Product Photography Cost per Image in 2026 (US & UK prices)
Most price guides give you vague ranges. This one uses the prices that real studios publish on their own websites, checked on 30 September 2026, so you can plan a budget before you ask for quotes.
The short answer
- White-background images (US): about $30 to $50 per image.
- Images with a hand or full-body model (US): about $95 per image, plus minimums.
- White-background packshots (UK): about £5 to £35 per image.
- Lifestyle and creative shoots: usually priced per package or per day, from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
- Extra costs: minimum orders, shipping, model fees and 1 to 2 weeks of waiting.
What studios actually charge
These are published prices from studios that serve US and UK brands. Prices change, so check each studio before you book.
| Studio | White background | With a model | Minimum and extras | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ProductPhoto.com (US) | $40 per photo (1–10), $35 (11–50), $30 (51+) | Hand or foot model: add $15 per photo | Lifestyle packages from $375, product videos from $595 | 7–10 business days (10–12 for 51+ photos) |
| Squareshot (US) | From $50 per image | $95 per image (hand or full-body model) | $300 minimum for product shoots; model shoots need 5 outfits and 20 images | About 8 days |
| Soona (US) | $39 per photo | Full-body model $159 per hour, hand model $79 per hour | $149 studio fee per booking on the pay-as-you-go pass; memberships from $13 per month | 24–72 hours, depending on plan |
| UK studios (Whito research, August 2026) | £5–£35 per packshot, £10–£24 at volume | Not covered | Minimum spend £125–£150; styled shoots £350–£425 half day, £600–£845 full day | Not covered |
Sources are listed at the end of this guide. Prices exclude sales tax and VAT.
What makes product photography cost more
The type of image. A product on a white background is the cheapest image to make. Lifestyle scenes cost more because they need props, a set and styling. Images with models cost the most, because you also pay for the model’s time.
The product. Shiny, clear and small products are harder to light. Jewelry, watches, glass bottles and metallic packaging often cost more. Squareshot lists jewelry and watches as “complex” images priced by complexity.
Retouching. Basic cleanup is usually included. Removing dust from jewelry, fixing reflections or building a “ghost mannequin” image for clothing often costs extra.
Volume. Most studios cut the price per image as you order more. ProductPhoto.com drops from $40 to $30 per photo above 50 photos.
Models, stylists and locations. These are billed on top of the image price, often per hour or per day.
A worked example
Say a skincare brand launches 10 products. It needs 3 white-background images of each product, and 20 images of the products held by a model for ads and social media. Using the published US prices above:
- 30 white-background images at ProductPhoto.com’s $35 rate (11–50 photos): $1,050.
- 20 images with a model at Squareshot’s $95 rate: $1,900. Squareshot’s model-shoot minimum is 20 images, so this is also the smallest model order you can place there.
- Total before extras: about $2,950, plus shipping the products to the studio and back, and 1 to 2 weeks before the images arrive.
If the brand then needs a new scene for a holiday campaign, it books and pays for another shoot.
The hidden costs
- Minimum orders. $300 at Squareshot, £125 to £150 at many UK studios.
- Shipping. You pay to send products to the studio, and often to get them back. Jewelry needs insured shipping.
- Booking fees. Soona charges a $149 studio fee per booking on its pay-as-you-go pass.
- Rush fees and reshoots. A new colourway, a late sample or a missed angle means another booking.
- Time. Most studios deliver 7 to 12 business days after your products arrive. That delay can push back a launch.
How AI product photography compares
With AI product photography, you send photos of your product instead of the product itself. A studio then creates the white-background, lifestyle, on-model and campaign images from those photos. There is no shipping, no model booking and no location fee.
Where AI saves the most: lifestyle scenes, on-model images and campaign visuals. These are the most expensive images in a traditional shoot, because they need models, sets and locations.
Where the saving is smaller: simple white-background images. Traditional studios already price these at $30 to $50, so the main gain is speed and no shipping.
When a traditional studio is the better choice: if you need 360-degree spins of the physical product, or if your team wants to direct a shoot in person.
What to check before you hire an AI studio: ask how they keep colours, prints, metals and shades true to your real product, and whether you approve images before final delivery. Ask for a free sample of your own product.
What R2G Studios charges
R2G Studios creates AI product photography for fashion, beauty and jewelry brands in the US, UK, Europe, Canada, Australia and the UAE. We offer one-time packages and monthly plans, priced by the number of images and videos you need. For the same set of images, our quote is typically about half of what a traditional studio charges, because there are no shipping, studio, model or location fees. Most projects are delivered in 48–72 hours. We quote after a free 30-minute demo, and we make a free sample image of your product so you can judge the quality first.
See our services for beauty & skincare, fashion and clothing and jewelry.
Frequently asked questions
How much does product photography cost per image?
In September 2026, US studios published prices of about $30 to $50 per white-background image, and about $95 per image with a hand or full-body model. UK studios charged about £5 to £35 per white-background packshot. Minimum orders, shipping and model fees are extra.
Why does jewelry photography cost more?
Jewelry is small and reflective. It needs macro lenses, careful lighting and extra retouching to remove dust and reflections. Squareshot, for example, lists jewelry and watches as complex images with prices that vary by complexity.
What hidden costs should I plan for?
Minimum orders, shipping your products to the studio and back, model and stylist fees, studio booking fees, premium retouching and rush fees. Also plan for time: many studios deliver 7 to 12 business days after your products arrive.
Is AI product photography cheaper?
Usually, for lifestyle, on-model and campaign images, because there is no shipping, studio, model or location cost. For simple white-background images the saving is smaller, since traditional studios already price them low. If you need 360-degree spins of the physical product, a traditional studio is the better choice.
Sources
- ProductPhoto.com pricing, checked 30 September 2026
- Squareshot pricing, checked 30 September 2026
- Soona pricing, checked 30 September 2026
- Whito, Photography Costs UK, research dated August 2026