Are you looking for a product photographer who can not only capture high-quality product photography, but can do it quickly? If so, keep reading because it’s not as simple as you would assume.

Simply put, a good ‘production product photographer’ is hard to come by. Believe me, I know. I’ve employed nearly 50 product photographers for various projects over the years; some were good hires, while others were not.

What experience and skills should you look for in a product photographer?

Consider their general professional and managerial talents first, followed by their specialist product photography and product picture editing skills.

I’ve summarized what to look for in each of these areas below.

  • Experience and skills in photography and image editing

When choosing a product photographer, you must first assess if they have the necessary practical expertise. The majority of these abilities are clear through their work history and experience.

  • Tabletop Product Photography

When choosing a product photographer, the best place to start is with their tabletop product photography experience. Most photographers would tell you that they have shot things on a tabletop before. But when you look down deeper, you can discover that this experience comprises of unporfessional photography. Although this is product photography experience, it is limited to say the least.

If your company’s items differ in size, shape, colour, and features, you’ll need a product photographer with extensive experience. They must be well-versed in lighting, props, positioning, and showcasing various products. These abilities have grown over time with the completion of multiple tabletop product photography tasks.

  • Product Lighting

Any photographer worth their salt has lighting experience in some form or another. You’re seeking a photographer with ‘product’ lighting skills in a tabletop setting. The photographer’s lighting ability has a far greater impact on image quality and output than any other single factor.

A skilled product photographer can swiftly modify lighting for different products according on their size, shape, colour, reflectivity, and so on. Photographers with limited tabletop lighting experience, on the other hand, may take significantly longer to perfect their lighting. They also make more lighting modifications from product to product. Photographers with inadequate lighting skills, in my experience, can take more than twice as long to photograph each product.

  • Production Photography

Product photography is not always “production” photography. If you’re photographing high-end timepieces for print, you’ll probably spend a lot of time perfecting each image. This is not commercial photography. Production photography, on the other hand, is where you have thousands of goods, each of which requires several photographs, and you are obliged to capture hundreds of images per day.

The photographer’s proven ability to blend image quality with production is essential. Their tabletop and product lighting skills will aid productivity. While, their ability to recognise when an image is ‘excellent’ but not ‘great’ is critical. A flawless photograph can take up to 50% more time to create than a mediocre image, and 99.9% of people will never notice the difference. The goal of product photography in production is not to create a perfect image, but to create a great photo. If the photographer is constantly looking for the perfect image, you will not meet your production targets and your cost per image will be significantly greater than you budgeted.

  • Editing Product Images

Majority of photographers are proficient or excellent Photoshop and Lightroom users . They incorporate substantial image processing knowledge.

The photographer is not the person who edits the photographs in the majority of high-volume product photography projects; this is the work of the image editing team. Nonetheless, it is critical that the photographer understands the picture editing process and captures images with the intention of image editing in mind. Changing the lighting and camera exposure, for example, can result in a more editable image with a clear backdrop.

  • Professionalism and Management Experience

A skilled product photographer must be able to address problems as they emerge, communicate effectively with all project resources, manage assistants and other project participants, and keep organised.

  • Troubleshooting

On product photography assignments, things happen all the time: software difficulties, equipment failures, product issues, and so on. The product photographer is in command of the studio and, as such, is responsible for resolving any issues that emerge. Many of these issues have a detrimental influence on output and must be addressed quickly and effectively.

  • Communication

The product photographer communicates with the photographic assistant, the warehouse or distribution centre manager, the person(s) in charge of ordering and delivering products to the studio, the project manager, and other project personnel. A strong communicator is required for the photographer to maintain an efficient studio.

  • Management

Photographers are typically assisted by one or more assistants. Because efficiency and productivity are critical factors in high-volume product photography, a photographer with strong managerial abilities is required.

 

Conclusion

Product photography may benefit anyone, regardless of whether they own a large or small business. You may improve sales, outperform competitors, and boost your brand’s online profile simply by ensuring that your images are understandable, exact, and appealing.

Cliik Studios is a full-service photography studio that specialises in product and fashion photography for commercial advertising campaigns for fashion brands and online shops. Creative photography, retouching, and product video are just a few of the services we offer.