Booking a professional product photographer for the first time can feel uncertain. You're not sure exactly what to send, how many shots to expect, or what you need to prepare. With a clear brief and a bit of upfront organisation, a shoot runs smoothly and produces a lot. This guide covers what you need to know before, during, and after.

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Start with what you actually need

Before getting in touch, it helps to have a rough idea of what you're shooting and where the images will be used. You don't need a detailed creative brief, but a few clear answers make a real difference to how accurately you get quoted and how efficiently the shoot runs.

• What products, how many SKUs, and are there multiple colourways?
• What style: clean white background, lifestyle, styled flatlay, or a mix?
• Where the images will be used: Shopify, Instagram, EDMs, wholesale catalogues, print?
• Any reference images, competitors, mood boards, or past work you liked?
• Your deadline, especially if there's a launch date attached

A good photographer will ask the right questions regardless, but the more clarity you bring to the first conversation, the faster everything moves.

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How product photography is priced

Pricing varies depending on volume, shoot style, and the level of post-production required. Most product photographers price on one of two models.

Per-image pricing sets a rate per final edited image. This works well for ecommerce runs with a defined list of deliverables. You know exactly what you're getting and can plan accordingly. Higher volumes attract lower per-image rates. My ecommerce minimum order is six images, and all six need to be within the same setup: six flatlays, six packshots, and so on. Mixed setups don't apply to the minimum order.

Day or half-day rates suit campaign shoots, lifestyle photography, or anything requiring more creative direction, prop sourcing, and set building. This model gives flexibility to explore different setups within the session.

Retouching and post-production should always be discussed at quoting stage. Ghost mannequin compositing, background removal, colour correction, and advanced retouching all take time and that time should be in the quote upfront, not added at the end. I provide a clear breakdown before any work begins.

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How to prepare your products

This is the biggest factor you can control that directly affects the quality of your final images. Well-prepared products photograph faster, look better, and need less retouching.

For clothing and apparel:

• Group items by category if shooting multiple styles
• Remove packaging or tags that shouldn't appear in the final image
• Flag clearly if hangtags should be in shot

For beauty, skincare, and packaged products:

• Wipe all surfaces clean. check for scuffs or marks in the ink (I do retouch these but its best to start clean!)
• Remove any stickers or labels that shouldn't be in the final shot
• Send spare units for detail shots open packaging, or if you need texture shots of creams 

For homewares and lifestyle products:

• Pack carefully. Scratches and marks that arrive will need to be retouched out
• Send colour swatches, brand guides, or reference imagery that might inform prop selection prior to sign off

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On the day

A drop-and-shoot service means products are couriered in, shot, and files delivered remotely for review. This is popular with  brands who want consistent, quality imagery without loosing hours of their time. 

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Common questions

How long does a shoot take? I deliver files within 10-business days of product arrival. If its going to be longer this is arranged prior to quote finalisation. 

What file formats will I receive? High resolution JPG as standard, for ecommerce, PNG high res files and JPG web-ready files. 

Do you offer retouching as a standalone service? Yes. If you have existing images needing background removal, colour correction, or retouching, get in touch with a sample and I'll let you know what's involved.