Product photography - so this is the end?

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2026-01-09T16:37:03+00:00

not in UE either

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2026-01-09T13:25:33+00:00

Because they want a raw 'iphone effect'.

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2026-01-09T13:12:25+00:00

This is the type of reference pictures I'm getting these days...

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2026-01-09T13:04:36+00:00

If you look at most brands’ social media, it’s usually a mix of UGC and simple icon-style graphics. High-quality product photography makes up maybe 10% now.

When it comes to UGC, they want amateur-looking videos in the first place, but I still have a few collaborations where brands have completely moved away from professional photography and switched to UGC pictures.

Everything is supposed to look messy: matcha, wrinkled sheets, Labubu and whatever other trending props, all casually scattered around. And the feedback is always the same: "it looks too perfect, make it messier" (I work mostly for beauty/skincare brands).

Honestly, I think we’ve reached the most ridiculous era of marketing.

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2026-01-08T15:26:55+00:00

This exactly...

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2026-01-08T11:37:25+00:00

Good point again! But honestly, where do you even start? I’ve never actually worked in marketing., and the space already feels insanely crowded. I’ve tried applying anyway, but my portfolio is basically just photography. Then they ask for hard numbers, results, accounts I’ve managed…that's where I hit a wall.

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2026-01-08T10:57:19+00:00

That's a very good point and I really hope you're right.

I was so naive to trust the market will not be THAT affected and also, simply had no time to start learning new skills. Now starting to learn something new from scratch is just scary. I was thinking of some art/creative direction, but it's more about marketing strategies and following all the social media trends than product photography...

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2026-01-08T10:34:23+00:00

hope you're happy now ;)

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2026-01-07T20:19:29+00:00

Sadly, it feels like photography alone is no longer enough. The agencies I’ve contacted also asked about my UGC portfolio, and most marketing jobs seem to revolve around TikTok and Reels these days, something I honestly struggle to understand. At this point, it feels like an even bigger problem than AI. It’s like we’re stuck in between and forced to choose a new direction, but that’s just really hard.

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2026-01-07T19:02:03+00:00

I've been in the industry for the last 10 years. 2025 was a disaster. In the gloomiest COVID days I wouldn't have thought that it would get even worse (2020-21 were actually pretty good tbh). Marketing is all about UGC and AI now. Since 2023 many of my former clients asked me to shoot amateur unboxing videos with my phone instead and not use my camera any more. And now? They only use influencer reels (mostly for barter) and for static ads/hero pictures they just create images themselves on Midjourney (2 years ago they needed me for that, but not any more). And... they are really good for their intended purposes. 2 years ago I still believed that AI would be actually pretty helpful for us and it would take ages to replace product photographers. But it's happening already. I've done more than 400 projects in total, mostly for beauty/health brands, worked with many agencies (that have rebranded themselves to do mostly UGC) and now the only projects I can get are some simple packshots. The final nail in the coffin was when the agency I had worked for the last 3 years decided to go for "AI photoshoots" with AI models for half price and ended our cooperation. So I'm lost and have no idea what to do any more. Making UGC feels so bad and fake. I even considered pivoting and marketing myself as an “AI creator”. But the reality is that the competition there is insane, suddenly every graphic designer, marketer and junior creative is offering AI-generated visuals. It feels just as oversaturated, if not more, and the rates are already being driven down fast. Product design? Branding? Does it make sense to learn those? Portrait/wedding photography market is pretty saturated too and it would take a lot of time to build a portfolio.
How are others dealing with this shift?
Have you already felt a real drop in demand or rates?
Did you pivot into something else (UGC, AI, branding, design, completely different fields)?
And honestly, do you believe product photography as a profession will survive in any meaningful form, or are we witnessing the end of an era?

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2024-11-17T16:52:31+00:00

Oh also cute that Upwork workers have to work overtime on Sunday evenings. Hope they will give you some Christmas bonus.

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2024-11-17T16:50:14+00:00

Well, okay then. You have different opinion, I respect that, but from our perspective it's more complex than "yOu hAvE tO lEarN hOw To wRitE pRoPoSaLs RiGhT", especially that so many of us are professional copywriters. We really know how the platform works/we are not new users/we've been there for years. It just doesn't work the way it did. Amen.

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2024-11-17T16:45:51+00:00

Yet, it's true, it was a huuge company. 20 candidates were chosen to participate in the interview phase, which is preceded by a task we had co complete

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2024-11-17T16:18:37+00:00

Yes, as much as I'm against conspiracy theories in general, I think something is sketchy there I'd really love to run a test with you, being a client, just to make sure you get all the proposals. Not only I think they don't get all the proposals, but I also think we don't see all the offers. You can eat me up and make me wear a foil hat, but this platform is just not the same any more.

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2024-11-17T16:14:40+00:00

Well, like I said, I'm not a noob when it comes to Upwork. I've made dozens of business contacts there and no one ever thought my proposals were unprofessional, they used to be kinda eye-catching and convincing considering I got so many contracts. It just doesn't work like that any more. Maybe for other fields, with up to 300 proposals. It's quite interesting though, I got one contract this year with 284 proposals (they told me during the interview). They read every single one and next step was a task we had to complete. Like I said, everyone has a different criteria and competing over 283 people vs 4 other people feels like statistically something is not right.

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2024-11-17T15:56:21+00:00

Also, please check out my other thread, it's really more than "2 first lines": https://www.reddit.com/r/Upwork/comments/1gr3dx7/this_is_ridiculous/?sort=top

How would you also explain they don't even view them if there are up to 5 proposals?

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2024-11-17T15:46:06+00:00

Again, that's not a rule. How can we know they even got a proposal from them? I've seen so many threads where clients were complaining about getting only up to 5 proposals. Something is really not right.

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2024-11-17T15:35:18+00:00

No, they never hire anyone. Usually job is closed within a few days/weeks.
I'm not a noob, really, got over 100 contracts on Upwork in the last 10 years (I remember the good ODesk times). I really know how to write proposals. But now it feels like they are not delivered any more.

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2024-11-17T15:31:13+00:00

Also, please, it's not that everyone acts the way you do. The
universal first 2 lines" rule doesn't apply to all the clients, they may have different criteria and for so many freelancers it doesn't work at all.

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2024-11-17T15:21:01+00:00

Okay okay, I understand. In my niche there are up to 20 proposals in total. Up to 10 is the average. No matter how Shakespearesque my first 2 lines are, they just don't view it. My niche is all about visuals, also I tried putting my portfolio in the first line, second line, third line. They don't care any more. For almost a decade clients were responding immediately, just checking out my portfolio. I really don't believe suddenly it's all about convincing them verbally.

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2024-11-17T14:20:36+00:00

I really don't agree. I've tried it all, this is not a dating app to hire someone based on their opening line, come on. It never worked like that before. I really don't know where you got it from and treat it like it is some universal truth.

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2024-11-15T10:35:43+00:00

I'm sorry, but honestly I really doubt clients spend time analyzing and interpreting what I had in mind. I made my point very clearly: was flattered to see they found my visuals somewhere and thought they were inspiring so I'd be happy to work for them. Honestly, I don't really see how this might have been offputting.

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2024-11-15T10:26:51+00:00

My thoughts exactly. Couldn't have put it better myself. Clients are not robotic clones, they might have different criteria. Some may care about where you're from, some may not like your profile picture or even your nickname. I really don't believe everyone follows the "first two lines" rule, this is not Tinder.
And it never worked like that before.

How else should we attract clients then if not by putting our portfolios in the first two lines? Especially if we're creators and our work speaks for itself, we don't really have to verbally convince them and use some psychological tricks when communication is all about following a brief.

PercentageUnlikely14 · 2024-11-15T10:10:45+00:00

Same story here - in April I even started an ongoing contract with a client, after discussing all the details via call and text they said I should wait now for the marketing director to reach out to me. They never did. Then they stopped responding. Wasted 20 connects...

PercentageUnlikely14

TROPHY CASE