You rates still seem high to me. Tell me more about why are you more expensive than some other e-commerce product photographers?
I'm glad you asked ;) Like any purchase, you will usually have a choice between cheap and premium, and the difference relates to the quality of the experience, and the quality of the result. Infact our rates are actually less expensive than the suppliers in the U.S. & U.K. recommended by a lot of the Amazon selling gurus and we would argue that our quality is better. Make sure you are comparing apples with apples, and not our apples with someone elses lemons. Additionally we are on-shore in Australia, so you save on transportation costs as well as time.
In terms of the process itself, most other companies ask you to fill out a form, send your product, and then they send you the results. Often the results might not have the look you anticipated because your brief didn't have the detail necessary to clarify your preferences. Fran dedicates time to converse personally with you, so we can be 100% sure that the shots she takes align with your expectations.
Additionally, you might see beautiful images on the portfolio pages of a competitor site, but then your products might be shot by a junior photographer rather than the principal photographer. Fran personally shoots every clients job, so every project gets the same level of care and attention. This means that we can't turn over the same volume that other companies can, but our priority is being sure that our clients get the best conversion rates.
We guarantee that our shots will comply with Amazon product images guidelines.
Possibly most importantly though, the quality of our images stand out. It takes years of experience and inherent creativity and style to produce images that really engage a seller. When you publish your Amazon Product listing, you only have your images to hook customers and convince them that your product is better than the competitors product. People don't read the text in the listing until after they've reviewed the images and feel an initial engagement. Amazon has shared the statistic that sellers with 3-6 quality photographs get 30% higher sales. If that isn't enough to convince you of the importance of quality images, I'm not sure what is!
Sellers that recognise the value in a quality result are our kind of clients. There are plenty of other photographers that offer cheap basic solutions. We want to work with the best sellers, who are aware that the quality of their images is as important as the quality of the product itself.
Do you photoshop products into stock images?
Most of the time we don't. We shoot for real! We want to make the best images possible. We work with beautiful shoot locations and fantastic models that you can hire, and we produce images that are worthy of any large brands campaign. Having said that, SOME products suit Photoshop stock image composition - for example some wall hung items - but we only do it if we think we can produce a result that can't be differentiated from the reality and that a Photoshop composite will produce a better result.
Do I need to be based on the Gold Coast, or in Australia to work with you?
No! As long as you are able to ship your product and any special props you'd like to include, we can work together remotely. I usually use Zoom for our briefing meeting, so that we can see each other, and screen share, to refer to reference images. This makes for a personalised experience even from a distance. We can also easily converse by phone if you'd prefer.
Can I come to the photo shoots?
Your zoom briefing meeting is your opportunity to share all your thoughts, and preferences. Then you can sit back, relax and look forward to the finished job popping into your inbox. Clients don't usually attend our photo shoots unless the product is particularly complex and requires an operator.
What kind of products do you photograph?
We specialise in small products i.e. anything that will fit on a table-top. We don't usually offer clothing photography (ie. dresses, skirts, t-shirts, shirts etc) at this time, although shoes, hats and other accessories are all welcome. If you have a really large product, or you think your product might be a bit tricky to shoot, or you want to find out if we can photograph your clothing product, please contact us to discuss the options. We do make exceptions!
What exactly are lifestyle images?
Lifestyle images give a sense of your product 'in-use'. We can produce lifestyle images for any tabletop-sized products. We work with a curated selection of backgrounds and props to give a sense of location and activity. You can also supply specific props related to your product that we can use in your shoot. Special props can also be purchased on your behalf, e.g. produce, fresh flowers, special items, at cost price + 25%. Your product packaging (e.g. the jar that contains a jam) might not appear in a lifestyle shot, unless you specify it as a requirement. This means the jam might appear without the jar, spread on a slice of bread, for example. If your product packaging does appear in the shot, it might not be the central element in the shot. If you'd like your product packaging to be 'front and centre' you need to specify that you'd like propped product shots, as opposed to lifestyle shots.
Lifestyle images can also include models. Our standard packages do not include models in the lifestyle images. Our premium package offers one hand-shot as an inclusion. If you'd like to include models in your shots please contact us for custom pricing.
Are models and/or locations included in your packages?
We regularly work with models and locations to produce location-based lifestyle images. We don't include models or locations in our packages because cost depends on the cailbre of the location or the experience/profile of the model. One client might need a 5 star location, while another requires a suburban home. We can make suggestions for people and places we have worked with before or offer support finding both suitable to your project, however managing the process of selecting and paying the model and location is not included in our packages. Having said that, if you are time poor and just want it all done for you, we have someone in our team that can facilitate that for you for an additional fee.
What happens if I want to make changes to my images after I receive them?
We will make changes without a charge if we have made a mistake, i.e. the image does not fit these Amazon requirements. Changes for aesthetic preference will incur a reshoot fee and will need to be rescheduled based upon available timeslots. Aesthetic preferences include (but are not limited to) change of props or backgrounds, or position of elements in the image. If the change is possible with retouching as opposed to reshooting, we can offer you a custom edit fee. If you have very specific requirements please make sure to communicate this in your briefing.
1 hour of minor graphic edits is included in our packages. This allows for small text changes or minor alterations. Any additional edits are charged by the hour. If you want to use specific props, please supply them along with your products.
If you need to micro-manage the shoot, this 'send & receive' approach might not the be best option for you. You are employing us to use our extensive expertise to produce great conversions for your product. We love to receive your input and preferences during the briefing session, but then it's over to us to interpret that - and we might employ some artistic license. Remember, if you invite an electrician to hang some lighting and add some power points - you don't tell them where to run the cabling because you trust their skill.
I don't want you to include the imagery that you produce for me in your folio, OK?
Under international copyright law, a commerical photographer/graphic designer/videographer retains the ownership of copyright of any imagery they create for a commercial client. I offer exclusive reproduction rights in a global territory for an unlimited timeframe to my Amazon clients for marketing & promotional purposes.
This means that if you would like to make any direct income from materials (including photos, graphics and video) that I have produced for you - (e.g. you print an image on a mug and then sell the mug) we would need to negotiate a royalty fee. However you have full unlimited rights to use all imagery for the purpose of marketing your products.
In terms of presenting examples of our work in our portfolio - which includes but is not limited to - in our advertising, on social media, or in our teaching materials, and all other online or offline promotional materials - we do retain the right to share any and all examples of our work when they have appeared once in the public domain.
This is also my right as a content creator, under international copyright law. This means that from the first time that you have shared the imagery in a public manner, ie. on Amazon, on your website, in social media, in advertising etc we might include your images in our promotional materials also. This stipulation is very important because it facilitates our ability to share our skills with other potential clients and it is a non-negotiable term.
The best protection you can secure for your product is a design patent for your product. If you own a design patent Amazon will take down any imitators immediately. You can secure a U.S. design patent here: https://www.uspto.gov/patents-getting-started/patent-basics/types-patent-applications/design-patent-application-guide and/or an Australian design patent here https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/designs
Ultimately your product is much more vulnerable from copycats on Amazon than in our folio and securing a design patent will ensure that any unique characteristics of your product can be protected and imitators can be blocked.
I would like to receive the layered Photoshop files of the infographics as well as the jpg files, OK?
We might be able to offer this as an optional extra. Please discuss mention you'd like to include this in your quote.
Do I get my products and props back after the shoot?
Of course. You are welcome to arrange a courier pickup once you have approved your images. If you would prefer the seal on any product not to be broken during a shoot please specify this during the briefing. We will store your products and props up to two weeks after your images are approved. After this time, items will be disposed of.
Do you offer infographics as well as photography?
Yes. Fran is a qualified graphic designer as well as a commercial photographer. Our team also includes additional graphic designers. Our packages include Amazon graphics. If you'd like additional custom infographics, as opposed to our standard graphic inclusions as part of your project, please mention it at briefing time to receive a custom quote.
How do I pay?
When you make a booking you will receive an invoice with direct deposit information for 50% of the full amount. Once this amount is paid your booking, briefing date and shoot date will be confirmed. When the shoot has been completed you will receive a 2nd invoice for the balance of the shoot value. This amount will be due for payment on the day you receive your images for review. Once your payment has been received you will receive a download link within 24 hours. If you would like to pay via credit card we can supply an alternative method of payment, but the processing fee will be added to the invoice.
You can also utilise 'buy now, pay later' financing via our partner arrangement with Grapple. The fee can be split into 4 equal monthly payments with a 4% fee. Your business needs to have been trading for more than 12 months and pass a standard credit check.
How do I receive my images?
Once the shoot has been completed you will receive a notification that your images have moved into the post-production phase. For a single product, 7 days after your shoot date you will receive an online link to review your images (14-32 days for multiple products, depending on the quantity of products). The images will be watermarked. When we receive your final payment, you will receive a new link which will contact all the images unwatermarked in two formats; Amazon resolution at 2000px x 2000px and full resolution. This can happen same-day if you supply a banking receipt from a reputable Australian bank.
We supply two kinds of jpg files. The first series are full resolution, suitable for printing as well as online purposes (they will need to be resized them down for general online use). The second series are optimised for Amazon seller use at 2000px x 2000px. This means you will be able to avail of the 'closeup' view offered by Amazon as well as upload your images immediately to your Amazon store. All you will need to do is change the file names to suit Amazon requirements.
What kind of usage license comes with the images?
You have full permission to use your images for any legitimate marketing purpose. This includes online selling platforms, brochures, website, social media, print advertising, packaging etc. We do retain the copyright, and you may not on-sell the images to any third party, or use the images in a paid product without permission. For example if you print a calendar using the photographs we shot for you, and then you planned to sell that calendar, this would not be allowed without permission. We also retain the right to use the images in our portfolio and marketing materials.
What happens if you break or lose my product or props?
We take great care when we are working with our clients products and props. Having said that, it's not impossible for the unexpected to occur. (fingers crossed it has only happened once!) Please ensure any products and props you supply are properly insured prior to sending. We cannot accept liability for loss or damage.
