How to Choose a Photographer

While all of these photographers are great, it may be simpler to choose one. That way, the style of the images remains consistent across all your pages. The question, then, is how to go about making a decision. Here is some advice to consider:

Check Out Their Past Work

Just as you intend to have images for your products, all the photographers in the industry should have images for their services. Look on their websites for a portfolio page, or for links to other websites for which they provided product photos. As you do so, consider how good a job they did. More than anything, this involves asking yourself: does the product in question look appealing? If not, then why not? When possible, you should peruse a plethora of pictures before committing to a choice.

Find an Aesthetic Match

Your website may already have a strong visual aesthetic that suits the personality of your brand. Any further visuals you include on your site must stay in line with that aesthetic, or else it will look “weird” and potentially turn people off. You need to find a photographer who either specializes in that aesthetic or is flexible enough to abide by it. You can learn about a certain person’s style by checking out samples. Some will even offer a “free trial” and show you how their style would look like on one of your products. No matter what you do, always strive for visual consistency.

Consider Their Experience

If you are in the market for a professional, then you might as well partner with a seasoned professional. Plenty of photographers out there have years of experience, maybe even decades. If you hire them, they will bring to the table all the methods, tricks, and deep knowledge of the craft that they have picked up over time. Of course, skill always comes first, and younger shutterbugs may know new tricks that the old dogs do not. However, years of experience can still serve as a strong indicator of skill.

Why Even Hire a Professional?

The newest smartphones can capture stunning images in high resolution, and a cursory glance at social media reveals that many people take advantage of this. However, hiring a professional to handle your product photography can yet be an excellent investment. Here are some advantages to doing this rather than taking the images yourself:

The Equipment They Use

Professional camerapersons use professional cameras, which allow them to do far more than you could with even a robust smartphone camera. These cameras can capture images in even higher-quality resolution, especially if they bring an assortment of lenses for different effects. In addition to that all-important instrument, the person you hire might bring highly-adjustable tools like tripods, and lighting equipment like modifiers and umbrellas. Equipment is one thing that makes these people professionals.

The Editing They Do

In most cases, photography is more complex than snapping a picture and striking gold. Many of the beautiful photographs you see, whether on product pages or elsewhere, were highly touched-up between the shoot and the public unveiling. This is where much of the real photography work begins, and where the professionals’ expertise can truly shine. They use classic techniques and modern software that transform average photos into things of beauty. It is the latter that can really sell your products.

Their Eye for Strong Visuals

All that equipment is worth little if the operator does not know how to wield it for the most impact. Dedicated photographers have an intimate understanding of the craft beyond that of many snap-happy smartphone users. They understand how to use angles, lighting, zoom, empty space, backgrounds, and props to highlight a product’s best features. Thanks to their thorough education and years of experience, their intuition, or rather their “eye” for a good photo, is sharp. There is truly no substitute.

Hopefully, this should give you a better idea of how to select a great professional cameraperson for your product pictures. While you may want to return to our list of the best Brooklyn, NY photographers, you should certainly feel free to broaden your sights around the country as well. To show you what we mean, you may want to also check out our list of the best Los Angeles product photography agencies here.