How To Start Your Product Photography Business and Become Successful

If you’ve decided to open a product photography business and sell photos online, then it’s time to take your work to the next level.

If you are interested in product photography and have the artistic ability, I have some information that will hopefully inspire you to get started in this exciting business. The market for professional product photos is booming. And it’s a great business idea for any photographers out there.

Do you have a passion for taking beautiful pictures? Are you always drawn to photographing the latest gadgets or the latest food? Do you love shooting lifestyle and fashion shots? If so, then you have what it takes to start a product photography business. The main advantage of product photography is that you are able to use a wide range of creative license to photograph different products and come up with your own style. And, because of the huge demand for professional product photographs, you can charge anywhere from $75 to $350+ per image.

In this article we’ll discuss the basics of becoming a successful product photographer.

Create an Online Presence

To begin, you’ll need to create an online presence. The internet provides a great opportunity to showcase your photography skills, and it’s an easy way to build an audience. Many websites offer free photo galleries for members to browse. However, there are paid options as well. For instance, you can pay a monthly fee to display your images on websites such as Flickr, 500px, SmugMug, or Shutterfly. Some sites provide additional services, such as professional editing. As you create a portfolio online, you can upload any relevant samples of your work. If you’re just starting out, then you might want to test the waters with a few free images and see if you get any results.

Find the Right Products

This is the most important step and will determine how successful you will be as a product photographer. You need to find products that will make you look good and that you can be proud of. For instance, if you are not happy with your body, you will not be able to project your confidence and enthusiasm for a product shot.

There are a lot of different types of products that are photographed. Here are some examples:

  • Food
  • Beauty
  • Fashion
  • Jewelry
  • Home
  • Health/Wellness
  • Fitness
  • Kids
  • Outdoor
  • Travel
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Furniture
  • And so on…

Create Your Portfolio Website

Once you have a portfolio, you’ll need to establish a website where your images can be found. There are many websites and services available for this purpose. One of the most popular options is WordPress. With WordPress, you can customize a website that is easy to update. For instance, you can add your website to social media pages or post articles that are associated with your website. There are also plugins (add-ons) available for WordPress that allow you to sell your photography online.

Here are a few tips when designing your portfolio website:

  • Use bright, clear, colorful, and sharp photos.
  • Make sure your photos are high resolution.
  • Your portfolio should have a main page that includes all your products.
  • Add a description for each photo.
  • Add a brief bio to describe yourself.
  • Keep the design simple and clean.

The portfolio page should be a place where you can display your best work and showcase the unique style of your photography.

Promote Yourself

To increase your exposure, you should promote yourself and your business on various social media platforms. To make this a success, you’ll need to have a consistent message. Create posts with a clear call to action (CTA), such as “contact me,” “sign up,” and “buy now.” Post links to your website and blog, as well as images of your work.

There are many other ways to market your business. You might want to get into blogging or video marketing, for instance. Or, you might be interested in affiliate marketing, which involves promoting a product for a commission. However, it’s important to remember that there are costs associated with all these different avenues. For example, it can cost money to set up a website, and it can be expensive to hire affiliates. Therefore, before committing to any of these options, you might want to consider the costs versus the benefits.

Get Involved With Social Media

Social media is the third step to starting your product photography business. It will help you connect with others who are passionate about product photography and will also allow you to network.

Here are a few places to start:

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Flickr
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • YouTube
  • Snapchat
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Group on Facebook

Be sure to use the hashtag #productphotography on social media. This will allow people to search for your photos.

Build a Mailing List

If you are serious about growing your product photography business, you will want to build an email list of people who are interested in your work.

Here are some sites that offer the opportunity to build a list of subscribers:

  • Mailchimp
  • Aweber
  • Constant Contact
  • Hubspot

Grow Your Email List

Once you have your email list you will want to grow it. You can do this by sending out periodic emails. This will give you the opportunity to keep in touch with your list.

I recommend using AWeber. They have an easy-to-use interface and they offer lots of different ways to segment your list and send out personalized messages.

Another tool you might find useful is Constant Contact. Their interface is not as user friendly as AWeber. However, they offer a lot of options for segmenting your list and sending out personalized messages.

Brand Yourself and Become an Authority

You are now ready to start your product photography business. However, to be successful, you must take the time to brand yourself and build your reputation as a talented photographer.

You should also work on becoming an authority in your niche. You can do this by regularly blogging and sharing your knowledge with others.

Here are a few other suggestions to help you succeed:

Join Product Photography Central – This community will help you to expand your network and find new clients. It also provides access to a range of resources, including templates, books, and other resources that can help you get started as a product photographer.

Attend a workshop – There are many different workshops that you can attend to learn how to take beautiful product photos. Many of these workshops are free.

Join a Facebook group – Join a Facebook group in your niche. This will help you to connect with other photographers and learn new ways to market yourself.

Start a Blog – Start a blog to share your knowledge, experience and ideas. This will help you to develop a strong personal brand and give you the opportunity to build a mailing list.

Grow your Business

Now that you have a solid product photography business, it’s time to grow your business. The key to success is to continually invest time and energy in your business and constantly improve your skills and techniques.