Product Photography Pricing Guide 2026 – What You Should Really Pay
When businesses ask, “What should product photography cost?”, the answer inevitably begins with, “It depends”. In truth, the variation is substantial–from a modest few tens of euros per image to several thousands per day.
Having worked with everything from premium watchmakers to independent online retailers, we’ve seen first-hand just how confusing photography pricing can be. The market is riddled with opaque quotes, inconsistent deliverables and services that are difficult to compare.
This guide breaks down what you should expect to pay in 2025 in Europe, what drives the cost, and how to spot genuine value (not just a high price tag).
Understanding Traditional Studio Product Photography Costs
Let’s begin with the most common service: hiring a physical studio for a product shoot.
Day-rate Studio Fees
In major European markets you might expect something like €2,000-€7,000 per day, depending on location, reputation, equipment and client type.
For example:
A top Paris or London studio might charge around €5,000-€7,000 a day.
In smaller cities like Lisbon or Warsaw, you might find rates closer to €2,000-€3,500.
These day rates often include studio space and the photographer’s time, plus basic lighting—but rarely include styling, props, assistants or heavy retouching.
Per-Image Pricing from Studios
Some studios quote based on each final image rather than a full day. Typical ranges might run €140-€450+ per image for standard white-background product shots. Add complexity—lifestyle setups, intricate lighting, reflective surfaces—and you might see €550-€800 or more per image.
To give context: a catalogue of 50 products at €300 each costs €15,000, and that’s before multi-format output, usage rights or additional revisions.
Freelance Product Photographers
Freelancers tend to offer lower overheads, and you may see hourly rates of around €70-€130 per hour or flat-fee packages of €450-€2,000+ depending on scale and experience.
The trade-off is that you may have to organise more of the logistics yourself (studio hire, props, assistants) and the level of polish can vary widely.
What Actually Drives the Cost?
To understand pricing, you need to know what you’re paying for.
Technical Complexity & Equipment
A simple product on a white backdrop is minimal. But a glass perfume bottle with reflections? That requires custom lighting, maybe a medium-format camera, special modifiers. These equipment and tech demands add up and get reflected in the cost.
Creative Direction & Styling
If you’re just looking for a clear, isolated product shot you can manage with minimal styling. But if your brand demands mood-setting imagery—scene creation, props, contextual storytelling—that creative work adds another layer of cost. For some client work, that might mean €400-€1,200 or more just for styling/creative direction.
Post-Production & Adaptations
Be careful: “post-production included” doesn’t always mean much without specification. Basic colour correction is one thing; full retouching, compositing, creating variations for social and print is another. Retouching might cost anywhere from €45-€135+ per image, depending on complexity. And adaptation for different formats (e-commerce, Instagram, stories, print) often adds cost but is frequently omitted in the base quote.
Volume & Project Scale
You might assume volume means big discounts—but the reality is the setup costs (lighting, creative direction, colour-calibration, consistency checks) don’t scale perfectly. For large catalogues (say 100+ products) you could see 20-40 % off per-image than a small project—but you won’t necessarily get ten times the work for one-tenth price.
Alternative: AI-Enhanced Product Photography
In recent years, hybrid workflows combining real photography + AI-based enhancements have become viable. The process: take high-quality studio shots, then use AI tools to create variations, adapt for format, switch backgrounds, change lighting etc.
These services may cost ≈60-80 % less than traditional studio only models for similar output in many scenarios.
For instance:
A small volume project, e.g., 10 hero visuals with multi-format output + AI enhancements, might cost around €1,800-€3,000.
For larger volumes (say >20 products) you might pay €180-€360 per product, including lifestyle shots, full adaptation and usage rights.
AI-enhanced makes sense when you need scale, consistency, rapid turnaround and multi-channel deliverables. But there are times when traditional photography remains essential: when you need ultra-high resolution for print, macro detail, textures, or you’re launching a hero product that sets the brand visual standard.
Evaluating Quality vs Price
It’s not simply about finding the cheapest offer. It’s about value for money.
Red Flags in Quotes
“Unlimited revisions” — professional studios know this isn’t realistic; such offers often signal low initial quality or hidden limits.
Very low per-image costs compared to market benchmarks — for example a quote of €40 per image when typical is €250-€300 likely implies compromises.
Vague deliverables — “full product shoot with post-production” without details on number of images, formats, rounds of revisions, usage rights.
Hidden extras — day-rates excluding post-production, usage fees after delivery, per-format charges.
Questions to Ask Before Committing
What exactly is included in the post-production? How many revisions?
What usage rights are granted? Are there limitations?
What is the timeline? When will you receive the first drafts and the final images?
Can you see the provider’s relevant portfolio in your industry?
What happens if the work doesn’t meet expectations?
The Total Cost of Ownership
Don’t just think about the invoice you pay today. Consider:
Will you need variants or format adaptations later?
What happens when you update packaging or add new products?
Will your provider support you as you scale your business?
Sometimes a “cheaper” provider today ends up costing more long-term because you’ll need to re-shoot or upgrade imagery.
Getting Transparent Pricing with No Hidden Costs
The good news: you can get straightforward, honest quotes. Here’s a good model:
Clearly defined deliverables: number of images, formats, revisions, timeline.
Volume discounts built-in for larger projects.
Multi-format optimisation included (e-commerce, social, print).
Full usage rights granted upfront.
When you compare options, make sure you’re comparing apples to apples. Understand what’s included, and what isn’t.
Summary
Whether you’re a small e-commerce brand or an established luxury label: the key isn’t simply the lowest cost—it’s getting the right service for your specific needs. Understand what drives the cost, challenge opaque quotes, and ensure you’re aligning your investment with the value you’ll receive.
When you do that, you won’t just know what you should pay—you’ll get what you pay for.
If you like, I can also pull together a Euro-based pricing table (simple/standard/premium) with example projects and numbers you can plug into your blog. Would you like me to do that?
LOCATION Arête des Cosmiques - Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France / PHOTO Mark Fitzsimons UBAC Media / MODEL Josie Cairns
