The short answer
Product photography is priced three ways: per image, by the hour, or by the day. Per image is the easiest to budget, because you know the bill before the shoot, and it usually works best for small or mixed batches. Hourly and day rates pay off only when you fill the time with similar products that are ready to shoot. Whichever model a provider uses, compare quotes on the same shot list and check what's billed on top: setup fees, retouching, rush, shipping samples and usage rights.
For clothing on a model, Sellora prices per image: studio images on a model start from $95 each, lifestyle images and campaigns are quoted in your proposal, and every project is quoted individually.
The three pricing models
| Per image | Hourly | Day rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| You pay for | Each final, retouched image | Photographer or studio time | A crew for a full day |
| Best for | A known shot list; small or irregular batches | Short or on-location shoots, tests, mixed products | Large batches of similar products; shoots you want to direct on set |
| Watch for | Setup fees, minimums, per-angle billing, surcharges for complex products | Images per hour vary; editing and fees on top | Unused hours are still paid; retouching caps; overtime |
Per image
Pros. You know the bill before the shoot and can compare quotes line by line. Retouching is often included in the price per image; ask to be sure.
Cons. Each angle is a separate image, so a product shot from five angles is five images. Complex products, such as coats or oversized pieces, often cost more per image. Small orders get hit hardest by setup fees, minimum orders and per-booking studio fees.
Hourly
Pros. Flexible for small shoots, tests and on-location work, and some providers hand over every raw file from the session.
Cons. How many images an hour yields depends on the product: a simple product on white moves much faster than a styled outfit with several looks. Editing can be billed per photo on top of the hour, platforms may add a service fee, and some studios bill the model separately from the hour.
Day rate
Pros. The per-image cost falls the more you shoot, and you get direct control on set.
Cons. You pay for the whole day even if you don't fill it, and the prep (steaming, styling, a shot list) has to be done before the crew arrives. Day rates often cap retouching at a set number of images and bill overtime by the hour.
When each one is cheaper
The break-even is one division: the day or hourly rate divided by the per-image rate gives the number of finished images you need from that time for it to pay off. If a two-hour booking costs as much as 15 images at the per-image rate, you need 16 or more finished, retouched images from those two hours for the booking to win.
Below the break-even, pay per image. Above it, with similar products prepped and a tight shot list, ask for an hourly or day quote, check how many retouched images it includes, and do the division yourself.
Where per-image AI pricing fits
For clothing, there's now another way to buy on-model images: AI on-model photos, priced per image and made from product photos you already have. It works like studio per-image pricing, since you know the price per image up front, but there are no samples to ship and no model to book.
It doesn't replace the product photo itself: AI needs a clear photo of the real garment to start from, such as a flat lay, a ghost mannequin shot, a photo on a hanger or a sharp phone photo. And it isn't the right tool for video or for the products AI renders least faithfully: highly reflective fine jewelry, complex layered outfits and extreme close-ups of fine lace.
With Sellora, a set is 7 on-model images of one product, delivered within days, checked by a person against our acceptance checklist, with two revision rounds and an exclusive, perpetual license once the order is paid in full. Studio images on a model start from $95 each; every project is quoted individually, and your proposal shows the total. See how our on-model photoshoots work, or read more in on-model photography price per image and AI fashion photography cost.
Questions to ask before you compare quotes
- Is retouching included, and at what level?
- How many revision rounds are included, and what does an extra round cost?
- Are there setup fees, studio fees or minimum orders?
- Is each angle billed as a separate image?
- What usage rights come with images that show a model, and for how long?
- Which file formats and sizes are included for Amazon, Shopify and Etsy?
- What is the turnaround, and what does rush delivery cost?
- Who pays to ship samples, and how do they come back?
If you're weighing a photo setup of your own instead, see in-house vs outsourced product photography. For clothing budgets specifically, see how much a clothing photoshoot costs.
Planning photos for a clothing catalog? Book a call and we'll price the on-model part with you, product by product.