Think Professional Photography Is Expensive?
Recently, I was approached by a local business with a high-quality product, asking me to create 31 professional product photos. They wanted their brand to stand out with premium, high-end images that make a product look as exceptional as it truly is. And that’s exactly what I do.
It means setting up a proper studio, which requires renting a space or building one. Then, I need to come with a composition, styling and carefully light each product, ensuring the light is sculpted beautifully—creating a natural gradient instead of the flat, harsh reflections you get from a typical lightbox setup. Each product needs to be arranged thoughtfully to highlight its features, and for the group shots, I have to experiment with different compositions to create the most visually appealing result.
Before taking a single photo, I also spend hours communicating with the client, understanding their vision, and offering sketches of possible compositions. After the pictures are taken, the work is far from over. Every image undergoes meticulous manual retouching—this isn’t a quick filter or batch edit. I carefully refine each detail to ensure the final images are polished, high-end, and free of distractions, leading the viewer’s eye exactly where it should be: on the product. Once the images are edited, I provide them to the client, and one or two revisions are included—because I want to make sure the final result truly represents their brand at the highest level.
How Many Hours Does This Take?
Let’s break it down:
Studio Setup & Preparation – 4 hours
Shooting 31 Photos (including group shots) – 10–15 hours
Retouching Each Image – 20-40 hours (since group shots require extra work)
Client Communication, Sketches, Delivery & Revisions – 7–15 hours
That’s a total of around 42–70 hours of work.
The client then told me their budget was €300. That works out to about €4–€7 per hour (that’s around €2–€5 after taxes) - for work that requires years of expertise, high-end equipment, and continuous study to ensure the best possible results. It’s obvious that from my perspective, no matter how much I want to support new businesses with amazing products, it doesn’t make any economic sense. Not even counting that just a nanny costs me EUR 12 per hour to allow me to work...
Let’s get back to the client’s perspective.
The Difference Between Cheap and Professional Photography
Could I do the work faster? Sure—if I used basic equipment, skipped the careful lighting, rushed through the shots, and did minimal editing. But the results would reflect that. Just like a high-quality product takes time, effort, and skill to produce, high-quality photography does too.
Professional photography isn’t just about showing a product—it shapes how customers feel about it. Lighting, composition, and editing create a perception of quality. Cheap-looking photos make a product feel cheap, while polished, elegant images elevate its value.
These photos are a long-term investment, used for years to influence buyers. How many sales will they drive? If each image helps sell hundreds or thousands of products, the ROI is clear. High-quality photos build trust and signal professionalism, making customers more likely to buy and buy more. A study by Shopify found that products featuring high-quality images experienced a 94% higher conversion rate compared to those with lower-quality photos.
How to Get High-Quality Photography on a Budget
If a full set of professionally shot and edited photos isn’t within budget, that doesn’t mean you have to settle for mediocre images. Here are some ways to get the best value for your money:
Invest in fewer photos – Rather than cutting corners, a smarter budget strategy is fewer, higher-quality images—five stunning photos will do more for your brand than 30 average ones.
Prioritize key products – Instead of photographing everything, choose the most important products or hero shots that will make the biggest impact.
Batch similar products together – If multiple products share the same shape, colour, or packaging, they can often be photographed in a single session to reduce costs.
Opt for a single setup – Changing backgrounds, lighting, or compositions takes time. Keeping a consistent setup across photos can reduce shooting and editing hours.
The Power of High-Quality Photography
There’s something truly magical about seeing your product represented at the highest level—when you realize that your brand can stand alongside the top names in the industry. You already know your product is great, but when it’s captured with exceptional photography, you finally get to show it to the world in its best possible light.
That’s what professional photography delivers. It’s not an expense—it’s an investment in how your customers perceive your brand.
If you want your business to stand out, high-quality photography isn’t optional—it’s essential. And when done right, it’s one of the most powerful marketing tools you can invest in.
P.S.: I had the samples with me and decided to take a photo of the products—just one, for free. Why not? I already had all the ideas flowing, and it was a great addition to my portfolio while also helping their business. I really like what they’re doing—no shortcuts, just genuinely high-quality products. I wanted to support that. I couldn’t give them two weeks of my time, but one photo? That, I could do.
I try to offer one free photo each month to support people anyway. So, I took the shot and sent it over. They loved it. In the end, they decided to go with the modified deal for fewer photos, and I created some amazing images for them. And now, with more people seeing the true quality of their products, I have no doubt it will come back to them in the best way—through new, happy customers.
