How to Hire an Architectural Photographer

Hiring an architectural photographer should be a positive experience for you and your firm, as this collaboration will visually document the culmination of years of design and construction. You are looking for someone to help tell your story now and into the future as you grow. Whether this is the first time or the one hundredth you are working with an architectural photographer, you should ask about price, availability, and how many images can be captured per day.

You will also want to inquire whether some spaces should be photographed with people in the photos, as well as the deadline for final images. 

If you have several projects already photographed, then you should ask if the photographer is willing to incorporate some of that previous style into the new images.

The photographer is a collaborator who should see your assets, help you determine how to best make your projects appear in photos, and then help refine the shot list.

An initial meeting should take place to make sure you feel comfortable before investing in this relationship. Personally, I bring my flow and energy into the meeting and throughout the photoshoot to make sure I capture all the items we discussed and ensure that everyone has a good time and feels involved in the shoot. 

I am blessed to work with the best and most driven people in the design, real estate, and advertising business. 75 percent of my work comes from repeat customers, while direct referrals are the next 15 percent. The rest come from searches of my work on sites like Google, Houzz, or Pinterest.  Once we receive an inquiry, Julia Toke, my agent/producer, sends out an invitation to the client through HubSpot to schedule a meeting on Google Meet. 

After introductions, we discuss your needs, including location, the number of hero and documentary images, the ideal time of the year for photography, if someone is going to attend on your end, if they have scouting images or a marked-up floor plan, and when they need the final images completed. Having gone to Columbia School of Architecture, I can easily understand that the original design intent can sometimes be lost, and my goal is to create a series of images to remind you why you fell in love with your space. 

Once our initial meeting is over, Julia and I go over your details, and then she sends you an estimate and a terms and conditions sheet via email.  The estimate covers the cost of photography, including the creative fee, travel, my assistant, the number of images, and liability insurance.  If the shoot is out of town, your estimate will also include the cost of hotels, airfare, and food.  At this step, we request a 50% non-refundable deposit to hold the date with the balance due 30 days later. We also see if there are additional shoots nearby that might want to share the costs so that we can make your photography more affordable.

Once we agree on the estimate, we will wait until your project is near completion. With larger projects such as hotels, we may shoot multiple days, as you will likely want the model rooms captured so you can begin taking bookings. 

We may capture the exterior before the occupants arrive to ensure a uniform exterior appearance, with all the blinds in the same position and the lights turned on to the building glow at dusk for those magic hour shots. I always remind my clients to make sure there is someone from the building staff there to coordinate access, and also always find it beneficial to have people from the client’s office populate the space in a strategic way. 

We also discuss additional props, like fruit, flowers, and books, to draw the eye and add another level of sophistication. 

The best place to find an architectural photographer is to ask someone in the field for a recommendation or have your marketing staff reach out to promising candidates. Also, look at images in magazines and see if the photographer is credited. 

Many photographers also advertise on Google and actively post to social media sites like Facebook(Link), Instagram, and Houzz, where you can search for their work. There are professional resource websites like LinkedIn, AIA(LINK), SMPS(Link), ASMP(LINK), and Brick and Wonder which feature the best people across our industry. With tons of experience in the industry, I bring a high level of expertise to the table and my connections in the industry can help get your work published. If you hire me, I become part of your team and my goal is to raise the level of your work and exceed your expectations. 

We would love to take a look at your upcoming projects book a call for a complementary discovery call here.