How to brief an Amazon product photographer

Reshoots are expensive and slow, and most of them come from a vague brief. A clear written brief tells the photographer exactly what you need, makes quotes comparable, and makes sure the main image meets Amazon’s rules the first time. This guide gives you a brief you can adapt, the questions to ask, and the rights you need to agree.

Why a written brief matters

• It makes quotes comparable. Photographers price the same job very differently when they have to guess what you want.
• It prevents missing shots. The image you forgot to ask for is the one you need on launch day.
• It keeps you within Amazon’s rules. The main image has strict requirements, set out in our guide to Amazon product images.

Product details to send

• Samples: how many units, their condition, and every colour or size variation that needs to be shot.
• Dimensions and weight, and anything fragile or awkward about handling the product.
• Key features you want shown, in order of importance.
• What is in the box, including accessories and printed material.
• Packaging, if it should appear in any shots.
• Brand guidelines: colours, fonts, and any style examples you like, especially for lifestyle images and infographics.

Your shot list

List every image you need, in the order it will appear on the listing. A typical list:

1. Main image on a pure white background, meeting Amazon’s main image rules.
2. Other angles: front, back, sides, and any detail a shopper would inspect.
3. Close-ups of key features and materials.
4. Scale: the product in a hand or next to a familiar object.
5. Lifestyle: the product in use, with the setting, props, and any models described.
6. What is in the box: all contents laid out.
7. Infographic backgrounds: clean images with space left for text, if a designer will add it.
8. A+ Content images, at the sizes the modules require, if you are using A+ Content.
9. Short video clips, if you want them.

Technical specifications

• Resolution: at least 1,000 pixels on the longest side so that Amazon enables zoom. Ask for 2,000 pixels or more so the images stay sharp.
• Format: JPEG in the sRGB colour profile for upload, plus high-resolution master files.
• Main image background: confirm whether the photographer delivers a pure white background (RGB 255, 255, 255) or whether a retoucher will do it.
• Retouching: what is included, such as dust and blemish removal and colour correction, and how many rounds of changes.
• File naming and delivery: how files will be named, and how and when they will be delivered.

Usage rights and licensing

This is the part sellers most often forget, and the hardest to fix later.

• Who owns the images, or exactly what licence you are getting.
• Where you can use them: Amazon, your own website, other marketplaces, advertising, social media, and print.
• For how long and in which countries.
• Model releases for any identifiable person, and property releases for private locations.

Get all of this in writing before the shoot.

Budget and timeline

Photographers usually charge per image, per product, or by the day. Ask what is extra: models, props, location fees, additional retouching, and shipping the samples back. Agree a timeline for the shoot, the first selection of images, retouching, and final delivery, and ask for a written quote that lists all of it.

Questions to ask before you book

1. “Have you shot for Amazon before?” Ask to see main images that meet the white-background rules.
2. “What retouching is included, and how many rounds of changes?”
3. “Do you design infographics, or should we hire a designer?”
4. “How will you return our samples?”
5. “What licence are we getting for the images?”

A brief you can copy

• Product, variations, and number of samples sent.
• Dimensions, weight, and handling notes.
• Key features, in order of importance.
• Full shot list, in listing order.
• Technical specifications and delivery format.
• Brand guidelines and style examples.
• Usage rights required.
• Budget, deadline, and contact person.

Get help from a reviewed specialist

You can compare reviewed product photography and A+ Content specialists, or describe what you need and we will suggest suitable specialists. If you are planning A+ Content as well, read our guide to A+ Content first.