How a Jeddah photographer built a studio around local brands

In 2021, Muhannad bought a second-hand camera to photograph products for his mother's online fragrance shop. He had no studio and no professional backdrops, just a small table by his bedroom window in Jeddah.

Within months, small shop owners in the neighbourhood were asking him to shoot their products too. He worked in the evenings after his day job, learning lighting from free courses and from trial and error.

Taking off on the platform

When he set up his ModelGo profile, he showed only three kinds of work: fragrance, abayas and specialty coffee. He says that focus helped him become known for a clear speciality instead of being a ‘photographer for everything’.

• First booking through the platform: a shoot for a young abaya label in 2023.
• First hire: a part-time lighting assistant six months later.
• First studio: a rented 120 m² space in 2024.
• Today: a team of five and more than forty client brands.

Small brands do not need expensive photos; they need someone who understands their story. — Muhannad

Lessons from the road

1. A written agreement protects both sides, even with friends.
2. Delivering on time matters more than perfection.
3. Working with local talent gives the images an authentic feel.
4. Raising prices gradually with every real step up in quality.

Muhannad suggests new photographers offer clear fixed-price packages for young brands, such as ‘10 product shots on white’, because clarity speeds up the client's decision.

Muhannad is now planning a second space in Riyadh and is working with his team on a training programme for young photographers in Jeddah.