Which backdrop is best for product photography?

This depends on what your product is and your budget. Vinyl backdrops offer a cost-effective way of creating interesting backdrops. Alternatively, AI tools like Snapshot allow you full creating freedom while being much quicker and cheaper than taking photos or paying a photographer.

How do I make a backdrop for my product photos?

You have 3 options: either use AI to generate your photos (a tool like Snapshot is great for this); take the photos yourself; or pay a photographer to take them for you (this is the most expensive option).

What color should my background be for product photography?

White is a populate choice as it's neutral and looks clean and sophisticated but choosing a different color that is in-line with your brand can also produce great results.

How to make a cheap backdrop for product photography?

Some household items that give great backdrops are: tiles (bathroom or kitchen), wooden cutting board, newspaper or grass. You can also buy cheap backdrops like a vinyl roll.

How Much Does Product Photography Cost?

A mid-range photographer will cost approximately $150-$300 for 1 product, taking 1-5 photos.

This price makes a lot of assumptions. It depends on various factors such as the quality of the photographer, number of photos/products, whether you have to rent a studio, models, etc.

Below I've listed some different product photography services and their associated cost.

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Product photo of a sneaker generated with Snapshots AI model

Generated with Snapshot AI

Options

AI

Example image generations using the Snapshot Shopify app

With apps like Snapshot you can now generate high-quality product photos in a few seconds using the power of AI.

This presents a faster and cheaper option than traditional photography services and in many cases gives you more creative freedom. Snapshot comes with a bunch of preset themes making the image generation process plug and play.

If you want to change how your image looks you can just use written language to direct the AI modify the generated image.

We have a 5 step process on creating product photos with AI which you might find useful.

Online product photography studio

With online product photography studios you send your product to them in the mail and they take the photos for you, sending you back the product and the photos.

This is a great set-and-forget option and gives you access to some high-quality photographers.

Online studios such as soona offer starter packs for product photography. For a Shopify starter pack with 1 product and 5 photos you're looking at $269.

Hiring a photographer

This will give you the largest variance in quality and mostly you get what you pay for.

Having access to people around the world means you'll get price ranging from $5/hour to $200/hour.

You can find product photographers on websites such as UpWork or PeoplePerHour.

DIY product photography

Of course another option is to take the photos yourself. This is the cheapest option and for some the quickest.

We've got some guides to help you with the process including the 16 best product photography backdrops which ranks backdrops in terms of cost and ease of setup.

If you use a modern smartphone to take the photos you could create some high quality product photos for no extra cost.