Find the Best Product Photographer Jobs

What does a product photographer do?

Product photography captures the hearts and minds of customers through still-frame visuals. Skillful product photographers frame the image and experiences that the company wants to portray in its marketing efforts.

These specialized freelance photographers are responsible for spending time in the studio or field to capture images of products, individuals using products, or workers performing services. Professional photographers often work with other creatives to clearly communicate their clients’ needs.

These freelance photographers often produce work for multiple clients as a part of their freelance photography business.

What skills do I need to work in product photography?

Among the most important photography skills for freelancers are the mastery of photo angles and framing, lighting and product presentation. Creative planning of an image—people, props, lighting, and product preparation—can be elevated to an art form and is critical to the impact of the photo.

The following skills are important to becoming a Freelance Product Photographer.

• Ability to take photographs that present products to consumers in an appealing fashion; strong knowledge of both shooting and lighting techniques is critical
• Ability to think creatively in conceiving and staging photographs
• Ability to research the company and the products to appropriately present them
• Knowledge of current industry marketing trends to keep images fresh and contemporary
• Skills in photo editing, optimization and preparation
• Proficiency in photo editing software such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, and knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO)
• Bachelor’s degree in photography, fine arts or related field is often preferred; photography courses and proper experience can be adequate; develop online portfolio of work for social media, job websites or a personal professional website

What are a product photographer’s work responsibilities?

Such freelance photographers are responsible for inspiring customers because their images typically make the first impression on a consumer.

Here are some common job responsibilities for Freelance Product Photographers:

• Maintain professional-quality photography equipment and lighting for upper-level corporate marketing; some types of product imagery clients may not require the same expert-level production, especially for use of small images on web pages or mobile apps
• Research product and company’s brand and image so images portray client’s business in proper way; adhere to company’s style and rules
• Conceive, plan, stage and compose product photo shoots, collaborating with client’s creative services department if necessary, to produce images in stand-alone, group, scale, detail, package, lifestyle or in-context formats; hire models, acquire props, select locations
• Take high-resolution, engaging product photos to display consumer business’s goods in high-quality images for print and web mediums
• Select, edit and touch-up photos using post-production software such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom; some freelance photographers subcontract portions of post production work to graphic designers, depending on a company’s creative needs.
• Optimize digital images for different mediums from print products to the internet, including social media pages (Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn)
• Prepare photos for print and/or online use, often adjusting format and types/sizes of photos used depending on the medium; add metadata to digital images for SEO
• Present photos to clients (business owners, art directors, marketing teams), take feedback, adjust where necessary