In a world where online selling is a huge business, and competition for the money of buyers is equally massive, image is everything. You may only get one chance to convince somebody to part with their cash when they’re buying online, and one chance to convince them to visit your bricks and mortar store after they discover you.
There are more platforms than ever before where you can share your products with the world, with visual social media platforms like Pinterest and Instagram. 10% of all Google searches worldwide are done through Images. Google Shopping uses purely an image and a price to tempt buyers.
For these reasons, your product photographs need to be on point and optimised for all occasions.
Great fitness product photography should inspire a want and a need in the viewer to know more about an item, whether it’s a pre-workout shake, a sleep stack, or a hoodie. Remember, there are countless competitors out there who will absolutely take that customer from you at any time they can, so it pays to keep your visuals up-to-date and on-brand.
How much does Product Photography cost?
A great photographer has honed their skills over many years and knows their worth, so the cost of the work can vary depending on the experience of the person with the camera in their hands, and the skills they have in capturing effective product photographs.
The decision on whether to go with the low-budget photographer or the high-value photographer is of course yours, but don’t you owe it to your products and your customers to do them justice? Whatever you choose to spend on capturing those product images, there are ways that you can stretch the budget, and ensure you’re getting maximum value from the service, and this is our short guide to doing so.
How can I maximise my Product Photography budget?
Strategy Planning is the most important aspect of maximising your budget for an effective Product Photography shoot, by far.
Getting the absolute most out of your budget will require some forward-thinking, but it doesn’t have to be a pain. The very first thing you need to do is set a strategy for the shoot. It 100% pays to sit down as a team and think about what you want to achieve from it.
The strategic planning process needs to highlight every part of the shoot, including some of the following key aspects.
The Products
It might sound obvious, but you need to choose which products are going to be included in the images? Is it a promotional campaign with one hero product, or are you freshening your entire catalogue with modern, bright images?
The Objective
What do you hope to achieve with your product images? Are they going to be used on social media, as well as the website and marketing materials? By understanding where your images will be used, you can plan with your photographer for optimising them accordingly.
Location
Is it going to be studio-based or on-location? If it is the latter then perform a reconnaissance mission to ensure it’s suitable. If it’s going to be shot in a studio, you can save money by delivering the products directly to your photographer with a detailed brief of what you’d like to see, so that they can get straight into it, at their convenience. This will benefit you since you’re very busy, and your photographer, who can shoot them as soon as possible without the need for an appointment.
Types of shots
Have ideas in mind for the types of shots you would like to see. A great photographer will listen to what you would like to see, and stay on track whilst offering their own creative suggestions that can help your visuals.
Mood Boards
Create a visual presentation of the types of content you feel conveys the general vibe you’re going for, and builds a narrative around your products. Whilst you can cut and paste images into a collage, either digitally or otherwise, Pinterest is an amazing resource for creating virtual mood boards that can be shared with your photographer so that they can understand your objective better. Check out this great Black Friday mood board we created.
There are other considerations, such as lighting, props, and outfits for your models if you’re working with them. The point is that knowing everything that you would like to achieve and how you’d like to achieve it ahead of time, will save you vital time and money with your photographer.
In summary, the best way you can help your product photography budget go the furthest is to plan every detail with your team and your photographer ahead of time. As Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
Once you’ve got to the point of your photoshoot, you’ll want to maximise the time spent there, and our recent blog is a great resource that you should check out.
With over twenty years of experience in professional product photography, Picture Perfect Photography is the perfect partner for any business or brand looking to take its product visuals to another level.
Our company owner, Collette Evans, is a British Bodybuilding champion with a passion for health and fitness photography, and she has garnered rave reviews for her work with manufacturers and retailers in the health & fitness industry, for her attention to detail, enthusiasm for the project, and her dedication to fulfilling a brief to the letter.
