In short: Commercial photography sells products or services. Corporate photography shows people, places and work for a company. Advertising photography runs in a campaign, usually with an agency, a creative brief and agreed usage terms. Decide the purpose and the places the pictures will run before you pick a photographer, because that choice sets the budget, the crew and the terms.
Commercial, corporate and advertising photography are different jobs, even when they use the same camera and the same studio. The difference is the purpose of the pictures, and that decides the brief, the crew and the terms.
What each one is for
Commercial photography sells something. It covers product pictures, catalogue images, brand pictures and the images on a company's own website and listings. The brief is usually about the product, the price and the customer.
Corporate photography shows a company. It covers team photographs, leadership portraits, office and workplace pictures, and images for annual reports and recruitment. The brief is usually about people, trust and what the company does day to day.
Advertising photography runs in a campaign. It is usually commissioned through an agency, with a creative brief, a shot list, a mood reference and an approval process. The pictures are often used in several places for a set period, so the usage terms matter as much as the image.
How they differ in practice
The crew changes with the job. A commercial shoot may need one photographer, a retoucher and a product stylist. An advertising shoot often adds an art director, a stylist, a hair and make-up team and a producer. A corporate shoot is usually smaller, but it still needs someone to manage the people in front of the lens.
The usage terms change the price. A picture used on one company website for a year costs less than the same picture used in national adverts for three years. Agree where the pictures will run, for how long and in which countries, and write it down before the shoot. Ask the client's own contact what they need the terms to cover.
The approval process changes the timing. Advertising work often has more approval rounds. Corporate work often has one senior person who signs off the final selection, and that person is usually busy.
How to brief any of them
- State the purpose in one sentence: what the pictures are for and who will see them.
- List the places they will run, with the shape of each: square, landscape or vertical.
- Set the usage: where, how long, and whether any paid use is planned.
- Agree the number of final images and the retouching level.
- Name who approves the selection and by when.
- List the people who will appear, and get written permission from each one. Ask the client what their own policy requires.
- Agree the budget and the day rate for the crew you need.
Common mistakes
- Booking a photographer for the look without agreeing the usage. The price is set by where the pictures run.
- Asking for a corporate portrait and expecting a campaign image. They need different lighting, different crew and different timing.
- Leaving the people's permission until after the shoot.
- Underestimating the retouching. A product or a face can take as long to finish as it did to shoot.
- Choosing the images with too many people in the room. Two approvers is a sensible limit, and the rest can comment after.
Where Granary fits
Granary's White Space is an infinity cove for product and commercial work. A full day there is £395 +VAT, and a half day is £295 +VAT. For a larger job that needs stills and video from one crew, the Brand Content Day is from £2,950 +VAT: a full day with a videographer and a photographer, delivering stills, a brand video and vertical clips. See the studio hire page for what is included with a space.
For product shots specifically, read packshot vs lifestyle: which images you need. For the platform side of the work, see Amazon and e-commerce image specs and food photography in a studio.
Related guides
- Amazon and e-commerce image specs
- Product photography on an infinity cove
- Packshot vs lifestyle: which images you need
- Food photography in a studio: styling, light, hero shots
- All guides and tools
The picture at the top of this page is an illustration, not a photograph of a client or a real job.
Questions we get asked
What is the difference between commercial and advertising photography?
Commercial photography covers product, catalogue and brand pictures that a business uses for its own sales. Advertising photography is made for a campaign, usually with an agency, and the usage terms are often wider and more specific.
What should I agree before a corporate photoshoot?
The people in the pictures, the places, the uses, the number of final images, the usage period and who approves the selection. Put all of it in writing before the day.
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