Commercial & Branding Photography
Focusing on you. Your product. Your process.
Photography built around what your business actually needs.
From a single product on white to a fully produced commercial campaign, we'll create photographs that look good, make sense for where they're going, and finish the job.
Your creation, center frame.
You've already done the hard part. You built the business, made the product, developed the idea, or brought the people together.
Now it needs to be seen.
With our commercial photography home base at Cobalt Studios in Southeast Portland, we have the space, equipment, and flexibility to take it from there. Sometimes that's straightforward. Clean product photography, a consistent e-commerce catalog, portraits of the people behind a business, or a library of images for a website. Other projects need more. Creative direction, models, sets, styling, locations, larger productions, or photography and video working together.
Either way, the photography isn't the product.
It's the piece that helps you finish what you started and put it out into the world.
Product & E-Commerce
Good product photography isn't just about making something look pretty.
It's about making someone stop, understand what they're looking at, and feel confident enough to engage with your brand.
From clean white-background product photography to styled images, details, products in use, and larger lifestyle setups, we can build the photography around how and where you actually sell.
Product Photography Starting at $50 Product/SKU
Once we've established the lighting, background, positioning, and overall look, additional angles and details of the same product can be added at a lower rate.
Have five products? Five hundred? Something considerably stranger?
We'll build the project around what you've got.
Sometimes the Product Is Only Part of the Story
The people who made it. The place it came from. How it's built. How it's used. Why anybody should give a shit about it.
Commercial photography can move beyond the finished object and show the larger story around a business or brand.
That might mean photographing your team at work, documenting a process, putting the product into an environment, bringing in models, or creating a larger collection of photography and video around a campaign.
For bigger ideas, Cobalt Studios gives us room for sets, talent, styling, props, controlled lighting, and considerably more moving parts.
And when the story belongs somewhere else, we'll go there.
Highlighted Testimonials
"I was a bit leery initially because Michael acknowledged he hadn't done much of the type of work I needed, (lathe turned bowls of exotic woods combined with dye colored epoxy resins) but the results are amazing and I keep going back and will continue to do so. And the costs are reasonable"
-Tom Dietrich, TSDesigns
“Got my headshots taken professionally at the happy hour headshot event and it was a 10/10 experience ! Michael was super friendly and a great conversationalist, making me feel at ease throughout the session. He also made sure there was variety in the shots ( poses, backdrops) which I appreciated. If you’re in Portland looking for professional headshots, I highly recommend working with Micheal !”
-Jessica
A Few Things Worth Mentioning
We can start small.
Not every business needs a massive production.
Sometimes you just need five products photographed properly. We can start there.
Consistency matters.
Especially if you're going to be back.
For recurring product and e-commerce work, we'll build the lighting and setup with future products in mind whenever possible. The goal is to make adding the next five, fifty, or five hundred considerably easier.
I love a challenge.
Straightforward is absolutely welcome. Difficult is interesting.
Reflective. Transparent. Tiny. Huge. Handmade. Complicated. A logistical pain in the ass. Something you haven't quite figured out how to photograph.
Show me what you've got.
Some of my favorite projects start with some version of, “I don't know if this is possible, but...”
You don't need to speak photographer.
You don't need to know what lens, lighting setup, background, or production terminology you need.
Tell me what you're making, where the photographs are going, and what they need to accomplish.
We'll figure out the photography part.
Commercial doesn't have to look corporate.
Sometimes clean, consistent, straightforward photography is exactly what the job needs.
Sometimes the product deserves dramatic lighting, an elaborate set, a strange location, a ridiculous idea, or something we haven't tried before.
Professional photography can still have personality.
In many cases, it probably should.
The setup can do more than one job.
If we've already got the product, people, lighting, location, or set in front of us, it's worth thinking about what else you might need.
Details. Alternate angles. Social content. People at work. Products in use. A few vertical frames. Video.
Not everything needs to become a giant production, but a little planning can make one shoot considerably more useful.
Commercial Specific FAQ
What kinds of products do you photograph?
A pretty broad range.
Apparel, jewelry, food and beverage, cosmetics, handmade goods, artwork, books, home goods, furniture, technology, collectibles, consumer and industrial products, and unusual one-off objects are all welcome.
If you're wondering whether something is too unusual, complicated, large, reflective, delicate, or otherwise annoying to photograph, send me a picture.
I genuinely enjoy figuring this stuff out.
Can you photograph products for Amazon, Etsy, Shopify, or my website?
Absolutely.
We can build clean, consistent product photography around your online store, marketplace, catalog, packaging, website, or wherever the photographs actually need to go.
Do you offer white-background and lifestyle product photography?
Yep.
Clean e-commerce images, additional angles and details, styled products, flat lays, products in use, environmental photography, models, and larger lifestyle or advertising imagery can all be part of the same project.
Can you match our existing product photography?
Yes.
If you already have an established catalog or visual style, we can work to match it. If you're starting from scratch, we can establish a repeatable direction that makes future additions considerably easier.
Can you help with styling and creative direction?
Absolutely.
Bring a finished creative brief, a shot list, a handful of reference images, or something considerably less developed.
We can help figure out lighting, backgrounds, locations, props, styling, talent, sets, and the overall direction of the photographs.
Can you photograph our team, workspace, or process too?
Yes.
Commercial work doesn't have to stop at the product. We can photograph founders, teams, makers at work, products being made or used, workplaces, behind-the-scenes imagery, and other pieces of the business.
If you only need traditional individual or team portraits, our Headshots page is probably the better place to start.
Where do commercial shoots happen?
Our home base is Cobalt Studios in Southeast Portland, with professional lighting, a large cyclorama, ground-level access, makeup and staging areas, and room for larger products, sets, talent, and crew.
When the project belongs somewhere else, we'll go there.
Do you offer photography and video together?
Yes, when it makes sense for the project.
If you're already bringing together products, people, locations, props, or a larger production, we can discuss capturing photography and video during the same project. Ask me about video partners and let's discuss the details.
What if I have a lot of products?
Excellent.
Product photography is designed to scale. Once we've established a consistent setup, additional products and angles can move through it considerably more efficiently.
For larger catalogs or ongoing work, we'll build an itemized quote around the actual volume and needs of the project.
How much does commercial photography cost?
It depends on what we're making.
Straightforward product and e-commerce work has established starting rates. Branding, lifestyle imagery, video, and larger commercial productions are quoted according to the scope and requirements of the project. View basic information here or reach out for a quote.