The short answer
What a clothing photoshoot costs depends on three things: the format (flat lay, ghost mannequin or on a model), how many images you need, and who has to be on set. Flat lays and ghost mannequin shots need the garment, a photographer, a studio and retouching. On-model photos add a model, styling, hair and makeup and usage rights, which is why they cost the most. Shipping samples, revisions and rush delivery come on top of all three.
The surest way to budget is to fix your shot list first and get every quote for that same list, with each line item spelled out. At Sellora, on-model photos are made from the product photos you already have: studio images on a model start from $95 each, and every project is quoted individually.
What goes into the bill
Whoever you hire, the same line items sit inside most quotes. Some providers bundle them into a price per image, others list them separately.
| Line item | What it covers | What changes the cost |
|---|---|---|
| Photographer | Shooting time, lighting and setups | Hours booked, number of setups, location |
| Studio | Space, backdrops and equipment | Billed per booking or per hour; location shoots add travel |
| Model | The person wearing your garment | Hours booked, minimums, number of models |
| Stylist | Steaming, pinning and styling each look | Number of garments and looks |
| Hair and makeup | Getting the model camera-ready | Number of models and look changes |
| Retouching | Cleanup, color correction, compositing | Level of retouching and number of images |
| Shipping samples | Getting garments to the studio and back | Number of samples, both directions |
| Revisions | Fixes after delivery | Rounds included and what counts as a revision |
| Usage rights | Where and for how long you can use the images | Term and channels: your site, marketplaces, ads, print |
Rush delivery is usually billed on top of all of these.
Usage rights: the line item people forget
Product-only shots usually come with unlimited use. Images with a recognizable model often don't: they may be licensed for a limited term, with longer use at extra cost. If you hire a model yourself, you negotiate the rights yourself.
Before you book, ask three questions: how long you can use the images, where (your site, marketplaces, ads, print), and what an extension costs. Sellora's on-model photos come with an exclusive, perpetual license once the order is paid in full.
The cost of hiring a model
The model's fee is only part of what a model costs you. The same booking usually needs hair and makeup and a stylist, sometimes fittings, and the usage term changes the price of the model's time.
Providers that sell on-model images per image fold all of this into the price; those that sell time bill it separately. When you compare model quotes, line up the same things: hours booked and minimums, hair and makeup, styling, fittings, the usage term, and who handles the model's paperwork.
Per image or day rate?
Per image means you know the bill before the shoot: images × price, plus any setup fee or minimum. It suits small batches, mixed products and anyone working to a fixed budget.
Day rate means you pay for the crew's time and get as many images as the day produces. A day only beats per-image pricing when you fill it.
Hourly booking sits in between. How many images an hour yields depends on the product and the number of looks, and the model's fee may be billed on top of the hour. For the break-even math, see product photography pricing.
How to plan your budget
- Count products and colorways. Every colorway you want to show is its own set of images.
- Choose the format for each product. Flat lays show outline, color and print; ghost mannequin shots add shape; on-model photos show fit, length and drape. Most brands mix them. The full comparison is in flat lay vs ghost mannequin vs on-model.
- Fix the shot list. Decide how many images each product gets: front, back, side or movement, and a detail answer the basic questions. On a model at Sellora, a set is 7 images per product.
- Price the same list everywhere. Multiply images by the price per image, then add what's billed separately: setup or studio fees, minimums, the model's time, styling, hair and makeup, retouching, rush.
- Add the costs no price list shows. Shipping samples both ways, steaming, reshoots, and the days your team spends prepping, briefing and on set.
Brief well, pay once
Most extra costs come from surprises on set or after delivery. A clear brief prevents them:
- Agree the shot list before the shoot, including angles, crops and backgrounds, so nothing is reshot because it was missing.
- Send references. A few images of the look you want save rounds of revisions.
- Send the size chart and note where each garment should sit on the body: hem length, sleeve length, how loose or fitted.
- Flag the details buyers look for: fabric, print, logo, closures. Ask for close-ups of them and true-to-life color.
- Name the channels up front. If the images go to Amazon, Shopify, Etsy and social, say so, so sizes and main-image rules are right the first time and the license covers every channel.
Where AI fits
AI on-model photography doesn't replace the product photo. It replaces the model day for the products that don't need one. You still need clear photos of the real garment to start from, and AI turns them into photos of that garment on a model.
That is one of our photoshoots, exactly as delivered. With Sellora's on-model photography, you send the photos you already have (flat lays, ghost mannequin shots, photos on a hanger, or sharp phone photos where the fabric, color and details are clearly visible), a size chart and 1–3 reference images. No samples are shipped: we never handle physical products. On a retainer, your brand model is cast for you and stays the same across your catalog.
Before you see an image, a person checks it against our acceptance checklist: fit and length, drape, color, print and logo, construction, hands, pose and skin, and marketplace main-image rules. If an image fails, we remake it free or refund that image. You get 7 images per product, the first batch within 10 business days, two revision rounds within 10 days of delivery, and an exclusive, perpetual license once the order is paid in full. Studio images on a model start from $95 each, lifestyle images and campaigns are quoted in your proposal, and every project is quoted individually.
A live shoot still makes more sense for campaign images where a real person is the point, for video, for fit-critical pieces, and for what AI renders least faithfully: highly reflective fine jewelry, complex layered outfits and extreme close-ups of fine lace. When a product falls into one of these, we say so before quoting.
For more on how per-image pricing works, see on-model photography price per image and how much AI fashion photography costs.
Planning a shoot for a new collection? Book a call and we'll sort out which products need a studio day and which can go on-model from the photos you already have.