Photo Setup & Session Once you hire a professional photographer, you’ll have to work with them to get the most for your investment. Here are several areas to plan and evaluate before and during the photo shoot:p>
Which Projects to Photograph? Choose projects you want to photograph based on your marketing goals. “What market are you targeting? Choose projects that give the biggest bang for the buck,” photographer Steve Whittaker advises.p>
Whittaker says that if he has a good relationship with a client, he will walk through projects to offer advice about which to shoot. “The remodeler can narrow it down to one-to-three projects, then ask the photographer to decide. Or they can send us snapshots to review,” he says. p>
“Use digital photos to show the professional photographer the angles you like,” photographer Carolyn Bates says, “or use them as a discussion or starting point.” She recommends company owners and their employees come up with a “wish list,” then go through a checklist for each project that asks:
• Is the client happy with the project? Will they grant permission to photograph it?
• Will the client allow the photographer the time needed to move around furniture and set up for a photo shoot that could take one to three days?
• Is the project different from other projects you have photographed? Does it show the variety of your craftsmanship? (This will also help when a publication contacts you asking for specifi c details or types of projects.)
• Do the client’s furnishings and decorating enhance the project? If they do, it will save money on styling and props.
Scouting Visit and Shoot
Most photographers require a walkthrough to evaluate what they will need for the shoot. The cost for this visit is usually included in the production or creative fees.
During this scouting session, the photographer will likely snap shots of good angles. Similar to a remodeler’s pre-production meeting, Whittaker even evaluates an equipment staging area and the capacity of the electrical box. “Our equipment needs a lot of power, so if the circuit breakers are old, I’ll bring a generator,” he says.
After his scouting sessions, Whittaker sends a PDF contact sheet of the images he wants to shoot to the remodeler and asks that they forward it to the homeowner for review. “I operate in a very structured fashion so everyone knows what they are getting,” he says.
Bates says she wants 90% of the work done before she sets up the actual shoot. “The camera angles, props, and time of day should all be chosen,” she says. She collaborates with the remodeler and the homeowner. “The photographer should take scouting shots of what you want, plus add their own. I also ask the clients about their favorite spots. They know [specifi cs like] where the sun comes in through the windows in the breakfast area,” she says.
She also makes note of items that need to be tidied, such as toys, a dirty rug, hoses in the front yard, etc. “I usually discuss these with the remodeler afterward,” she says, “because the home owner can become overwhelmed.” Bates says that some remodelers have cleaning crews or companies that can handle cleanup before the shoot begins.
For the actual photo shoot, Whittaker sets up a laptop so that clients can see the images as he is taking them. He spends a lot of time on lighting to capture the true color and details of the project. He often brings assistants who complete a shot he set up while he composes the next shot. Depending on the refl ective surfaces in the room and the square footage, he estimates that it takes 45 minutes to three hours to shoot a residential interior.
Strawbridge can shoot a room in 30 minutes to an hour, but that doesn’t include setup time. Though the remodeler or designer does not have to attend the shoot, Strawbridge prefers to have the project’s builder or designer help him to decide on the types of shots and to review the images as he goes along.
Styling and Site Prep
Most photographers do not do heavy styling. Those who do make note of what they need to bring during the scouting visit. “Styling is a whole other profession,” Strawbridge says. “I can suggest moving and rearranging props, but serious styling or ‘redecorating’ needs to be done in advance.”
Whittaker says that in California, stylists charge $450 to $2,000 per day, plus any furniture rental charges or prop purchases. Depending on where the photographs will be used, they can be worth the price. He worked with a talented stylist who rearranged furniture based on the type of lens he used.
Bates does some light prop-work and styling. “For half the projects I work on, the homeowner has done a good job and you can get away with just a few props such as coffee table books, fresh fl owers, real wine, real food, and a throw for the couch,” she says. “I usually leave the food, fl owers, and wine behind for the homeowner .” If a remodeler has an interior designer on staff, it’s benefi cial to have that person style the house. If homeowners are there, Bates makes a point of being diplomatic when re-styling during the shoot.
She points out that photographs of empty rooms are unusable beyond simply providing a record of the space. So, if the remodeler knows that the homeowners won’t decorate in a way that will enhance the project in a photo, they may choose to schedule the shoot before the owner moves in, and hire a stylist or have their interior designer bring in large pieces of furniture.
Strawbridge has a remodeling client who is good at decorating, but advises those who aren’t to hire a decorator. “Decorators are extremely useful, they have an eye that the average person does not. Or you can give $100 to a friend that is a decorator and ask them to buy items to dress up the shot,” Strawbridge says.
Homeowner Concerns and Permission
The photographer you choose also must respect the home and the homeowners’ privacy. Whittaker says that this includes returning the house to its original condition by replacing any furniture that has been moved and removing tape used to mark areas on the fl oor. “We catalog everything and put it back where it was,” he says.
Whittaker sometimes meets with home owners to address their concerns. He says that the biggest issue, especially for high-end clients, is privacy. “In my property release form, I include a phrase that says, ‘Your name and your address will not be included in any depiction of these images without your specifi c permission.’” Early in the process, he gives home owners the property release or letter of authorization for review.
Bates even sometimes takes a photo of the family dog or a portrait of the owners in the house and sends it to them with a request to sign and return the enclosed permission form.