Photo Art Director

PSI (Proteam Solutions); Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

PSI (Proteam Solutions) is seeking a highly experienced Photo Art Director to lead the visual direction and execution of PDP imagery for a major brand. The role requires on-set leadership of still-life product photography and collaboration with Creative, Marketing, and Production teams to translate brand strategy into elevated visuals.

The ideal candidate will bring strong technical photography knowledge, an exceptional eye for visual composition, and the ability to manage multiple high-SKU

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional Art Direction in beauty, personal care, home, or consumer products.
• Extensive on-set photography art direction experience for PDP/e-commerce imagery.
• Portfolio demonstrating PDP product imagery and on-set leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead on-set art direction for PDP product photography, aligning with the brand's evolving creative direction.
• Direct photographers, stylists, and production partners to produce high-quality PDP imagery.
• Oversee still-life photography of bottles, packaging, and beauty/home fragrance products.
• Develop mood boards, visual references, and photography guidelines for artistic direction.
• Ensure consistency in lighting, styling, color, and composition across high-volume product assortments.
• Provide hands-on creative direction through pre-production, shoots, and post-production.

Skills

Art direction

On-set photography

PDP/e-commerce photography

Brand collaboration

Creative direction

Mood boards

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe InDesign

Lighting & composition

Tools

Photoshop

Illustrator

InDesign

Job description

We are seeking a highly experienced and creatively driven Photo Art Director to lead the visual direction and execution of product photography for a major brand's reimagined Product Detail Page (PDP) imagery.

This role is ideal for a seasoned Art Director with extensive on-set photography experience, particularly in still-life product photography, beauty, personal care, home fragrance, or high-volume retail environments.

The ideal candidate will bring exceptional visual taste, strong technical photography knowledge, and the ability to translate brand strategy into compelling, elevated product imagery.

This is a highly autonomous, hands-on role requiring someone who can confidently direct photoshoots, collaborate with creative and production teams, and maintain visual consistency across a large assortment of products.

Key Responsibilities

Photography Art Direction & Creative Execution

• Lead on-set art direction for PDP product photography, ensuring imagery aligns with the brand's evolving creative vision and visual standards.
• Direct photographers, stylists, and production partners to achieve high-quality, commercially compelling product imagery.
• Oversee still-life photography of products such as bottles, packaging, personal care items, beauty products, and home fragrance.
• Develop creative concepts, mood boards, visual references, and photography guidelines to communicate artistic direction.
• Ensure consistency in lighting, composition, styling, color, and overall visual presentation across high-volume product assortments.
• Provide hands-on creative direction throughout pre-production, photoshoots, and post-production.

Brand & Creative Collaboration

• Translate brand strategy into cohesive visual storytelling that elevates the digital shopping experience.
• Partner with Creative, Marketing, Design, and Production teams to execute photography initiatives.
• Develop compelling creative presentations, concepts, and visual references that communicate artistic direction.
• Maintain brand consistency while introducing fresh perspectives and innovative approaches to product photography.
• Stay current on emerging trends in beauty, personal care, fashion, photography, and digital commerce.

Production & Quality Oversight

• Manage creative execution across multiple product categories and high-SKU photography projects.
• Review imagery to ensure consistency, accuracy, quality, and alignment with brand standards.
• Collaborate with photographers and retouching teams to refine final imagery.
• Balance creative excellence with production timelines, operational efficiencies, and project budgets.
• Identify opportunities to improve photography workflows and elevate the overall quality of PDP imagery.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional Art Direction experience, preferably within retail, beauty, personal care, home, or consumer products.
• Extensive hands-on, on-set photography art direction experience.
• Demonstrated experience directing PDP/e-commerce product photography, particularly still-life imagery.
• Strong understanding of photographing physical products, including bottles, packaging, and reflective or transparent surfaces.
• Experience supporting high-volume photography production or brands with large product assortments.
• Exceptional visual judgment with expertise in composition, lighting, color, typography, and image curation.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
• Experience developing mood boards, creative concepts, photography references, and presentations.
• Ability to work independently, make confident creative decisions, and manage multiple priorities.
• Portfolio demonstrating relevant photography art direction and PDP product imagery is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within beauty, fragrance, personal care, home fragrance, or lifestyle brands.
• Strong background in still-life product photography, including packaging, bottles, and beauty products.
• Experience with large-scale e-commerce photography operations and high-SKU product catalogs.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted creative tools and image-generation techniques.
• Experience with on-figure, lifestyle, or portrait photography in addition to still-life product photography.