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Identifying Your Needs

The first step in planning for photography is identifying which views of your project might best represent your designs. Are there any specific concepts, architectural elements or other features you’d like to highlight? Are there areas that illustrate creative problem solving? Are there specific interior or exterior views? After you develop your list, prioritize the views in order of importance.

Next, consider how you will use the photography as an integrated part of your marketing plan.

• Will the photographs be kept in your archives and used for in-house reference and documentation only?
• Will the photographs be used in your internally produced publications?
• Will the photographs be submitted for competitions?
• Will the photographs be used in trade or consumer advertising?
• Will the photographs be submitted to editors of trade magazines or books?

Knowing the answers to these questions and discussing them with your photographer before production starts will facilitate the estimating process and enable you to clearly define assignment parameters.

Selecting A Photographer

Architectural photographers often excel in many areas. Some are adept at photographing interior design, residential spaces and scale models. Others may have expertise with industrial locations, construction documentation and aerials. Still, others may be well-versed in exteriors, commercial spaces or special lighting techniques. Each of these areas of expertise requires special knowledge and equipment. Depending on the scope and complexity of your project, you may choose one photographer or you may prefer to collaborate with several.

Try to match your needs with a photographer’s strengths. The right photographer for you should understand your design ideas and be able to communicate them visually and verbally. Other factors to consider when making your decision include professionalism and compatibility with your style.

Don’t underestimate the value of a photographer’s enthusiasm and experience, as he or she can become an important part of your marketing team.

Estimating An Assignment

As a creative professional, you understand the importance of accurately defining the scope of work in order to determine your firm’s design fees. Similarly, in order to prepare an estimate for you, a photographer must have a detailed description of the assignment. One way to help you grasp the scale of your project is to compare it with one that you may have seen in a photographer’s portfolio.

An estimate typically involves three components:

• The Assignment Description
• Licensing & Rights Granted
• Pricing

The Assignment Description

In addition to a description of the project (e.g., name and location), some of the elements you may find in this section include: the number of views, the film and/or digital file format, a description of deliverables and a timeframe for completing the assignment.

A LICENSE is a legal agreement granting permission to exercise specified rights to a work.

A COPYRIGHT is a collection of exclusive rights owned by the creator that controls the use of creative works.

Pricing

A photographer’s estimate typically has two components:

• FEES
• EXPENSES

Fees

There are two kinds of fees: Production and Licensing.

Production Fees (sometimes referred to as Creative Fees) reflect the time it takes to complete the entire assignment. This includes intangibles such as the photographer’s experience, creativity and vision that he or she brings to the assignment. Other variables contributing to the Production Fee include: the total number of views requested, travel time, scheduling and deadlines, site logistics, and artistic considerations such as vantage point, time of day and composition.

In addition to the actual time spent behind the camera, a photographer’s pre-production and post-production time may also be included in the Production Fee. Pre-production tasks commonly include: client meetings, site visits, meetings with the facility’s management to organize access to the location, conversations with building engineers to arrange technical assistance with lighting, landscape maintenance and other related site-specific preparation. Post-production tasks commonly include image editing and selection, digital enhancement, client meetings and preparing images for final delivery.

Licensing Fees (sometimes referred to as Usage Fees) reflect the value of the usage for each image in the assignment. This is determined by a number of considerations including how widely the images will be viewed, reproduced and distributed. Typically, the more extensive the usage, the higher the fee. Similarly, the fee increases correspondingly with the number of unique views being used.

To obtain the best value at the outset, negotiate usage for the entire group of images based on your currently planned needs, with the understanding that additional rights and related fees for unique purposes can be arranged in the future.

Expenses

Expenses for traditional photography may include: material costs such as film, processing and supplies. For digital photography, they may include: image capture charges, file conversions, post-production charges, archiving, digital retouching and file delivery.

Additional expenses may include charges for assistant(s), travel, photo finishing, special equipment or prop rentals, stylists, costs for location access, models, special insurance and miscellaneous expenses.

Finally, be certain to discuss your final presentation needs as they relate to specific forms of media. Do you require transparencies, slides, black and white prints, color prints, electronic files or other specific deliverables? Remember to specify the sizes and quantities you will need.

Tips For Controlling Costs

If your needs outweigh your budget, don’t get discouraged. Here are a few ideas to relieve the pressure on your budget.

• Share the costs of the photography assignment among several parties who participated in the job (e.g., contractors, product manufacturers or tenants). With this option, each party will still be charged separate Licensing Fees; however, Production Fees and Expenses can be shared among all parties. If this is your plan, it is essential to let the photographer know about it before the initial estimate is prepared.
• Prioritize the views you’d like and phase the work over a period time. This option may also provide you with an opportunity to highlight your design with a variety of changing seasonal elements.
• Ask your photographer if there are any creative ways for him or her to realize efficiencies.
• Consider reducing the number of views.

The quality of the photography you use to represent your designs is a reflection of your firm’s values.

While there will always be someone willing to photograph your project for less, what may initially appear to be a bargain can easily turn into an expensive problem when the resulting images do not meet expectations and have to be rephotographed. In the long run, commissioning a professional photographer is an investment that can save time, money and frustration.

From AMSP http://tiny.cc/fFhB0