How to Get Jobs As a Product Photographer for Online Stores

Commercial photography can be a profitable business to get into, and a niche of this industry is online product photography. Although there are many online businesses in existence, most of the owners of these businesses are not good photographers--they need to hire someone to get great product shots. Without good photos, online stores have a harder time selling merchandise. By offering online product photography services, you will not only help store owners but be able to build a lucrative business.

Things You'll Need

• Camera
• Phone book
• Internet access
• Website
• Photography profile

Instructions

1. Decide what type of product photography you want to get into. Instead of catering to the masses, picking a niche will allow you to target your marketing efforts. For example, you may want to do food photography, clothing photography, art photography, or photography for beauty companies. Each of these different products requires specific lighting, set-ups, and enhancements to make them look appealing to potential customers.

2. Practice shooting your chosen type of products. The best of these photos will become your portfolio, so make sure you get good, creative shots. For example, if you want to shoot food products, don't just take pictures of fruits sitting in a bowl. Style the fruit so that potential customers can see different angles, and place it on a plate or bowl that makes the color of the fruit pop.

3. Launch a website that shows off your best product shots, and be sure to put your rates and contact information on there. You can also set up a free profile on websites such as Musecube, FolioLink, or Model Mayhem.

4. Do a search on the Internet or in your local phone book and search for companies that suit your niche that also have online stores. For example, if you want to shoot vintage clothing, look up all the second hand, vintage, and resale stores in your city. Make a file with their contact information, and note which stores could use the most help with their product photos.

5. Contact the stores (your potential customers) and let them know about your services. Ask if they would be willing to see some of your work--if so, send them a link to your website or online profile, or offer to come by their store.

6. In the beginning, you may need to work for free or "on spec" (meaning you make money if and when they make money) for one or two clients to build up your reputation. If you do this, make sure you still get a credit as the photographer on the company's website, and permission to include the photos you shoot in your portfolio.

7. Continue contacting stores and letting them know about your work as a specialized product photographer. Online stores are constantly launching, so there will likely be a steady flow of new customers for you. Eventually, you may need to branch out and start servicing customers in other areas of your state--or the world at large!

References

• Attracting Clients for Your Photography Business
• Generating Leads for Your Photography Business