Meet Jelani Prew | Commercial Product Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jelani Prew and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jelani, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
Product photography is a full-time service with full-time pricing. My pricing reflects all that goes into the process, production, quality, and execution. Oftentimes, I find clients look at it like “It’s just photos”, or “Why is product photography so expensive?”. This is typical because there is a lack of awareness of all that goes into producing commercial quality images used to drive sales and brand awareness for businesses. Day Rates, Equipment, Studio Rentals, Talent Fees, Image Licensing, Image Retouching, Art Direction, Styling, Props, Workflow Subscriptions, etc. In some cases, there can be a team of individuals responsible for each step in the process. As a freelancer, I typically wear all the hats and charge accordingly.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am a full-time beauty and lifestyle product photographer. Sometimes clients will send me products and I shoot from my home studio. The process is totally remote. Other times I fly out on location to shoot.

I quit my 9-5 job at Coca-Cola at the end of 2019 to pursue freelancing not knowing the COVID-19 pandemic was coming. Early 2020 was rocky for me to get my footing mid pandemic. Luckily the pivot to e-commerce and digital marketing businesses were moving towards worked out in my favor. I found product photography and content creation were in high demand and the remote nature of my services lends itself to the work from the home culture of the pandemic.

Along the way, I’ve learned a lot, and am still in the midst of my freelancing journey. Still Life product photography is a widely white male-dominated industry and is not without discrimination. It can be challenging to have my competency and the value of my services questioned. My goal is to show up and inject some representation into the industry. You can be a POC woman, produce commercial quality work, charge premium prices, and earn more income than the average 9-5 job.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Most of my itinerary would be food-related! JINYA Ramen is my all-time favorite ramen spot (Spicy Vegan Ramen). I’d go here every day unapologetically.

Right now I live in NYC, so my go-to ramen spot is a Tabe Tomo in East Village.
Kal, The Maze, and Mason Pickle are all amazing. If it was a week-long trip we’d have enough time to drive to Atlanta and go to JINYA!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I owe a huge thank you to my first clients for trusting and supporting me when I was first getting started in product photography. BIPOC business owners gave me the opportunity to showcase my skillset when no one else would. Brooklyn Tea, which just opened a second location in Atlanta. Rosen Skincare & Lisa Lacquer, who I still do work for present day.

Website: https://www.jelaniprew.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jelaniprew/