or correspondence. Consider their response time and tone of voice. Ask them whether they use modern technology to simplify their workflow. Pay attention to how they treat assistants and clients. Are they proactive, or do they need to be reminded?

Complete algorithm of how to hire a good product photographer:

Here is what you can do:

1. Decide on the terms and conditions you need a photographer for project-based cooperation, an annual contract, or a permanent basis with a specific/unknown volume. Once you know how much volume you can offer, you can start negotiating your best terms.
2. Look in all the best spots to scout a good photo pro, as described in the next chapter. Compile an Excel list of 10-20 product photographers whose works you liked.
3. Ask for a portfolio and send all selected candidates an RFP (request for proposal). Be sure to specify your exact needs, including volume, deadlines, complexity, size of products, shipment requirements, style, and any other details known at the time.
4. Work to narrow down a shortlist of 3 top candidates within your budget and shipment costs and match your quality expectations and style.
5. Show the 3 shortlisted candidates to a couple of colleagues in your company — your superior and whoever will have to deal with them should be on the list.
6. Send them all an item for a trial shoot. Companies confident in the results will do it for free; some will charge to cover costs.
7. Receive the resulting trial images and choose your professional product photographer based on the trial images received.

Where to look for to hire a good product photographer

1. Google. First, check your area for the most minor delivery fees: "Product Photography New York" or “Clothing Product Photography in Los Angeles.” The ones shown below the ads are likely to have been in the market long enough and are, in all probability, the market leaders — which translates to Clients' Favorites status.
2. Instagram. Similarly, search for #productphotography #productphotographynyc #productphotographernyc to find some candidates and check their bio for contact details.

3. Competitor websites & social media pages should mention their photographer. Well, it's a free market. If they did a good job for your competitor, they might know your niche well and need to spend no time on introductions.
4. Facebook groups. Search for "Product Photography New York" and filter by "Group." Ask to join and post your short RFP with contact details for responses.

Questions you need to ask a product photographer candidate at an interview

What are your background and credentials?

See if the candidates have been in the industry for long. Who do they consider their competition? Who is their top client? How long have they been shooting? Did their works win professional awards? How big is the following on their Instagram account? What type of product shots do they enjoy shooting most: clothing, bags, shoes, jewelry, accessories – and why?

How many photos should we expect to get?

The e-commerce product page is the final step of the conversion, so lots of effort has been taken to drive a client all this way. Losing a client here hurts most, as the conversion is just one step away. You want to showcase your product from every angle and leave the customer well-informed about every item in the collection. See how many images of the product are the standard for the photographer. It depends on the niche, but the industry-wide norm is 3-5 images per product.

What type of equipment do you use?

To be able to make any conclusions, you don't need to be a pro really for 2 reasons:

1. You can always look up the models of sited equipment in a quick Google search as you speak.
2. The confidence, detail, and arguments a candidate exhibits while speaking on the subject will give you an idea of how well-immersed they are.

What's included in your fee?

There are too many variables to account for in the product photography pricing. Make sure you always request a final price that includes the following:

• delivery
• travel expenses
• equipment
• studio rental fees
• on-site handling of heavier items
• insurance
• post-production

What is the turnaround time?

A busy photographer is great news — they are in demand by other clients. A slow photographer is not great — you have to make sure: a) your order is not urgent, and no looming deadline is in sight; b) you are not charged per hour or day, but rather per image.

Ask to approximate the turnaround time to understand the production level of a specific candidate.

Do you have backups?

Having backups is a professional practice. It's insurance against technical mishaps, which happen all the time, specifically to photographers who don't have backups.

What are the rights to the photos?

Intellectual copyright is a complex subject with legal nuance that differs across countries. Deep-dive or hire legal advice to ensure you get the rights you want and don't pay for the rights you don't want. We don't mean to provide legal advice here but rather to emphasize its importance.

What is expected from the client?

It's important to clarify your role in the deal and how involved you want to be in the product photography process. This helps set clear expectations and encourages a friendly conversation with your photographer, which can lead to a strong partnership.

Additional questions

Keith's list of questions to ask while hiring a professional photographer:

1. Can you light and shoot using techniques that are uncommon to conventional photography?
2. Are you proficient with Capture One software?
3. Have you used focus stacking software?
4. Do you have experience in shooting medium or large formats?
5. What kind of lighting have you used?
6. Can you shoot on various surfaces, including Plexi and optical glass?
7. Have you assisted still life or product photographers in the past? If so, who?
8. Do you have a personal forte of product imagery? If so, what is it?
9. Do you have experience in styling your images? Can you style soft goods?
10. Do you have experience in shooting products with highly reflective surfaces?

Freelance vs. Studio

It is essential to understand that freelance photographers may have a cheaper price tag but higher risks concerning quality, consistency of production, and meeting deadlines.

While a professional photo studio may mean higher rates (not necessarily, but likely), it will also result in consistently high-quality images delivered promptly.

Squareshot product photography: imagery that drives eCommerce forward

If you are reading this, you might need product photography services. Squareshot offers high-quality product imagery with a quick turnaround time and very transparent pricing. Try our service and see how your product will look through a professional lens and years of experience.