[Business Idea] Start a product photography business

E-commerce in Nigeria is booming. Virtually anything you want to buy has a website selling it. I once stumbled on an online shop that sells only printed T-shirts. These days, if you decide that what you want to buy is a Hybrid Dual Fuel Carburettor to convert your petrol-powered generator to a gas-powered generator, you’ll find it online.

There is also an increasing number of businesses using the power of photo-sharing services such as Instagram for product promotions and even sales. Debrasgrace for example is a fashion retail instagram page that manages to pull interest from 1,700 customers and confirm up to 10 sales per picture without as much as a functioning website!

Screen Shot 2016-07-18 at 00.49.12

Image via Debrasgrace

Other Instagram-heavy presences in the Nigerian commerce space include Dainty Affairs (cakes), Living in Lekki (all about Lekki) and Glover Court Suya (suya). Instagram affords these businesses the opportunity of promoting their products through pictures and short videos. For ecommerce giants such as Konga and Jumia who permit “one man businesses” to sell merchandise through their platforms, it is difficult to set up shop without uploading quality images as the giants impose strict quality guidelines on picture uploads.

If great photographs can make money for a business, and conversely, bad photograph have the opposite effect, it is obvious that there is an unexplored niche in product photography. Photography which is aimed at busy entrepreneurs who want to spend their time focusing on their business is a great way for a keen photographer to make money (and help a business make money too).

via GIPHY
 

Turning product photography into a business

Online stores are increasing and a good number will need the services of product photographers. Even established stores might be open to better options. This is where you come in.

I will recommend writing a business plan before starting. It doesn’t have to be a 30-page bank requested document. A 5-page concise blueprint is enough. The basic idea is to have a rough sketch of what you need and how you are going to succeed in the business.

Like every business, advertisement and marketing is key. You have to get word out about your services to potential customers. These include big time online shops, Instagram sellers, and other shops who have online presence etc. For the latter, there are some phone shops that have websites. I have noticed quite a few use stock photos or badly taken images. Go through several websites, identify how you can deliver better pictures, meet and discuss with them.

You can peg pricing at N200-N300 per item. Also, offer incentives such as bulk pricing, free trials, etc. Bottom line is to provide tangible reasons why they should pick you over other alternatives. Before launching out however, you will need to have the required skills.

What you need to learn

There are two basic things to learn;

  • Taking the picture i.e the actual photography.
  • Post processing.

Post processing is what sets you apart from any other person with a camera. Image editing can be done with different pieces of software. One of the more popular choices is Adobe Lightroom which allows for batch-editing as opposed to single picture editing in other softwares. Other software options are Adobe Photoshop, .GIMP, Corel AfterShot Pro 2 etc.

You don’t really need to master editing softwares before starting the business. You can do what I call ‘selective learning’. Here you learn and master the processes for editing product photos. As you grow, you can learn other things.

Where to learn product photography

Below are a few web resources where you can learn product photography;

  • Photigy – Product photography starter course
  • Practical Ecommerce – 15 Video Tutorials for Product Photography
  • fstoppers – Stunning product photography
  • Shopify – The ultimate DIY guide to beautiful product photography
  • Bigcommerce – How to master product photography on a tight budget

A YouTube search will yield tons of tutorial videos while paid courses are also available on Lynda and Udemy.

Start-up kit

photo-1462926795244-b273f8a5454f

Your start-up kit involves all the tools you will need. These include;

  • A laptop with editing software

Some picture editing softwares have been known to need bigger RAMs to function properly. A 4GB RAM and 500GB laptop should do. Editing softwares such as GIMP is available for about £4.99

Estimated cost: N80,000

  • A Camera

A DSLR is the best option here. For starters, you can work with the 18-55mm lens that comes with DSLRs. Here’s a list of best entry DSLR for 2016 to aid your search.

Estimated cost: N150,000

  • Light Tent

A light tent is a very important tool in product photography. You can make one yourself or buy.

Estimated cost: N15,000

  • Tripod

To avoid blurry images it is best to get a tripod. A sturdy makeshift surface may serve. Nevertheless, a tripod makes taking still pictures easier and less time consuming.




Estimated cost: N20,000

You might already have a laptop which will save some cost. The business is mostly mobile so there is little need for a shop and what comes with it. A good laptop battery and NEPA should solve power needs to a great extent.

All in all, the minimum cost to start this business is in the region of N250,000.

Profits

Assuming you charge N300 per item, 50 items a week will give N15,000. Bar transportation and calls, You don’t have much running costs, especially as a portion of your work won’t be dependent on the availability of electricity.

Final notes

Seek to build trust between you and customers. Customer satisfaction will most likely lead to referrals which is more business for you. Another thing is to keep innovating. Never stop learning new ways to improve your service.

 

Found this useful? Don’t forget to comment and share with your friends

 

78 Comments

  1. Kasyno Online w Polsce May 13, 2025
  2. F1 Kasyno May 13, 2025
  3. Gratowin Kasyno May 13, 2025
  4. sodo66 May 13, 2025
  5. F1 Kasyno May 13, 2025
  6. zowin May 13, 2025
  7. Vox Vladimir soset May 13, 2025
  8. Vladimir nedo sites May 14, 2025
  9. sky88 May 14, 2025
  10. kargototo May 15, 2025
  11. FB video downloader May 15, 2025
  12. sunwinpet May 16, 2025
  13. purple hoodie mens May 18, 2025
  14. china swimsuit May 18, 2025
  15. cleaning May 19, 2025
  16. super slot May 20, 2025
  17. gacam67 May 20, 2025
  18. bet game May 21, 2025
  19. casino May 21, 2025
  20. casino May 22, 2025
  21. 24-hour taxi May 22, 2025
  22. boosting service May 26, 2025
  23. gamebaidoithuong May 27, 2025
  24. gamebaidoithuong May 28, 2025
  25. Mostbet Casino May 30, 2025
  26. Pidory s SodaSeo May 30, 2025
  27. 188 bet June 1, 2025
  28. fun88 đăng nhập June 1, 2025
  29. vm1k2 June 3, 2025
  30. kfz gutachter June 6, 2025
  31. La'Don designer store June 6, 2025
  32. chrome June 6, 2025
  33. Efferalgan June 6, 2025
  34. NYSTATIN June 6, 2025
  35. gvui888 June 7, 2025
  36. bot88 June 7, 2025
  37. gvuic1 June 7, 2025
  38. gvui June 7, 2025
  39. bot88 June 7, 2025
  40. nhà cái uy tín June 8, 2025
  41. W88 June 8, 2025
  42. M88 June 8, 2025
  43. W88 June 8, 2025
  44. M88 June 8, 2025
  45. cialis discount card June 10, 2025
  46. Nhà cái Bin88 June 11, 2025
  47. Nhà cái BuBet June 11, 2025
  48. W88 link mới nhất June 11, 2025
  49. iwin June 11, 2025
  50. go88 June 11, 2025
  51. Nhà cái Bin88 June 12, 2025
  52. Trang chủ BuBet June 12, 2025
  53. locksmith Leeds June 13, 2025
  54. a3r4x June 13, 2025
  55. pg slot vip June 13, 2025
  56. pg slot vip June 13, 2025
  57. sv388dangnhapcom June 14, 2025
  58. y81gu June 14, 2025

Leave a Reply