Pack Shots, Packaging, and E-Commerce Photography: The Local Photography Market Hiding in Plain Sight

There is a type of commercial photography almost every photographer can do, almost every product-based business eventually needs, and very few photographers seem to get excited about.

Pack shots.

Packaging shots.

E-commerce photography.

They might not sound as glamorous as shooting a national advertising campaign, photographing a celebrity, or standing on a beach at sunset with a camera and a 70–200mm lens.

But there is something these jobs have that a lot of those glamorous shoots don't have:

Repeat business.

And if you're a photographer looking to make money in your local or regional market, that repeat business can be incredibly valuable.

I've been shooting commercially for decades, and one thing I've learned is that you don't necessarily need to find some giant company on the other side of the country to make commercial photography work.

Sometimes the money is sitting in an industrial park five miles from your house.

It could be a manufacturer.

A winery.

A brewery.

A food company.

A cosmetics company.

A coffee roaster.

A medical supply company.

A small electronics manufacturer.

A restaurant selling sauces online.

Or somebody working out of a warehouse who suddenly realizes they've got 150 products sitting on Shopify with photographs taken on an iPhone.

That's an opportunity.

First, What Exactly Is a Pack Shot?

A pack shot is essentially a clean photograph of a product or its packaging.

Think about the photograph you see when you're shopping online.

A bottle of shampoo standing perfectly straight against a clean white background.

A bag of coffee.

A bottle of wine.

A box containing a medical product.

A jar of salsa.

A six-pack of beer.

A piece of industrial equipment.

A replacement part.

A tool.

A package of food.

The product is normally photographed clearly, accurately, and consistently.

There isn't always a complicated environment.

There might not be a model.

There might not even be a dramatic background.

The job of that photograph is very simple:

Show the customer exactly what they're buying.

That simplicity is actually what makes this type of photography valuable.

It's not necessarily about creating one spectacular photograph.

It's about being able to create 10, 50, 100, or 500 consistent photographs.

And that's where a professional photographer has an advantage.

Packaging Photography Is Slightly Different

 

Packaging photography overlaps with traditional pack shots, but I think there's an important distinction.

Sometimes the package itself is the product you're photographing.

Companies spend a lot of money designing packaging.

 

 

Labels.

Boxes.

Bags.

Bottles.

Cans.

Graphics.

Colors.

Logos.

When that packaging gets redesigned, companies suddenly need new photographs everywhere.

Their website needs updating.

Amazon needs updating.

Distributor catalogs need updating.

Sales presentations need updating.

Social media needs updating.

Printed brochures need updating.

Product sheets need updating.

And sometimes hundreds of individual product listings need updating.

That packaging redesign that seemed like a minor project to the marketing department can suddenly turn into a substantial photography project.

Better yet, it can happen again a couple years later.

That's repeat business.

Then There's E-Commerce Photography

E-commerce photography expands the idea even further.

Instead of photographing one straightforward image of the product, you may be producing an entire collection of images designed to help somebody make a buying decision.

Let's say you're photographing a coffee maker.

The client might need:

A straight-on product photograph.

A side photograph.

A back photograph.

A detail photograph of the controls.

A photograph showing the water reservoir.

A photograph of the accessories.

A photograph showing the packaging.

A photograph of the product being used.

A lifestyle photograph.

Maybe even a short video clip showing the machine operating.

Suddenly you're no longer selling one photograph.

You're selling a complete visual product package.

And once you start looking at it that way, the economics become much more interesting.

You Don't Need to Compete With Giant Studios

I think photographers sometimes make the mistake of looking at huge national e-commerce studios and assuming there's no place for them in this market.

That's not the market I'm talking about.

I'm talking about your town.

Your county.

Your region.

Drive around an industrial area sometime and pay attention to the names on the buildings.

You might find 50 companies you've never heard of.

Go to their websites.

Some of them manufacture things.

Some distribute things.

Some package things.

Some sell directly online.

And a surprising number of them have terrible photography.

That doesn't mean they're terrible companies.

In fact, some may be doing millions of dollars a year in business.

Photography simply hasn't been one of their priorities.

Yet.

That is exactly the kind of company I would want to talk to.

Local Companies Have a Problem Amazon Doesn't

Big companies can ship pallets of products to giant photography studios.

A smaller company may not want to do that.

Maybe their product is fragile.

Maybe it's expensive.

Maybe it's enormous.

Maybe the marketing manager needs the product back tomorrow.

Maybe they're launching something next week.

Maybe engineering only has one prototype available.

 

That's where being local becomes an advantage.

Instead of competing with photographers around the world, you're competing based on convenience.

You can say:

I can come over tomorrow.

Or:

Drop the products at my studio this afternoon.

That matters.

There is value in being able to physically solve a problem quickly.

Your Studio Doesn't Have to Be Huge

This is another reason I like this type of work for photographers wanting to generate additional income.

You don't necessarily need a giant commercial studio.

For smaller products, you might need:

A sturdy table.

A sweep of white seamless paper.

A couple of monolights or strobes.

Softboxes.

Reflectors.

Flags.

Tripod.

Camera.

A decent lens.

Some pieces of white and black foamcore.

Clamps.

And patience.

That's it.

The sophistication comes from knowing how to use those tools.

A photographer with years of lighting experience can do things with two lights and a couple pieces of foamcore that somebody with $20,000 worth of equipment may struggle to accomplish.

Especially when you're dealing with reflective packaging.

Glass.

Glossy labels.

Chrome.

Plastic.

Transparent containers.

Black products.

White products.

That's where experience becomes valuable.

Consistency Is the Product

One of the biggest mistakes someone new to e-commerce photography can make is trying to make every photograph creative.

For this type of work, creativity often takes a back seat to consistency.

If a company sells 75 flavors, colors, sizes, or models, they probably want every product photographed at exactly the same angle.

Same camera height.

Same lighting.

Same crop.

Same shadow.

Same background.

That's not boring.

That's production.

And companies will pay photographers who can do production reliably.

The secret is developing a repeatable setup.

Once you've dialed in your camera position, lighting, exposure, white balance, and product position, document everything.

Measure the distance.

Mark the table.

Mark the tripod position.

Save your lighting settings.

Create a Lightroom or Capture One preset.

Create Photoshop templates.

Now when that company calls three months later and says:

"We've got six new products."

You can reproduce the original photography.

That's when this turns from a random photography job into a client relationship.

Small Product Updates Can Become Great Clients

Here's the part I really like.

Imagine photographing 40 products for a regional food company.

Three months later they introduce four new flavors.

They don't need another giant production.

They just need those four products photographed to match the original 40.

That's an easy phone call.

And it's an easy job for you because you've already built the lighting setup.

Later they redesign the label.

Another shoot.

Then Costco picks up one of their products and needs different photographs.

Another shoot.

Then the marketing department needs photographs for a trade show.

Another shoot.

Then they need video.

Another shoot.

Then they want behind-the-scenes content from the production facility.

Another shoot.

That relationship may have started because somebody needed pictures of four jars sitting on white seamless paper.

Start Looking at Manufacturers Differently

Photographers tend to market themselves toward obvious businesses.

Restaurants.

Real estate agents.

Families.

Weddings.

Models.

But I would start looking at manufacturers and distributors.

Search Google Maps around your area for terms like:

Manufacturer.

Food manufacturer.

Industrial supplier.

Cosmetics manufacturer.

Coffee roaster.

Specialty food company.

Medical equipment supplier.

Beverage company.

Winery.

Brewery.

Outdoor products.

Automotive parts.

Packaging company.

Electronics manufacturer.

Then visit their websites.

You're looking for businesses where the product is good but the presentation is weak.

That is a potential client.

Don't Tell Them Their Photography Is Terrible

This should go without saying, but don't call somebody and tell them their photographs look awful.

Instead, approach the conversation from the business side.

Something like:

"I noticed you're selling a pretty large range of products online. I specialize in commercial product photography, and I help companies create consistent photography for websites, catalogs, distributor portals, and e-commerce."

Now you're talking about solving a problem.

That's different from:

"I'm a photographer. Do you need photographs?"

One sounds like a business service.

The other sounds like somebody looking for work.

Think in SKUs

If you're going to pursue this market, get comfortable with the term SKU.

SKU means Stock Keeping Unit.

A company might have what looks like one product but actually have 30 SKUs.

Different colors.

Sizes.

Flavors.

Packages.

Configurations.

That's why quoting e-commerce jobs purely by "the photograph" can become difficult.

I prefer thinking about the production.

How many products?

How many views per product?

How complicated are the products?

How much retouching?

Are they reflective?

Transparent?

Do they require clipping paths?

Do they need shadows?

Are the products being shipped to me?

Am I shooting on location?

How fast does the client need them?

Once you understand that workflow, you can create pricing that makes sense.

You Can Create Simple Packages

A photographer starting out might offer something like a basic e-commerce package.

For example:

One clean hero photograph per SKU.

White or neutral background.

Basic color correction.

Standard crop.

Web-ready files.

Then offer additional images separately.

Side view.

Back view.

Detail view.

Packaging.

Lifestyle image.

360-degree photography.

Video.

Animated GIF.

Short social video.

Now a customer can start small and add services as necessary.

That opens another important door.

Video Can Dramatically Increase the Job

If you already shoot video, you have a huge opportunity here.

Once the lighting is set up and the product is sitting in front of you, creating a few short clips may take very little additional production time.

Rotate the product.

Push the camera in.

Shoot a detail.

Show the package opening.

Pour the product.

Press the button.

Turn the device on.

Show it functioning.

Now the client has material for Instagram, YouTube Shorts, Amazon listings, product pages, trade shows, sales presentations, and email campaigns.

You've just moved from being "the photographer" to becoming a content producer.

That distinction matters.

Regional Can Be Even Better Than Local

Don't limit yourself to a ten-mile radius.

Product photography can work extremely well regionally because companies can ship products to you.

If you're based in Northern California, for example, there are thousands of businesses within a few hours.

Sacramento.

Bay Area.

Napa.

Sonoma.

Stockton.

Modesto.

Monterey.

Santa Cruz.

Reno.

Central Valley.

That's a gigantic commercial market.

You don't need every company.

You need a handful of companies who regularly create new products.

Five good repeat commercial clients can be worth considerably more than dozens of random one-time photography jobs.

Look for Businesses That Constantly Change

Some industries naturally create recurring photography.

Food companies launch flavors.

Wineries release vintages.

Breweries release beers.

Cosmetics companies change packaging.

Manufacturers introduce new models.

Clothing companies change colors.

Coffee companies introduce roasts.

Restaurants bottle sauces.

Specialty food companies produce seasonal items.

Those are exactly the businesses I want.

Because they aren't buying photography once.

They're continually generating things that need to be photographed.

Build a Sample Portfolio Yourself

Here's another advantage.

You don't need permission from anybody to build a portfolio.

Go buy six products.

A bottle.

A box.

A can.

A bag.

Something reflective.

Something transparent.

Something black.

Photograph them professionally.

Show different approaches.

Clean white e-commerce.

Packaging.

Dramatic advertising.

Detail.

Lifestyle.

Now when you approach a local manufacturer you aren't telling them what you could do.

You're showing them.

That's always more powerful.

Speed Can Become Your Competitive Advantage

There's another thing smaller businesses value tremendously.

Speed.

Maybe their web designer suddenly says:

"I need the new product photographs Friday."

A giant studio might require scheduling weeks ahead.

You may be able to say:

"Bring them tomorrow."

That's valuable.

Eventually you may become the person they call when something needs to happen.

Not because you're the cheapest photographer.

Because you're reliable.

Commercial clients love reliability.

Don't Race to the Bottom

There's a danger in e-commerce photography because inexpensive automated services exist.

Ignore them.

There will always be somebody cheaper.

That's not the business I would try to build.

I'd position myself as the local commercial photographer who understands lighting, color, packaging, branding, production, and marketing.

If the client wants 500 products photographed for pennies apiece, let somebody else do it.

But if the client needs 25 products photographed accurately and professionally, needs somebody to communicate with their marketing department, needs color consistency, needs files delivered correctly, and needs somebody available six months from now when the next products arrive—that's different.

That is a commercial relationship.

The First Job Is Only the Beginning

This might be the most important thing in this entire article.

Don't judge the value of a client based solely on the first pack-shot job.

That first assignment may only be the door.

Once you're inside the company, you may discover they need:

Employee headshots.

Factory photography.

Executive portraits.

Training videos.

Trade show content.

Product demonstrations.

Recruiting photographs.

Drone footage.

Customer testimonials.

Podcast production.

Social media content.

Behind-the-scenes photography.

Advertising campaigns.

I've always believed commercial photography works best when you understand that you're not really selling photographs.

You're solving communication problems.

Pack shots just happen to be one of the easiest ways to start that conversation.

There's Money Sitting in Those Industrial Parks

If I were a photographer trying to make some additional money right now, I would spend less time worrying about finding thousands of followers and more time driving through my local industrial parks.

I'd make a list.

I'd look at websites.

I'd figure out what companies manufacture.

I'd identify products that could be photographed better.

Then I'd start conversations.

Because somewhere near you is probably a business selling thousands—or millions—of dollars worth of physical products using photography that doesn't properly represent what they sell.

You don't need thousands of those companies.

You might only need five.

And those five companies could potentially keep coming back every time they launch another product, update another label, redesign another package, or expand another product line.

That's why I think pack shots, packaging photography, and e-commerce photography are worth taking seriously.

They're not necessarily glamorous.

Nobody may applaud when you spend 45 minutes getting the reflection perfect on a bottle.

You probably aren't going viral photographing a box against white seamless paper.

But that same box might introduce you to a company that becomes a client for the next ten years.

And I'll take that over going viral any day.

Because followers are nice.

Repeat customers pay the bills.