Finding the Ideal eCommerce Product Photographer

Having a list of excellent freelance photographers still does not resolve the question of which one would be best for you. When fielding the candidates, you need to consider which one best matches your desired aesthetic and meets your business’s needs. Here are some tips for making your choice:

See Relevant Samples

A good rule of thumb for the internet: any artist trying to sell their wares online has a portfolio of their work. They collect and offer samples on their website specifically so potential clients like you can look over them and see their style. Do this, but do it thoroughly, not passively. Carefully consider the aesthetic: even if their samples look great, they still need to match the visual style of your site. Also, while some photographers are jacks-of-all-trades, concentrate on examples of their product photography. The principles that govern that are far different than, say, college graduate portraits.

Ask Around for Recommendations

All of the photographers in your consideration may be total strangers to you. However, they may actually be colleagues of your colleagues. The search for the right product photographer could be made less exhausting if you simply ask around for recommendations. Find out who your close contacts in the industry turn to for their own work, or have them ask their own contacts. Networking is important for any artist-for-hire, but it can be mutually beneficial to those who are looking for artists-for-hire.

Request a Free Trial

Sometimes, you just cannot know how a collaboration will be like until you actually test it. Some photographers understand this and may allow you to have a “free sample” of their work. This means they would conduct a short shoot for one of your products, touch up the image, and just give it the works. When you see the final image, you may then have a much stronger sense of how your product pages might look with this photographer in charge of the visuals. You can then either continue your search elsewhere or hire them to handle the rest of your inventory.

What Professional Photographers Can Do For You

You may be tempted to simply snap your own product pictures. However, that cheap approach may prove costly if they are low-quality or make the products look unappealing. Photography is an art, and you would do well to find someone with an intimate knowledge of its principles. Here are some examples of what hired professionals bring to the table:

The Proper Angles

You may think you know the items in your inventory intimately — you may have even made them yourself. However, that does not necessarily translate to knowing the best angle from which to shoot them. Professional camerapersons know how find the best sides of their models, even when those models are inanimate objects like your products. They should, ideally, understand which sides your customers would like to see. The angle for a photograph can highlight certain aspects of a product’s design. Professionals recognize that and figure out what to emphasize and which angle will do it best.

The Right Lighting

Of course, a good angle is nothing if the customer can hardly see it. Lighting has been important for cameras since long before photography, with the camera obscura of ancient times creating inverted images from sunlight and candlelight. Professionals know when to use artificial or natural lighting, what brightness to use, and what angle works best with it. They also pay attention to how it affects visual details like color and shadow — or, better still, how they can use color and shadow to bring out the best side of your products. All of these tools can help make the items you offer look more appealing.

The Expertise

The question may still linger: why could I not just look up some tips on lighting and angles, and then do the job myself? The true value of hiring someone to handle your product pictures lies in the professional training and experience of the person behind the lens. Anyone can take a high-resolution picture these days, but genuine photographers know how to take a high-quality picture. They have a much stronger eye for composition and visual elements, and they know how to make your products look as appealing as possible. That does more for sales than a layperson’s low-quality photos ever could. Perhaps more than ever before, obtaining the expertise of a professional can make a major difference.

When you search for a good photographer, you do not need to limit yourself to one point on the map. Even if you are headquartered in one city, you can still work with photographers from different parts of the nation by sending them your products and having them send you their photos. For more information, feel free to check out our list of top-notch Brooklyn, NY photographers.