Journal · Working together
How do you brief an architectural photographer?
A good brief is a ten minute conversation, not a document. Answer six questions before the call and the shoot will almost always come back right first time.
Working together
Start with what the images are for
This is the question that changes everything else, and it is the one most often skipped. A planning submission, a leasing brochure, a press release, a social campaign, and an awards entry all want different things from the same building.
An awards panel wants two or three images that carry the whole design argument. A leasing brochure wants breadth: every unit type, the amenity space, the arrival sequence. Press wants one striking hero that will survive being cropped. Tell the photographer the destination and the shot list mostly writes itself.
Working together
The six questions worth answering
What are the images for? See above. It sets everything.
What is the deadline, and is it flexible around weather? Exteriors depend on the sky. A date with no give in it limits what is possible.
Which views or spaces matter most? A hero for a brochure cover is a different brief to a complete record of every unit type.
Who signs the images off, and by when? Knowing this early avoids a second round of changes after everyone thought it was finished.
Is the building complete, or still on site? This decides what needs tidying, dressing, or working around on the day.
Are there access restrictions? Passes, inductions, permits, or areas that need notice. Better found in the brief than at the gate.
Working together
Say who else will use the images
Make a short list of everyone downstream who will want the photography: the architect, the main contractor, a product manufacturer whose material is on the building, a PR agency. Mention them when you brief, not after the invoice.
Licensing agreed up front is cheaper for everyone. On my rates and licensing page the arrangement is 30 per cent of the invoice per additional party, and it has to be agreed before invoicing. Sorting it out afterwards costs more and pleases nobody.
Common questions
Frequently asked
How do you brief an architectural photographer?
Answer six things before the call: what the images are for, the deadline and whether it is flexible around weather, which views matter most, who signs off, whether the building is complete or still on site, and what access restrictions apply. That is usually a ten minute conversation rather than a written document.
What should be in a photography brief?
The purpose of the images (brochure, press, awards, planning), the deadline, the priority views or spaces, the sign-off process, the state of the building, site access requirements, and a list of every other company that will want to use the finished images.
How far in advance should I book an architectural photographer?
Ideally as soon as you know the building will be ready, because exteriors depend on the weather and a booking with flexibility gets better results than a fixed date that has to go ahead regardless. Short notice is workable, it just narrows the options.
Where to next
