You have a project that needs to be photographed on time, within budget, with your vision in mind, and in a way that builds credibility for your business. Hiring a photographer who can meet all these needs isn’t as easy as you might hope. Be warned, not many photographers have the artistic, practical and technical skills, or the equipment to deliver. Here’s how to hire the right photographer for your needs.
The first place you should start your search is on Houzz, the world’s largest website devoted to interior design. Any architectural photographer worth even considering has their own Houzz Pro page. Here’s a predetermined search for photographers in the Fraser Valley – if you just change the city in the search bar you can find some of the top-rated photographers in your area.
Google is the 2nd best place to start searching for a photographer. I recommend starting with searches such as:
Looking in the right place for a referral is key to success here.
You’ll want to be prepared with some questions to ask your reference. Start with the basics.
LinkedIn is the social network for business professionals. If you don’t already have an account, you can sign up here.
Start with a search on LinkedIn in the search bar at the top. Some searches you might consider:
LinkedIn has a system where it shows whether you’ve “connected” with a person before. If you know someone who’s connected with that person, it will show them as a 2nd degree connection.
Try to find someone within your 1st degree connections, but 2nd and 3rd degree connections would be your next priority.
Another option for finding a photographer is a bit more personal: associations and groups. Some in particular that are relevant in the Fraser Valley:
There’s usually a directory online, but if there isn’t you can call the association and request their directory book. They also provide their directories at any home or building trade shows such as Buildex, The Vancouver Home Show, etc.
You’ve done some homework and have made a list of 2 or 3 of your top choices. The next step is to dig a bit deeper and check out their online presence. Here’s some criteria to start with.
Most importantly, what is your gut telling you? That gut feeling is your emotional reaction to all of the facts plus your preferences, it’s a combination of logic and emotion.
Your next step is to pick up the phone and make a call, or send an email.
Your best shot at finding out if a photographer is a fit is to call them. Email is non-committal but can slow down the process. There’s nothing like a phone call to get more of that gut feeling about someone.
Nevertheless, whether you call or email, ask these questions to make sure you get the best photographer for the job.
Let’s explore these questions in detail
This is your most important qualifying question.
If the photographer is mainly shooting weddings, sports, food, or other niches, they are unlikely to be familiar with what’s required to shoot in an architectural style. There’s a specialized way in which to shoot architecture, and if they aren’t specifically trained in it, they won’t have the:
They MUST have specialized knowledge in architectural photography. If they don’t, you can write them off right now. Don’t even bother going through the rest of the questions. Thank them for their time and move on to the next pick.
This question will immediately weed out the inexperienced photographers. Regardless of whether or not you want to collaborate, simply asking this question will give you an idea of their experience level.
If you have a vision for the final outcome, work with a photographer who is willing to take your direction and collaborate with you.
If you don’t have a vision and “just want it done well”, then you’ll want to work with someone who is extra creative and has many years of full-time experience so they can create under their own direction and showcase your work in a way that impresses.
In turn, you should ask which type they are.
Ideally, you want someone who can both follow directions as well as set their own direction combining their experience with your vision.
Imagine this: The photographer walks into a shoot and sets up their tripod. The tripod falls over, knocks over an expensive vase, and the lens leaves a big dent in your hardwood floor. Who pays for that damage?
In my case, the liability insurance does. If your photographer doesn’t have it, it’ll be you who pays for that damage.
Any full time professional architectural photographer should have liability insurance. If they don’t, it’s a dead giveaway that they aren’t taking their business seriously.
You may not immediately know what the challenges are in your particular project. Here are some examples of challenges that I’ve run into.
Reflect upon your specific project and mention any obstacles that may be an issue for the photographer. You would also expect a good photographer to ask you “what are the compositional challenges in your project?”. If they don’t, they’re probably a rookie.
The rookie photographer won’t have much of an answer here. They won’t understand licensing which is another quick way to weed out the inexperienced photographer. The answer must be very specific on exactly what the license includes.
Ideally you want to have a written licensing agreement for all the images they supply. The agreement will state exactly what the license includes, whether it be for web and social media use only for example, and for how long. This should be included with a written quote for the shoot.
Each photographer makes up their own licensing based on what you want to use the image for.
Here are some examples of the types of licensing that I offer.
Many of these licensing options are often negotiable though, and it’s best to talk about licensing options early on so you can bundle some of it together, especially if you’re wanting to use the images in many different places. See more on licensing.
You want to know if they’re dedicated to the profession and thinking about photography all day long. Whenever you hire anyone, you want someone who eats, breathes, and sleeps their craft. That’s how you get the best. A part timer isn’t going to be able to give you that same level of dedication.
This might seem a bit technical. But the photographer should know how to manipulate light, and flash is often required to do that. The use of flashes, or strobes as they’re commonly referred to, is often required to capture the natural color of the room where necessary.
How a camera captures available room light may not be desirable on some parts of the photo and carefully placed flashes will compensate for this. Combining portions of an image taken with flash with other portions taken with available ambient light is often the best way to give images a magazine quality look that attracts potential clients to your business.
This is a good question to ask because so many photographers refuse to use flash. Why? Flash photography scares the inexperienced photographer because they are difficult to use well.
Another technical question but this one is particularly important. A tilt-shift lens allows the photographer to compose a scene with perfect alignment of vertical objects, then optimally adjust the outside frame of the shot either horizontally, vertically, or both, without moving the camera.
Any serious architectural and interiors photographer will have one or more of these in their bag. In many instances there is no other way to compose a scene without the use of this speciality architectural lens.
The amateur photographer, or one that doesn’t specialize in architectural photography, will not have a need for this type of equipment, a sure sign that they aren’t the right person for the job.
A client of mine who sells high end properties, had hired a budget photographer for one of his listings. The photos they supplied were unsatisfactory and his clients were furious. My client not only ended up spending even more money by having me reshoot it, but he almost lost his client as a result of hiring the budget photographer.
You could spend $400 on photographing your entire house and probably still get decent photos. But what is the cost to your business of simply spending the minimum on a project?
A floor manufacturing client of mine who were taking their own photos, weren’t satisfied with the results. We were discussing rates in a meeting and their words spoke loudly:
“Your cost will long be forgotten because of our increased sales from the photos you supply.”
The main problems with a low budget photographer are lack of vision, and experience. If you have a vision for your space, it’s difficult to get that captured from an amateur. And if you don’t have a vision, then you especially need a pro with deep experience to craft one for you.
The ideal outcome for your architectural and interiors photos is that they create an emotional attachment to the potential buyer. You want the photos to ooze with “I want this”.
For every space, there are many angles and composition that you could take for each room, yet only a few of those really captures that space in a way that makes it emotionally appealing.
You don’t want to just capture the space, you want to capture the emotional appeal the designer had intended for the space.
You want to capture the feel of the room, because potential buyers are going to make their decision based on how a space makes them feel. Images must allow the viewer to mentally walk through the space without items blocking the eye from moving through it.
Before you can bring up the subject of price, you have to know what you need. Here are some needs that might affect the price of your project.
When talking price, you would want to include these details up front so that you can actually get a reliable quote. If the photographer learns later on that they have to travel 3 hours to the shoot, then the quote is likely to change.
The first half hour of your shoot with a new photographer is all about judging their personality and if they’re a good fit for you. You can’t tell what their photography skills are just yet but you can tell a lot about them soon after you first meet.
The hallmarks of a good architectural and interiors photographer are many but the most important is for them to do a thorough survey of the location to be photographed. If they don’t even do a basic walkthrough to consider the space, the lighting, and how they plan the shoot, they’re most certainly an amateur. Ask them to communicate their thought process through the walkthrough.
How much enthusiasm do they show? A great photographer will start to narrate their observations about the space, ask questions, engage with you, and try to understand your vision. Within the first 10-15 minutes, you should be able to tell if this photographer is not for you.
Some considerations:
If you have a photographer who builds trust with the homeowners, it’s not uncommon to be able to leave them alone with the homeowners to continue the shoot, freeing your time for other projects. A friendly photographer who builds this trust early could be the difference between you stopping in for a half hour for the shoot, or having to spend your entire day at the house babysitting.
If a photographer shows up with just a backpack and one lens, you’re looking at a complete amateur. Good equipment does not make a good photographer, but a lack of tools is predictive of amateur results. A pro will come prepared.
You should expect them to bring equipment that helps them shape the light. That includes external lights, and light modifiers to either add or block light where necessary.
You can simply ask them “what are you using for light modifiers?”. Even if you don’t know what a light modifier is, their answer will be revealing about how they communicate and whether you feel comfortable about how they answered your question.
If you want to be thorough, feel free to ask them questions about their equipment.
After the initial personality and equipment considerations, there are a few conversations the photographer should have with you before they start shooting.
It can take up to an hour to get an excellent photo. Before the photography actually starts on the project the day of the shoot, you’ll want to decide on which shots they will be taking, and preferably in which order.
At this point, you have two directions:
I often do the latter, as it guarantees I’m able to get the shots you’ll be happy with.
While the photographer works, should you stay, or will you or your client be comfortable enough with the photographer that you can leave?
When you’re there for the whole shoot, you’re able to see the results of each shot as they happen. I use an iPad to show clients what I’m shooting as it allows them to see the creative vision unfold and on a larger screen.
A good photographer is going to spend their shoot doing the following things:
When all the shots are taken, the photographer should make sure that you are satisfied with the way the shoot went, that all of your concerns were met, and that the space is put back together as it was when they first arrived.
Once the photographer gets back into their studio the image files require the same amount of time to post-process as the shoot itself took. Although this is something you have no control over it’s important to know what is involved so you don’t expect the images to show up in your inbox the same day of the shoot.
The photographer will most likely have other orders to fulfill so processing of your order can take one to two weeks to deliver the proofs or final images, unless you ask for them sooner.
After the shoot is over and the images are delivered ask yourself “do I want to keep working with this photographer in the future?” Working with someone new is a learning curve, for both of you. You’re getting to know them and how they work, and they’re getting to know you, how you like to work, and what the future working relationship will be like.
Any professional photographer is going to call you to ask for feedback about your photos. They might ask:
For an architectural photographer to become an ongoing team member, you’d expect them to learn about you the more they work with you. It’s a good sign if the photographer asks how they can improve the next shoot.
You should get the feeling that your photographer is an extension of your business. They should:
Photographs are the handshake, the first impression your company will leave. The impression you make with your photographs speaks volumes about the quality of your brand. Control that impression by choosing the right architectural and interiors photographer, the one that cares about you and your brand.
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