How to check a photographer can shoot your kind of product

A photographer who crushes landscape or wedding work may freeze when faced with your product. The skills are different—lighting small objects, managing reflections, handling batch shoots, meeting e-commerce platform specs. Before you book, you need proof they've actually done this work well and that they understand your specific category.

Search their portfolio by product type

Don't just browse their website gallery. Ask to see product photography specifically—and ideally products similar to yours. If you sell jewellery, you need someone who's lit diamonds or gold before. If it's food, they should show plated dishes, packaging, or ingredients. If it's furniture or homewares, they need depth-of-field control and spatial awareness. A photographer who says "I can do anything" but shows only one product category in their portfolio is being honest about their actual experience. Ask them directly: "Do you have examples in my category? Can you show me 5–10 recent ones?" Their answer and willingness to share tells you everything.

Verify they understand your sales channel

Product photography for Instagram, Shopify, TikTok, or a print catalogue are not the same job. Each platform has different size specs, aspect ratios, and content styles. A shot that works beautifully in a magazine spread can flop on mobile. Ask what they know about your specific platform—whether that's Amazon, Takealot, your own website, or social media. Questions worth asking:

• What resolution and file format do you deliver?
• Do you know the size specs for our platform?
• How many hero shots versus lifestyle or detail variations do you usually shoot per product?
• Have you worked with this platform or similar ones before?

If they look blank or say "I'll just shoot and you'll resize," they haven't done this work seriously. You want someone who proactively knows the technical and creative demands.

Check recent work and talk to past clients

Ask for three to five references—ideally customers in your product category or sales channel. When you call or WhatsApp them, ask about specifics: Did the photographer deliver on time? Did the images work for sales? Were there unexpected costs or reshoot requests? Did they understand the product and how it needed to look? A photographer who's shot for e-commerce can tell you honestly whether they met deadlines and whether their client's sales moved. A photographer new to product work may have done beautiful shots but missed technical requirements or delivery schedules.

Also ask for a recent job that didn't go perfectly. A photographer who admits they struggled with batch consistency or a tricky reflection problem, and solved it, is more trustworthy than one who claims everything is always perfect.

Request a test shot or small pilot

If this is your first time working together, especially for a large catalogue, ask if they'll do a small paid pilot—three to five products at a reduced rate. This lets you see their actual turnaround, file quality, editing style, and how closely they follow your brief without committing your whole budget. You'll learn fast whether they grasp your product, your brand look, and the platform requirements.

Make sure the agreement for this pilot covers file formats, usage rights, and revision rounds so there's no confusion when it's time to expand to a full shoot.

Finding the right person

The photographer you need isn't necessarily the most award-winning or expensive—they're the one who has genuinely done product work in your category, understands the platform you're selling on, and has happy repeat clients to show for it. Strove lets you filter for product photographers and read verified feedback from real customers in your space, which takes the guesswork out of this vetting. A few direct questions and a reference call will confirm whether they're the right fit before you hand over your products.