Having an in-house photographer can get very costly for a business. There is a lot of equipment that is necessary for high quality photos. There are many equipment options available to photographers and the costs can vary depending on what a business owner is looking for. Providing a salary for a good photographer is very important as well. The price of a photographer can vary greatly depending on many things but this is something to take into consideration when choosing to hire someone. All of these aspects are important when choosing to start doing in-house professional photography. When hiring someone in-house to do professional photography of products, there is a lot of equipment that would need to be purchased. A camera is the most obvious purchase. The best camera for this job would be a DSLR camera. The two top brands for DSLR cameras are Nikon and Canon’s. Everyone has their own preference and both are around the same price. A DSLR camera can range in price, from $300 - $1000 and up. Then a good lens is important to focus and get the best quality pictures. A good lens for organic products would be a 40mm f/2.8 and these range from $250 to $400. Aside from the camera and lens there are other tools that are needed to take good photographs. Some of the tools that are important for good photography are: softboxes, reflectors, photo editing software, and a backdrop of some sort. Softboxes can be used to help diffuse the light on the product. According to "What Is A Softbox?" (2014), “A softbox diffuses the light into a pleasing soft, even light” (para. 3). Softboxes can vary in price anywhere from $30 to $200. Along with a few softboxes, having reflectors will help lighting as well. Reflectors will help soften the lighting in the photos and will cost around $50 depending on what type is needed. The background that is used is also a very important part of making photos.
Using backgrounds can change the whole idea of the picture. Having a wide variety of backgrounds would be essential to always have colors that go well with the product that is being photographed. Different designs can also be used as a background for the photos. A person can just set a specific amount to use on backgrounds to have a variety. I would recommend spending about $200 on different backgrounds. Other props needed would be a table or stand of some kind to set the items on. All of these items can get expensive and items will have to be updated a replaced every couple years. Just for all of this equipment at start up, a person could expect to pay around $2,000 plus the cost of the salary for a photographer. This amount does not include the cost of updates every year. A business owner must decide if this is something they want to commit to. On top of costs for an in-house photographer, they have to consider the changes to the day-to-day operations as well.
Day-to-day operations can change with in-house photography and with outsourcing as well. With in-house, there will have to be an area that can be used for photography. Bringing in another employee, the owner will have to budget the expenses of a new employee which may affect other aspects of the business. It will also benefit a company to hire someone in-house because they will be able to train them and will always know what to expect from their photographer. A company will also have better customer service because the person will represent their company. According to Traxler (2005-2014), “If world-class customer support is your key differentiator, you should likely build that function from within” (Benefits of Hiring or Insourcing). As with an in-house photographer, outsourcing is also expensive but it is not a full commitment. With outsourcing, the company must be willing to work around the schedule of a photographer. This can change the routine of the daily operations. Either way, the daily operations will change with hiring a photographer.
There are many things to consider when choosing to either hire a photographer in-house or outsourcing to another company. They both require a higher budget and many changes. In-house requires a lot of equipment and a commitment. With outsourcing, it can be challenging to find the right person or company for the job. Having the best pictures is what is most important in advertising products so hiring a photographer is very important.

References
What is a Softbox?. (2014). Retrieved from http://improvephotography.com/11662/softbox/
Traxler, D. (2005-2014). Outsourcing v. Hiring In-house: Pros and Cons. Retrieved from http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/3705-Outsourcing-v-Hiring-In-house-Pros-and-Cons