When it comes to product photography, brands are often faced with a key decision: build an in-house photo team or outsource the work to a specialized studio.

An in-house setup can offer more control but usually requires greater time, budget, and management investment. On the other hand, outsourcing may involve giving up some control, but it can save resources, move faster, and scale more easily.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The best choice depends on your business needs, growth stage, and how quickly you want to operate. Let’s take a closer look at both options so you can decide what makes the most sense for your brand.

What is In-house Product Photography about?

The in-house photography department is a structural unit that allows a company to plan, shoot, produce, and edit commercial images permanently using the resources and workforce employed by the business.

Such in-house photography studios rely on their own:

• Team. Includes an in-house photographer, assistants, a project manager, and a photo editor.
• Location. Operates out of a rented or owned studio space.
• Equipment. Uses the company’s gear to handle all product photography in-house, including cameras, lenses, tripods, lighting, and editing software.

What is Outsourced Product Photography about?

Outsourced photography is a way of sourcing commercial photography services from persons or companies not directly employed by a commercial entity. It usually uses resources that are not part of the entity's inventory. In this case, the studio and equipment can be rented out or belong to a company to which the photo services are outsourced.

There are two common routes: collaborate with freelance photographers or partner with a product photography company that handles everything from setup to final delivery. Both options allow brands to scale content production without investing in costly gear or full-time staff.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Making a Decision

How many product images does your company need per year?

Think of product photography as car maintenance. If you own one car, visiting a repair shop when needed makes sense. But if you manage a fleet of 100, building an in-house garage quickly becomes the smarter, more cost-effective choice.

The same logic applies to setting up an in-house photo studio. Start by estimating your break-even point. How many images do you need annually to justify the cost of equipment, space, and salaries?

Do a quick calculation: multiply the number of products you plan to launch each year by the average number of images per product (typically 4–5). An in-house setup could make financial sense if you're looking at tens of thousands of images annually. If it’s just a few thousand, outsourcing is likely the smarter move.

How much control do you need/want?

This is as crucial an issue as the first question. If you want all the control over the result and the process, you have to produce all the product imagery in-house.

Full control comes with an in-house studio. The next best option is a long-term partnership backed by a detailed contract that outlines each step of the process.

How urgent is your product photography order?

As in any business, setting up a product photography studio involves a learning curve. Make sure you have plenty of time to execute your first batches of commercial images.

Dunning-Kruger's experiment demonstrated that people tend to overestimate their abilities when they lack the competence to recognize them. Whoever starts any activity lacks the competency to recognize the lack of competency. This usually leads to deadlines that are not kept and budgets that grow way above the initially forecasted.

So, if your product imagery is urgent, consider working with professionals who can guarantee the execution of a specific workload within specific time frames.

Are your products shipment-friendly?

Delivery cost is a significant factor in the cost formula of outsourcing photography. The more demanding your products are in terms of shipment, the more logical it is to consider an in-house photo department or an outsourced photography service on your premises.

What are the factors that make products extra tough to ship?

• Weight. If you are producing some super heavy security safes, be prepared to pay extra for shipment and have their photoshoot done on an outsourcing basis. Heavy lifting also translates into extra costs for on-site work: an extra workforce is required to position the object on the site.
• Volume. Some things are not too heavy but take up lots of space. Dry pool balls, for example. After all, they are a thin layer of light plastic around a sphere of weightless air. They may weigh nothing, but they take up lots of space in a delivery truck. You get the logic.
• Price. If you are an online jewelry store that sells deluxe-quality gold and diamond pieces, the shining centerpiece of your shipping costs will likely be the insurance premiums and security escort fees.
• Fragility. Getting a fragile piece from point A to point B is a gamble and a high risk. However much bubble wrap is used, or how bold the letters in the inscription "FRAGILE" on the box are, there are 5 to 10 high-risk zones when a fragile thing can break into pieces.

Does your team have the skills to get it done in-house?

The more expertise your team already has, the easier it is to build an in-house photo department. At a minimum, you'll need a product photographer, a project manager, a photo editor, and IT support.

If those roles don’t exist in-house, setting up your studio will be a bigger lift.

Hiring In-house vs. Outsourcing Product Photography

In the upper part of this article about in-house versus product photography outsourcing services, we have taken the coaching approach, arriving at the conclusions together by asking questions.

Below, we provide ready-made answers that require no work. See if they apply to your online e-commerce business. Below are the pros and cons of both worlds: in-house product photography for e-commerce and outsourcing e-commerce photography.

Pros of In-house Photography

The team you trust. One of the pluses of outsourcing photography services is that you can choose to explore other alternative suppliers without much detriment to the process if the standards are not good enough for you. On the other hand, an in-house team of photographers is a unit you get to mold per your liking, so you know them inside out, trust them, and rely on their loyalty.

More control and engagement. You have a say in everything in this case — the model of photo equipment used on set, the minimum number of years of experience of team members, and the background color.

Predictability and standards. The team will adhere to certain standards, and a few months after launch, the process and productivity levels will also be predictable.

Keeping with brand guidelines. If your brand is working with a premium average check, you may have a specific focus on brand consistency. In this case, companies may want to control the process from A to Z – from session concept to editing and naming, to uphold the tone of voice in visual communication to a certain standard. In-house photography is a reasonable option, then.

In this case, outsourcing product photo editing may be tricky, requiring robust operations processes from both the studio you decided to outsource to and from your side.

Cons of In-house Photography

Investment in training. The learning curve we mentioned previously is agonizing for some companies. Training takes time, hiring is cumbersome, and talent is rare and expensive.

Investment of time. A business owner will have to invest tons of time, effort, and expertise to build an in-house photography department. It won’t build itself, that’s for sure. This is a good reason to go read up on all the nuances of product photography in our blog. Even theoretical knowledge will convert to saved hours and avoid costly mistakes.

Investment in equipment. We have broken down the math for you in this detailed article, and the upfront cost will depend on the real estate. But even if you do have some spacious room for the purpose, equipment is still an investment. Cameras, lenses, tripods, and lighting are the bare basics to purchase. Editing software is another necessity in business that requires investment as well.

Pros of Outsourced Photography

Reduced short-term resources (limited money, time, and effort). In the short run, outsourced product photography services are the way to go if you have little time, funds, energy, or overall resources to invest. A professional team has gone through the learning curve years ago and is ready to mass-produce quality images within precise time limits and budgets.

No hidden costs. When you start any activity or business, you don’t know what you don’t know. You may plan as thoroughly as possible, but there is always something you have not foreseen. With a photo company, you have all the final estimates in your inbox a few hours after submitting a clear brief.

Access to experienced photographers equals efficiency and quality. There is this adage about Picasso making a quick portrait of a lady during an idle walk upon her request. When the lady asked how much it would be, Picasso mentioned a large amount, say, 1000 dollars. The lady exclaimed, “It only took you 5 minutes to draw it. Why so much?” Picasso answered, “It took me my entire life to draw it that quickly.”

When you get professionals working on a project, it takes them little time to do it perfectly, as they have made all the mistakes when charging other clients less.

Increased quality of your photos. While your in-house team may take months or years to achieve the high standards of work, professional photography services providers can produce high-quality images immediately. You can focus on your marketing campaign while the photo studio will take care of your content.

Turn-key product photography solutions. You don't have to micro-manage, waste time learning the nuances of new trades, or hunt for the best equipment at the lowest price. By outsourcing your image requirements, you automatically receive a complete solution. There is no need to look over your shoulder and control the process.

Cons of Outsourced Photography

Chances of miscommunication. There is a possibility of miscommunication with a provider of services, specifically during the first order. Talk through every little detail of your expectations and provide references wherever possible.

Longer lead time. If you need to do something urgently, an outsourced company may not be readily available to work on other customers' orders at that very same minute. So, sound planning is recommended to make the process stress-free.

More costly for higher volumes of images. If you need product images of tens of thousands of items per annum, chances are you are better off with in-house product photography, cost-per-image-wise. Or you can keep shooting in-house and outsource product photo editing to cut some costs.

Choosing Between In-House and Outsourced Product Photography

Depending on where you stand with your business development, capital, and volume of product photography needs, the article may have answered by now which way to go at this stage of development of your e-commerce business.

Still, it’s important to remember that this choice isn’t set in stone. As your brand evolves, so too can your approach. Many businesses start by outsourcing to save time and ensure quality, then gradually bring photography in-house as they scale and build internal capabilities. The key is to align your decision with your current goals, budget, and capacity while staying flexible for what’s ahead.

If outsourcing feels like the right next step, you can always count on Squareshot to deliver product shots on time.