Professional v DIY Architectural photography – Part 1

The modern digital camera makes it so easy to takes good photographs so you decide to do it yourself. Then the times comes to produce a new brochure, bid for work, submit for an award or just refresh your website and suddenly the photos don’t seem quite up to the job.

So, what is it that the professionals do that makes the difference?

Briefing – we take a careful brief and think deeply about your needs bringing the benefit of years of experience of producing great results

Pre-visualising – working out the shots we need before we pick up the camera – as we are new to the design we often pick up on things you don’t

Timing – we think carefully about when the time will be right to take the photograph. That means getting the right season, right weather, right light conditions (angle of incidence, specularity, colour), right conditions on site (landscape established, no skips or unexpected scaffolding!)

Patience – we spend much longer getting the capture right. That might be setting up and waiting for the sun to be at just the right angle or it might involve waiting for a figure to move in or out of shot

Attention to detail – leveling the camera, measuring incidental light readings, checking colour balance, straightening furniture, noticing litter and picking it up!

Lighting – providing fill or supplemental lighting where the picture needs it

Professional equipment – makes the difference whether it be perspective control lenses or an eye-wateringly expensive professional printer – we invest £10,000’s in equipment only because it does make a real difference

WE HAVEN’T RELEASED THE SHUTTER YET! -we’ll move on to that in Part 2

Place provides photographic services in the fields of architecture, landscape design, construction, environment and property management, interior design, property sales, estate management, building surveying and urban planning, etc. We cover Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and London including Ipswich, Cambridge, Norwich, Colchester, Chelmsford,  Bury St Edmunds, Southend-0n-Sea. FOLLOW US to receive a very occasional newsletter. You can unfollow at anytime.