Many businesses think they are saving money by providing their own photos for packaging and marketing. To them the objective of being economical out weights the marketing impact.
I always stress that every impression is an opportunity to move your business forward and that must be the biggest influence on the graphic solution produced. This is not to say you have to spend a lot of money. But short cutting the creative development, tieing the hands of your marketing department or graphics provider can negatvely impact product sales.
You have a great product, tell its story with great photography. A photo can create an emotional connection with your customer and stop them in the aisle. Cutting corners can save money up front but be a big financial mistake in the long run. It is important that you are smart when making any purchase. Smart is the key to this discussion. Cutting corners in the package design process can hurt sales just like a poor decision about rebranding has for some well know brands. (4 Reasons Package Rebranding Goes Wrong).
Photos must be high quality, 300 dpi at the size it is being used, for clarity and visual snap. A great photo enlarged from 2x2" to 8x10" will be no better than a poorly shot image. Excellent lighting; good color saturation and separation; models/people must be clear and appropriate to the target market.
Think of your customer as a moving target as they travel down a store aisle, will your product really stand out? Will your package capture their attention with color and a dynamic visual story? The right photo can guarantee your product gets noticed in the aisle.
Want to read more about packaging design? Check this out.