Understanding the Estimate

The most common question an architectural photographer is asked, “How much will it cost?” But unfortunately, that question is usually asked without much detail about the project. Very few architectural photographers have a “Price List” because of the nature of each and every project is different. There is also not a “pay scale” for architectural photographers because images are not a commodity. Finally, identical services from two different photographers will charge a completely different set of fees.

Just like your design rates quoted in your proposals for projects, that number isn’t what the individual architect or designer takes home as their pay. Just like your firm, architectural photographers have overhead: cameras, computers, software, vehicles, lighting, office space, equipment, etc. The fees you see in an estimate aren’t just the charge for clicking a shutter.

All photographers are performing a balancing act between providing the most exceptional images possible while still providing you the most value for your project.

Elements of an Estimate

Though every Estimate is different, there are usually three basic components:

Creative Fee

Some photographers perform their services on a “Day” or “Half Day” rate, while others work on a “per shot” basis. This component also can be broken down by Photographer and Digital Artist (post production).

Usage Fee

You would not allow your General Contractor, or your Client, to take your designs for a building and build another building using them, and thus profit from it. Those are your creative designs and they are owned by your firm. The same holds true for your architectural photographs, the photographer lets you use them, just like you… for a fee.

Copyright of images is usually retained by the architectural photographer, unless specifically granted in the Terms and Conditions of your contract. Most photographers register their images with the US Copyright Office and to violate that copyright can be an expensive prospect. Some photographers do offer the copyrights to their images to their clients, but in doing so, they usually charge for this transfer.

Usage varies also according to how you are going to use the image. If you are going to use the images only for in-house documentation purposes, the usage would be relatively low. However, if you were going to use it on a billboard for paid advertising purposes, the Usage would be quite high because your potential financial gain from that image is a lot higher than the construction progress images in your file cabinet.

NOTE: To protect your firm, you need to be sure that you understand clearly the terms and conditions of usage of the images of your project. If you don’t understand something in the Terms and Conditions, ask the photographer, they will be more than happy to explain them, and if necessary, adjust them to meet your needs. However, this pay increase (or decrease) the Usage charges on the estimate.

Expenses

These are generally set expenses incurred by the photographer. Typical examples include:

• Assistants
• Lighting or Other Equipment Rental
• Location Scouting (either by the photographer or an assistant)
• Props
• Travel
• Media
• Permits

Whether you were there or not, and whether we are your photographer on a project or not, if you have any questions or comments about commissioning architectural photography, please feel free to drop us a line anytime. We'd be happy to help!

Kimberly Blom-Roemer
Photographer
R2 Photography, LLC
r2-photography.com

866-722-9506

Thanks to All That Attended AIA Presentation "Working with an Architectural Photographer"

We would like to thank everyone who attended the "Working with an Architectural Photographer" program we presented at the AIA-Kansas City offices on Thursday the 25th. It was a great crowd and we were thrilled to help so many of you with questions about the process of commissioning architectural photography.

Just in case you missed it, we went step by step through the process including:

• identifying projects you want photographed,
• what specifically about the project you wanted (and don't want) photographed,
• how to obtain as accurate an estimate as possible,
• how locate the right photographer,
• what to do to prepare for your photography,
• types of scouting,
• what happens at the shoot
• what goes into the post production of your images
• methods of delivery
• how to continue the relationship with your photographer
• explanations of what usage is, including editorial usage
• how to save money on your photography

Whether you were there or not, and whether we are your photographer on a project or not, if you have any questions or comments about commissioning architectural photography, please feel free to drop us a line anytime. We'd be happy to help!

Kimberly Blom-Roemer
Photographer
R2 Photography, LLC
r2-photography.com

866-722-9506

Research the Candidates

(There is the old adage, just because you own a hammer, it doesn’t make you a carpenter. This holds true with a camera. Anyone can take snapshots, very few can create the quality image that best shows off your projects.)

Locating Candidates

Referrals

Whether it be a competitor, supplier, or a subcontractor, we have all seen web sites with architectural photography on them. If you find a site with photograph(s) with a style that catches your eye, find out who their photographer was on the project. If possible, ask their experiences with the photographer.

Publications

Depending on your marketing reach or budget, look through local, regional, or national magazines. If photo credit wasn’t provided on an image, contact with the magazine itself, the architect, the designer, or the advertiser to find out the name of the photographer. This might take a little work, but if the photographer has a style you like, it will be worth it.

Online Resources

• ASMP – Find a Photographer
• AIAP – Association of Independent Architectural Photographers
• IAAP – International Association of Architectural Photographers

Selecting a Photographer

Just like yourself, the photographer is a creative professional. With such creativity, each individual’s vision and methodology is unique.

Online Portfolios

This is your first filter in the search for a photographer. A photographer’s web site is a showing of his/her best work.

Invite Submittals

OK, you’ve found a handful of photographers that have sparked your interest. Ask them to submit a presentation of images, either in a hard copy portfolio, or via an online presentation. You can request images of a certain kind of project, building, subject, etc. and, you can ask for multiple images from each individual project, so you can see a photography project in its entirety. Depending on your preference, you can have them come in and make a face-to-face presentation, send a hard copy portfolio to your office, or you can just ask them to email you a link to an online presentation of images. You can review these submittals collectively with various colleagues, with or without the photographer present.

Ask for an Estimate

To ensure you’re receiving the best Estimate possible, be sure include the following information:

• The number of images you envision
• The length of time you expect the shoot to take (remember, with their expertise, the photographer may have a different prospective on this)
• Specific shots you need, such as a dusk/dawn shot, or an image with early morning/late afternoon light coming in through windows
• Whether you prefer people in your images or not
• Your preference to a scouting visit or not
• How you plan on using the photographs (web site, advertising, promo materials, etc.)
• How quickly you need the images shot and final delivery
• How you want proofs and final images delivered

Once you have selected the photographer for a particular project, please let the other submitting photographers know the project has been awarded, and, if possible why they weren’t selected. This is to help us further understand your needs for future projects.

Keep a Database

Reap the benefits of your hard research work by maintaining a file/database of photographers your firm would be interested in working with. This information will prove to be an invaluable place to start should you require multiple Estimates on future projects, or your preferred photographer is unavailable. If possible, ask for quarterly-annual updates from photographers in this database. You can request images from current projects, clients, etc.

Whether you were there or not, and whether we are your photographer on a project or not, if you have any questions or comments about commissioning architectural photography, please feel free to drop us a line anytime. We'd be happy to help!

Kimberly Blom-Roemer
Photographer
R2 Photography, LLC
r2-photography.com

866-722-9506

Selecting Projects to Photograph for Your Portfolio

Project Selection

There are various reasons to photograph your projects, and your probably have different portfolios for different marketing strategies.

• Ideal Target Market Projects - This is the portfolio with images to grab the attention of clients that you’re targeting specifically.
• Balanced Portfolio - For more general target clients that show the wide-spectrum of capabilities of your firm.
• General Projects - These are more of a documentary of your projects, so you have it for your records and the ability to pull these images for specialized presentations.
• Reshooting Previously Photographed Projects - This is a very under utilized marketing strategy which is a way to keep your portfolio fresh with new images even if they are of slightly older projects. It is also extremely beneficial when you have a strong relationship with one or two photographers in which you can further refine your firm’s entire brand image.

When to Photograph

When every possible we highly recommend photographing a facility before occupancy or opening, or just slightly after. Elements and details of a project are still new, crisp, clean, and fresh and free of the normal wear and tear of a facility over time.

Additionally, if you are considering submitting the images for competitions or publications, the more current the project the more relevant the submission.

Identify Your Needs

Questions to ask yourself.

• What elements of your project best represent your vision and design?
• What are additional elements, concepts or other features do you wish to highlight?
• What aspects of a project do you not want to be photographed and avoided by the photographer?
• Were there any aspects of your design that illustrate creative problems solving by your firm?
• How is the photography going to be incorporated into your marketing plan?
• Display to clients via web site, presentations and portfolios?
• Competitions
• Paid placement advertising
• Trade magazines or book publication
• Internally produced publications
• In-house only reference and documentation?

Whether you were there or not, and whether we are your photographer on a project or not, if you have any questions or comments about commissioning architectural photography, please feel free to drop us a line anytime. We'd be happy to help!

Kimberly Blom-Roemer
Photographer
R2 Photography, LLC
r2-photography.com

866-722-9506

R2 to Present "How to Work with an Architectural Photographer" to AIA-KC

Kimberly Blom-Roemer of R2 Photography, LLC will be presenting "How to Work with an Architectural Photographer" to the AIA-Kansas City chapter.

February 25, 2010

12:00-1:00

AIA Kansas City Offices

1801 McGee, Suite 100, Kansas City, MO

This presentation is based on the Best Practices developed jointly by the AIA and the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) to illustrate the fundamental principles involved during a typical architectural photography project. By defining key terms, answering commonly asked questions and using easy-to-follow case study examples, this presentation will guide you through the entire process of working with an architectural photographer:

Topics covered:

- Selecting Projects to Photograph for Your Portfolio

- Selecting an Architectural Photographer

- Understanding the Estimate for a Photographic Assignment

- Preparing for the Location Shoot

- At the Location Shoot

- Post Production

- Controlling the Cost of a Photographic Assignment

- Licensing Photographs for Publication

- Continuing the Alliance

- Preparing for Professional Photography: A Checklist

Since arriving in Kansas City in 2008, your presenter Kimberly Blom-Roemer of R2 Photography, LLC is both an Affiliate Member of the KC AIA and the Vice President of the ASMP-KC/Mid-America chapter. R2 Photography specializes ONLY in architectural photography services. We believe the unique needs of the architectural, interior design, and construction industries absolutely require a 100% focus on this specialty in order to provide the exceptional our clients demand.

Northern Climate Exterior Photography in Winter

I have been suffering from a bad case of déjà lately. I lived in Anchorage, Alaska for 8.5 years, and the last month has resembled life there more than the temperate (relatively speaking) climate of Kansas City.

The insanity of the weather outside does not mean your exterior photography needs to come to a standstill. Some projects honestly can benefit from leafless trees and low directional lighting.

If you have a fair amount of foliage, especially deciduous plants, in front of your project that obscures design elements, to photograph the structure in the winter is the ideal solution. You can capture the entire structure unobstructed, showing off the entire structure.

The low lighting angle of the winter months can also create interesting highlights on your design, emphasizing angles and depth, that otherwise might not be captured during the overhead light of the summer months.

Finally, the massive amounts of reflective light can also enhance both your interior and exterior views in ways only possible when there is a beautiful coating of that white stuff all over outside.

Of course, you always can move forward with your interior photography. There is no reason to delay capturing those views when the facility is new, clean and looking its best. You can always follow up later with the exterior shoot when the weather and season best shows off your designs.

Not every structure can benefit from the unique conditions of winter photography, but in many cases, it can be a rare opportunity. So, just because it is winter, does not mean all your photography needs to come to a halt.

Stay warm and safe this winter!

Whether you were there or not, and whether we are your photographer on a project or not, if you have any questions or comments about commissioning architectural photography, please feel free to drop us a line anytime. We'd be happy to help!

Kimberly Blom-Roemer
Photographer
R2 Photography, LLC
r2-photography.com

866-722-9506

2009 Holiday Message

Wow... what a year! With 2009 drawing to a close, I am sure, like everyone in the industry you're looking to 2010 with anxious eyes.

Rather than drone on and on about what you need to be doing to be successful in the upcoming year, let’s take a well-earned pause... sit back… have a virtual cocktail together (clink)… and toast ourselves that we made it through the year. Just making it is an accomplishment.

We’ve seen long-time friends and associates become victims of the economy. We’ve watched pillars of the industry shudder. Some of us are more bumped and bruised than others. But, we are a little older, a little wiser, and, as much as it doesn’t feel like it, our businesses are going to be stronger for it.

To look positively, we’ve learned creative ways to keep things going, techniques and approaches that, in a good economy, we never would have thought of. How much is that benefiting our businesses now and will be long into the future?

So, in looking at 2010… let’s apply the three P’s… Positive… Productive… and Patient. Or, to borrow from the slogan used in Great Britian during WWII, “Keep Calm and Carry On.” :-D

Cheers (clink)… one thing is for certain, 2010 is going to be an exciting year!

Happy Holidays!

--Kimberly

and everyone on the team at R2 Photography, LLC

www.r2-photography.com