While the technical requirements for product shots are similar to photos of events and people, the visual approach is quite different.
Freelance photographer Jerry Pozniak explains, "It's important to hire the right photographer for product shots. A newspaper or publicity photographer will probably not have the right skills or equipment. A photographer who specializes in product shots, on the other hand, will know how to make your product look its best."
The quality of your product shots is less important in newspapers, more important in magazines, and most important when the photograph will be enlarged. Especially if you send the same shot to many publications, you should shoot in both color and black and white. Some publications want product shots with people in them, others do not. So, shoot your product photos both ways and either find out the editorial preferences - or send both types of shots.
For great tips and advice on how to make the portraits of your products really stand out in a good way, see David R. Yale's report "How To Get Free Publicity For Your Products"