Saving money in business actions is usually easier said than done. And when it comes to creative projects, it gets even trickier: details are added, ideas are switched, the project is upscaled on the go, time is running… and this costs extra money.

Fortunately for you, we have some pro-tips to help you save money on commercial photography without compromising quality. 

Remember that professional photography is crucial for the success of your business, so don’t try to save money by hiring an amateur or doing your photography in-house if you lack expertise because this will cost you even more in the long run.

So, here we go:

Write a good photoshoot brief

The first thing to include in your brief for the photographer is the subject: is it a product photography session in a photo studio, food photography, portrait photography? Each of these subjects requires a specific preparation, equipment, and experience. By giving your photographer as many details as possible, you will save time and money if everything is clear from the start.

Come up with a concept (and stick to it) 

The first step of any successful professional photoshoot concept development. Whether it’s commercial photography, portrait photography, or a product photo, you need a concept to drive all creative decisions.

Is there a style that you want to emulate? An emotion you want to spark? After your answer, you can create a mood board with images related to your concept to help you style your photoshoot and be efficient in the photo studio.

If the concept is not very clear, you and your photo team will spend extra time getting a good result without having an image in mind. However, by sticking to your concept, you can adjust on the go only if truly necessary -and this is an essential photography tip.

Don’t lose your focus

Sometimes, people can get carried away by ideas that can’t be done on a budget during a photoshoot. By sticking to your concept discussed earlier, you can focus on creative solutions. Stick to actions that help communicate your product better and achieve your vision while staying on a budget.

Also, the focus is crucial if you want to stay within the project's scope. Don’t increase the scope - this will always cost more than estimated initially.

Sit down with the image editing team before you start retouching

If you chat with your retouching team before starting work, you can save a lot of image editing time. Let them know if you have specific requirements for style and formats so the result is close to your expectation.

Share with them a list of shots you require: a number of photos, where will they be used - online, in print, or social media? This will give them all the details to produce the required formats.

Trust me; it’s much easier to start on the right foot than go back and forth with feedback sessions which could be avoided, to begin with, if the task was apparent. Don’t skip this step if you want to work efficiently, time and budget-wise.

Automate and outsource as much as possible

You need to worry about other things in your business - other than focusing on commercial photography. The key here is to make the most of what you have with automation. For example, rather than manually removing background from your product images, you can use an automated tool that will do that for you.

Outsourcing image editing is also a good idea. Because let’s be honest - it’s impossible to do it all. Think about all the time you save that you can invest in developing your business instead of taking care of everything. Find a team of professional image editors that can do the job in half the time.

Want to get in touch with our team of experts specialized in image editing? Look no further.

We can help you with fantastic product photography, photography tips, and photo editing that will make your business look flawless.  Learn more about our image editing services here.