Should I Take My Own Photos for Amazon
If you sell products on Amazon, you already know how important your photos are. Your images are often the very first impression customers have of your product, and in a crowded marketplace, strong visuals can make or break a sale.
As a professional product photographer based in Troy, Missouri, I work with brands across Missouri, the Greater St. Louis area, and sellers worldwide to create clean white background images and lifestyle product photography for Amazon and e-commerce websites. Before you decide to DIY your product photos, here are a few important questions to ask yourself.
Here’s 13 questions to ask yourself before taking photos of your products for Amazon.
- Do you have a good camera? (Professional cameras start at $1000+ even used)
- Do you know how to change the apertures, shutter speeds, and ISO on your camera? (Exposure Triangle)
- Do you have good lighting? (Photos are made with light. There’s studio strobes, flashes, LED lights for video and you need multiple lights $200-$2,000)
- Do you understand photo composition? (Rule of Thirds)
- Do you have good sharp lenses? (A lot of good lenses are over $1,000)
- Do you know how to resize and crop images? (I teach Photoshop lessons if you want help)
- Do you have props? ($)
- Do you know how to make the background pure white (255,255,255) for Amazon?
- Do you have the time to photograph all your products? (How much is your time worth?)
- Do you have cat and dog models?
- Do you have photo backgrounds? ($40-$200 each)
- Do you have the space to set up studio backgrounds and lights?
- Are you creative?
Is it cheaper to DIY or hire a Professional Photographer? You do the math.
Will you be in the dog (Cat) house if you try to DIY?
Professional Amazon Product Photography in Missouri
If you answered yes to all of these questions, then DIY product photography might be a great fit for you. If not, that’s where I come in.
I offer professional product photography services from my studio in Troy, Missouri, specializing in:
- Amazon white background product photography
- Lifestyle product photography
- Pet product photography with real animal models
- Branding images for e-commerce and websites
Brands from Missouri, the Greater St. Louis area, across the U.S., and internationally ship their products to me to be photographed in a controlled studio environment.
If you’re ready to elevate your Amazon listings, I’d love to help. When reaching out, please include how many products you have and what style of photos you’re looking for, whether white background images, lifestyle shots, or a mix of both.
Professional product photography can save you time, reduce stress, and help your products stand out where it matters most.
Thanks for this very helpful list of questions. I’m not currently selling products on Amazon but evaluating as an option so this will come in handy. Thanks for sharing.
What an extensive list, super! I don’t sell for Amazon but I love taking pictures. Currently intake all my blog photos but only using my Google Pixel phone. One day I want to get another good camera but I feel I’m too old to learn all about aperature and other settings. I love your photos!
This was really helpful.
You laid out the pros and cons so clearly without pushing one “right” answer. I appreciated how you balanced quality, cost, and brand impact. It makes the decision feel informed instead of overwhelming.
Thanks for sharing a solid guide for anyone navigating that Amazon question.
That was helpful. I take photographs for a newspaper, but I’m not a professional studio photographer. I don’t think that I have the resources to do everything that you suggested to make my photographs look professional enough to advertise on Amazon. I would probably just go ahead and hire a professional photographer, and I do know a few.