Quick Guide To Commercial Photography in 2025 (Types, Examples, Job Descriptions)
Commercial photography is a field of work that involves photos as a form of advertisement. There’s a wide range of types of commercial photography within the industry. Commercially focused photography examples include fashion photography, product photography and more.
There is an abundance of questions surrounding the commercial photography industry. How do you get into commercial photography? How does one break into the commercial photography industry? What’s a typical commercial photography salary? What are some commercial photography jobs? Is wedding photography commercial photography? We’ll be answering all of these questions and more as we go through the specifics of the photography industry, types of photography in this domain, including commercial and retail photography and how you can break into the workforce.
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What Is Commercial Photography?
What Is Classed as Commercial Photography?
Commercial Photography is photography used to sell a product or service or advertise something. Is wedding photography commercial photography? Not exactly. Wedding photography is instead considered retail photography since it's not used to advertise or sell a product or service. Retail photography is typically for individual clients rather than larger companies or small businesses that are trying to support their goods and services.
Commercial Photography Examples
You may not know that commercial photography is quite a broad category. Some examples of commercial photography include fashion photography, product photography, food photography, entertainment advertising and real estate photography. So, what is Commercial Photography exactly? Essentially, any photograph trying to sell something or advertise a product or service can be classified under the commercial photography umbrella. Any photographic advertisement you have ever seen is likely commercial photography.
Types of Commercial Photography
1. Fashion Photography
We know that fashion is a popular style or the latest trend in clothing, hair, decoration or behavior. The job of a fashion photographer is to capture these styles and trends with a lens with the hopes of selling a specific item. Fashion photography is therefore the type of photography you see in magazines or clothing store catalogs. If it's advertising an outfit, makeup or any sort of accessory, it likely falls under fashion photography. Most photos you see of models in magazines or in online advertisements are considered fashion photography.
People want to know what clothes will look like before buying them, especially when shopping online, so fashion photography is a vital advertising technique for clothing brands and high-end designers. Clothes can drape very differently on a person than on a hanger, and buyers want to know that the clothes they are getting will look flattering on their figure before they make the purchase.
2. Product Photography
Take a look around and you'll notice the various products that flood your room. Your purchases may have been guided by advice from a friend, but more likely, product photography was involved. Consider the device you're reading this article on — did you see an image of it somewhere online before making your purchase? Your purchase was most likely influenced directly by product photography.
When is comes down to it, product photography sells you something physical, such as photos of the newest iPhone, cars, TVs or any other product a company may be trying to sell to you. Images of these items are all classified as product photography. As the range in product photography is so large, it's one of the most common styles of commercially focused photography.
You’ll often see product photography in store catalogs, or, more recently, in online advertising. Any company trying to sell a physical product likely uses product photography in their marketing.
3. Food Photography
If you’ve ever seen an ad for a pizza place where they pull a slice up and the cheese is oozing down, that is food photography. Food photography is a type of commercial photography that's used in ads for restaurants or other food and beverage services and can be displayed in online advertisements, menus, food delivery services or web pages.
Seen a bus or taxi with a Domino's pizza on the side recently? That pizza was photographed by a professional food photographer. Food photography makes food look even more appetizing than it does in real life. Oftentimes, fake foods or interesting techniques will be used to achieve the perfect appearance. One example is using glue on food items to make it look like the food is "sweating" or dripping with water. Even images of the best cocktails use food photography tricks and techniques.
As one of the most essential commercial photography types in the food and beverage industry, any restaurant or brand that wants to advertise its product, giving clients a mental idea of what the food will look and taste like, will need to hire a food photographer.
4. Entertainment Photography
Entertainment photography captures an entire experience in a single image. Consider photos of your favorite singer performing at one of their concerts. Maybe you even have a poster of them on your wall. This idolized moment was captured by a brilliant entertainment photographer.
Beyond famous celebrities, entertainment photography also captures experiences in other fields such as theme parks or resorts. The aim is to immerse the viewer in the experience, making them want to visit the location or take part in the experience. Disney theme parks are prime examples of entertainment photography. They're well known for their ads selling their theme parks, cruises and immersive experiences. They use commercial photography to excite viewers and make them feel like they're already there and a part of the experience, increasing their desire to buy tickets and book a trip.
5. Architecture Photography
Architecture photography has several main points of focus. Most commonly, it's used in real estate to sell houses. Photographers will come into homes to capture overly stylized images to help the seller get their property off the market as quickly as possible for the highest price. This style of photography can also be used to sell apartments, Airbnb rentals, condos or other architectural experiences.
Another popular type of architecture photography is to capture the beauty of a structure to entice visitors to experience the property. Photographs of museums or famous viewing sites such as the Eiffel Tower all fall under the architectural photography category.
According to The Art of Education University, architecture has come a long way, developing into a refined category of art and serving many purposes from places of worship, to homes and buildings for work or recreation. Architecture is integral to all cultures and architectural photography can commemorate that with beautiful images of the various plays of light within the space. Consider stylized photos of interesting buildings like Bosjes Chapel in Cape Town and the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Azerbaijan; or new perspectives of normal spaces.
6. Headshots
This one is pretty self-explanatory, but a headshot is simply a professional photo taken of someone's bust (head, shoulders, and chest). Headshots are famously used for actors, but these days other professionals are hiring photographers to capture them for websites, press releases and more. Headshots are a type of portrait photography typically taken of authors, actors, pop stars or celebrities to market them and their work.
Nowadays, people use them for their professional LinkedIn profiles. Headshots can be used in playbills, books, magazines, IMDb pages, social media profiles and many other places. In any spot where a sizeable professional figure is advertised, it's in their best interest to have a professional headshot taken.
7. Product Packaging
Any boxes or packaging that display a product and its uses falls under commercial photography. Think of iPhone packaging, frozen food boxes or most children’s toys. These packages have photos of their intended product to help advertise them in-store, in magazines or online. This type of business photography is similar to product photography, but the main difference is that instead of capturing the actual product in use, you're taking a picture of the product before it's been used — nestled safely in its packaging. It's used to sell a product as you'll see it in the store.
8. Lifestyle Photography
Many professional travel bloggers use lifestyle photography to sell their way of life. And yes, a way of life can also be packaged and sold. With clever techniques, these pros make their travels look natural, capturing real-world events or interactions enticingly. Everything feels lively and moving as if it were a video. What lifestyle photographers do best is to make the images look natural, unposed, exciting and fun. When in reality, the shots may have been taken under very difficult circumstances such as bad weather or strict deadlines. They make the activity, property or experience look as fluid and authentic as possible — as if the scene was captured accidentally but is still compositionally pleasing. Lifestyle photographers must work within fine lines and use photography tricks to ensure their work looks lifelike but still professional.
Lifestyle photography can be used similarly to entertainment photography or overlap with product photography. A naturalistic photo of a family at the beach to sell a cruise vacation is lifestyle photography. A photo of a family in matching Christmas pajamas or a group of kids with cool new back-to-school backpacks can also fall under the lifestyle photography category.
Commercial Photography Industry
Commercial Photography Jobs
There are many commercially available photography jobs out there with two main routes that commercial photographers could take. Either they work for themselves and freelance, or they get hired by an advertising agency. Photography jobs in the commercial world include real estate photographers, editors, photo retouchers, thumbnail photographers and product photographers, just to name a few. The possibilities are endless and even broader if you also loop in retail photography. Retail photography jobs include wedding photography, family Christmas photos, pet photography, maternity photos and so much more.
Commercial Photography Salary
Is commercial photography good money? While it certainly can be, it will take a bit to get your foot in the door and become known in the industry, and salaries may be low within the first year or even years. Commercial photographers often set their rates, so if you are an established and credited photographer you can make quite good money.
Photographers typically charge by the hour or per image. According to VSCO, a beginner photographer can make 25-75 dollars per hour or 10-25 per image. A high-level professional, on the other hand, can make 250-500 per hour or 200-1,200 per image. “These photographers can be paid up to $10,000 daily based on their experience and specialization,” says VSCO.
Commercial Photography can be a challenging industry, but well-established photographers do quite well for themselves. Commercial photography salaries can be very high per job for those established in the industry, especially if they have a very specific niche. Still, it's primarily a commission-based job, so you may have to consider ways to make a steady income. You may get more money in some months than others, such as during "wedding season," and you have to adjust for that and find what works best for you.
How Do You Get Into Commercial Photography?
There are many ways to become a photographer. An easy way to start if you’re just beginning is to learn the basics of photography using your iPhone or other smart device. You won’t want to use a phone camera as a professional, but phones are great, easy-access tools to start learning composition and editing. Learn about color schemes, the rule of thirds and other photographic techniques. You can also take a photography course specializing in commercial work to hone these skills. If you have the money, upgrading to a professional camera for photography will be ideal.
Once you've obtained a quality camera, you can begin practicing. Photograph outdoor landscapes, your friends, pets, family or anything else you would like to photograph as practice. These jobs will typically be done for free or at a very low cost. The goal here is not to make money but to build your skill set. As you continue you will want to create a niche, but there’s nothing wrong with experimenting to start. This will help you to build a portfolio you can share on social media pages or a custom website which will help to attract potential clients.
Connect with other photographers in the industry if you can. Watch them work, ask for advice and learn from them. Seek internship opportunities or volunteer jobs to get your name out there and become established in the industry. If you're interested, there are even college majors and courses that go into depth and teach you the ins and outs of commercial photography. Learn however works best for you and continue practicing until you can attract clients and start doing paid jobs.
What Does Commercial Use Mean in Photography?
Commercial use in photography includes any photos that are intended to be used for advertisement, marketing or promotional materials. This includes things like magazine covers, billboards, online advertisements, food menu photos and more. If you would like to learn photography for beginners and earn your spot in the industry, you may benefit by taking a commercial photography course like photography classes in Atlanta, photography classes in NYC or photography classes in Los Angeles. There are fun and interactive lessons in most major U.S. cities like photography classes in Boston, photography classes in Chicago and photography classes in Dallas. But if you're stuck in a small town without classes, you can always take online photography classes to learn the ins and outs of photography in the commercial world.
Commercially focused photography is a vast field that includes any photography used for marketing or advertisement. Commercial photographers typically work for larger corporations rather than individuals, though this is not always the case. Other forms of professional photography fall under the category of retail photography. This includes things such as wedding photography or family photos. Both of these forms of photography have the potential to make excellent salaries if one is an established photographer in their industry.
The industry takes time to break into, but many resources are available for those who would like to try. The photography industry is fun and creative and allows a lot of imagination and freedom. It can be a fascinating industry to be involved in and is an excellent industry for anyone with an eye for color or composition.
Commercial photography is critical in our society and is used for a wide range of things. The industry covers everything from billboards to magazines, packaging, social media posts and more. Chances are you see commercial work every single day without even realizing it. It is a valuable industry that greatly aids us in modern-day marketing.
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