You Dont Need a Photographer for 80% of Your Product Images
2025-05-16 · The Conjure Team
TL;DR
A controversial take with the data: 80% of the product images a small brand needs can now be produced by AI without quality loss.
The 80% AI handles fine
Hero shots, lifestyle/scene contexts, variant images per color, ad creative for paid social, email and banner imagery.
The 20% where you still book a photographer
Jewelry close-ups where reflections must be physically accurate, food where translucency matters, hands holding the product, founder portraits, anything where a model wears your product.
The hybrid workflow
Use AI for the 80% iteratively. Book the photographer once per quarter for the 20%. Net cost drops 70% vs. before.