Timing your visual communications to run a better business
~ 4.5 minutes read
In the typical cycles of business, we are now fully in the 100-day sprint, the roughly 100-day period between now and the holidays where businesses are the most productive. People are coming back refreshed from vacation, kids are back in school and summer is gone, so there is no more excuses to play hooky and go hide at the cottage. Lake water is too cold anyway. That is, until the end of the year, before people take off again for the holidays to go skiing in Gstaad.
In the realm of visual communications and specifically architectural photography, not only we are subject to business cycles as described above, but even more so to seasonal conditions. That translates into a shooting season - without guns - that extends from roughly May to November, coinciding with vegetation being in a suitable state and the weather being cooperative to allow for good photographs of your buildings and spaces. In that timespan we get all kinds of colours and textures, from the vivid bright greens and flower blooms of spring to the colourful fall season, without forgetting the deep greens of the mature, midsummer vegetation.
When you superimpose the seasons with the traditional business cycles, it looks something like this: post-christmas coma and hibernation from January to May, spring awakening in May-June, Summer slump (a.k.a. Spending summer at the cottage) in July-August and 100-day sprint from September to Christmas time a.k.a. “Shit! I need to wrap up my projects” period.
Photography seasons
Why should I care?
We are in the last 50 or so days of good, predictable weather and decent vegetation before we are stuck with cold, shitty weather for the following 6 months which makes architectural photography quasi-impossible. Some projects are suitable to be photographed in winter, but these are the exception to the rule. Timing a project with a snowfall is also extremely challenging as winter snow tends to turn into slush in the city after a day or two and believe me when I say you don’t want to shoot in those conditions. If you’re an interior designer you might think “Haha, nice try, but this doesn’t apply to me!” as you’re not subject to weather.
While you’d be correct in thinking so from a technical and logistical perspective, let’s not forget the dreaded award season, from post-christmas to the early summer, where most award submissions are due. Marketing professionals spend most of that time working on submissions, on top of the million other things they usually have to do like managing social media, RFPs, etc. Based on my experience, most of them do not want to deal with managing photoshoots on top of that.
Ok, so all of this is self-serving, but how does it apply to me?
I’m glad you asked. Well, taking into consideration all of the above, what that means to you, is that by and large, you are left with 60 days (90 for interior design projects) to plan, execute and complete your photography projects before everyone in your office switches to holiday mode and slows down to a crawl for about a month, spending more time thinking about that vacation in Gstaad or the dreaded presents they need to get for their incredibly hard to please in-laws.
Considering that it takes easily 3-6 weeks to plan, prepare for and execute a shoot, there isn’t a lot of time left to get that accomplished. With professional pictures in hand before the the season’s end, you will be able to do the following:
Promote your latest 2018 projects to prospects with the goal to sign new clients, and keep feeding new prospects in your pipeline.
Have your images ready for your winter slump, when your marketing people will want to have them handy for the 10 million + 2019 award submissions they’re going to prepare. Believe you me, they will thank you.
Wrap up the current year with completed projects, which should bring a sense of accomplishment to your practice and boost morale before the seasonal affective disorder sets in. Happy employees = productive employees.
Take advantage of the winter slump to plan and prepare your 2019 press submissions and scour the newest editorial calendars, in order to time your media relations accordingly and increase your chances of being published, not to mention that beautiful photographs will help you in the matter.
All of the above, accomplishes one thing: it makes your practice more efficient and more effective on many fronts. Which results in less time spent scrambling to get something done at the last minute, more time to do other important business things (or more time for yourself) as well as a long-term increase in your profitability because you now run a lean, mean business development machine.
After all, who wouldn’t like more time and increased profits?
If you have questions about this article or rvltr, or want to book your fall 2018 shoot, you can reach us at hello@rvltr.studio.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHT: Lycée Terrail High-School, Atelier Métis
Crepuscule / Dusk
English version below.
Ce projet d’extension d’un Lycee a Pontcharra, pres de Grenoble, consiste en l’addition de 14 salles de classes sur un niveau RDC. Les 4 batiments sont en bois modulaire 3D installes en forme de “U" atour d’un jardin des poetes. Cette typologie caractérise l’ambience introvertie et apaisée du lieu, créant un environement propice a l’enseignement.
Le jardin des poètes / The poet's garden
Le cote simple et sans prétention du complexe est très appreciable, ou la qualité de l’experience des usagers prend le pas sur les gestes architecturaux. C’est un projet élégant par sa simplicite et son efficacité, sans fioritures.
Avancée de toiture principale / Main roof overhang
La toiture metallique apporte une touche d’elegance et permet d’augmenter la durée de vie des bâtiments, tout en améliorant le confort d’été et réduisant la consommation énergétique. Les larges ouvertures contribuent à la qualité des intérieurs par leur abondant apport en lumière naturelle, ainsi qu’à la transparence des bâtiments qui confère a l’ensemble une impression d’ouverture, très a propos pour des bâtiments scolaires.
Cour / Courtyard
J’ai pris beaucoup de plaisir a photographier ces lieux, d’une part car c’est un project architecturalement intéressant et d’autre part car le cadre montagnard est absolument magnifique.
Allée + Entrée d'une salle de cours / Walkway + Classroom doorway
English Version:
révélateur had the privilege to shoot this extension for a high-school in Pontcharra, near Grenoble, France. The four buildings comprise 14 classrooms on one level, a "poet garden" courtyard and are prefabricated wood structure, manufactured in a plant and assembled and finished on-site.
The unpretentious atmosphere is very pleasant, as it is the user experience that takes precedence over grandiose architectural gestures. It is an elegant project du to its simplicity, functionality and well-chosen materials.
The steel roof, though not functionally indispensable, brings visual elegance to the ensemble and summer comfort as am oversized sunshade that contributes to reducing the energy footprint of the building. The oversized windows contribute to the feeling of transparency, literally and figuratively, which is perfectly appropriate for an educational building.
I truly enjoyed shooting this project as it is both architecturally competent as well as set in a mountainous landscape that provides the perfect backdrop.
révélateur wins best of Houzz 2015 award
révélateur studio of Toronto Receives Best Of Houzz 2015 Award
Press release:
révélateur studio of Toronto Receives Best Of Houzz 2015 Award
Yorkville residence by Audax.
Over 25 Million Monthly Unique Users Rated Top-Rated Home Building, Remodeling and Design Professionals in Canada and Around the World
Toronto, Canada, January 19, 2015 – révélateur studio of Toronto has been awarded “Best Of Houzz” for Customer Satisfaction by Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. The architectural photography studio was chosen by the more than 25 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than 500,000 active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals.
The Best Of Houzz award is given in two categories: Design and Customer Satisfaction. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 25 million monthly users on Houzz, known as “Houzzers.” Customer Satisfaction honors are determined by a variety of factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2014. Winners will receive a “Best Of Houzz 2015” badge on their profiles, helping Houzz users around the world who discover and love a professional’s work to learn even more about that business’ popularity and satisfaction rating among their peers in the Houzz community.
"It is a tremendous honour to be recognized as a top professional in the industry, especially after all the hard work we have put in the company in our first year of business. It means we are bringing value to our clients and are looking forward to what new and exciting projects 2015 will bring to the business." said Arnaud Marthouret, Founder of révélateur studio.
“Houzz provides homeowners with a 360 degree view of home building, remodeling and design industry professionals, empowering them to engage the right people and products for their project,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of industry marketing for Houzz. “We’re delighted to recognize révélateur studio among our “Best Of” professionals as judged by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts who are actively remodeling and decorating their homes.”
Follow révélateur studio on Houzz.
About révélateur studio:
révélateur studio is a Toronto-based photography studio specializing in architecture and art-directed interior photography.
About Houzz
Houzz is the leading platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish - online or from a mobile device. From decorating a room to building a custom home, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community powered by social tools, Houzz is the easiest way for people to find inspiration, get advice, buy products and hire the professionals they need to help turn their ideas into reality. Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, Houzz also has international offices in London, Berlin and Sydney. For more information, visit www.houzz.com
Little Trinity by DTAH
Earlier this summer, Revelateur was commissioned to shoot DTAH's little trinity project. This is constitutes a good example of adaptive reuse in the city of toronto. This was a fun shoot as it was all about showcasing the interplay between the old and the new.
Facade on King St. East (at Parliament).
DTAH has a summary of their project here:
"The Little Trinity Church community, founded in 1844 near the corner of King Street East and Parliament Streets in Toronto, developed a building expansion study to investigate the renovation and redevelopment of the three buildings on their site to maximize community worship, social services, and recreational uses in response to the future West Don Lands development immediately south of their property.
Back of building from garden.
DTAH redeveloped the derelict 19th century townhouses at 399 King Street into the Little Trinity Annex, a new administrative centre and multi-purpose hall for the church community. Renovations in the school house building included the basement multi-purpose hall and ground floor child care spaces to maximize Sunday School capacity and functionality."
Multi-purpose hall.
Although a small project, it was a fun shoot as adaptive reuse presents challenges that are not necessarily evident when shooting other kinds of projects.
Building from garden.
Tips for hiring an architectural photographer #9
This is post 9 of a series of 10, in a series detailing important aspects to hiring an architectural photographer while avoiding the most common pitfalls.
9. CHOOSE EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Professionalism prevents a lot of headaches. It is often said that the first impression says a lot about a person. Make sure your photographer cares about your needs in more than just words. Their attitude, attentiveness and professionalism should show in everything they do. Make your life easier by choosing someone you can rely on.
Buckingham Arena, WGD Architects, Toronto.
Little Portugal fixer-upper by Downey Design
This project was featured on our blog a few months back, when we shot the interiors for the Designer. We have recently returned to shoot the exterior of the building upon completion of the landscaping.
Main facade
Home to Arts & Labour home-studio, the renovation turned an old factory into an airy, bright space that appears to be much bigger than it actually is.
Main Entrance
Although the renovated building may appear mundane at first glance, it is the simplicity of the elegant materials and solid detailing that makes it come to life in an understated fashion. It is first and foremost a very livable space as evidenced by the spatial and light qualities one finds throughout the project.
Landscaped courtyard
Tips for hiring an architectural photographer - #3
This is post 3 of a series of 10, in a series detailing important aspects to hiring an architectural photographer while avoiding the most common pitfalls.
UNDERSTAND AND FORMULATE YOUR NEEDS.
It is advisable to sit down and think about what your needs are prior to discussing them with a photographer, in order to make them clear to the professionals you will be hiring. Think about the aesthetic/mood you are trying to achieve, the number of images you need, the way you envision your project to be shot, your budget and any other specific requirements you may have. Photographers should be able to help you uncover these needs by asking a series of increasingly pointed questions and come up with a tailored estimate that will cover all those needs. Once that discovery process is complete, the photographer will know exactly what those needs are. Remember that “understandings prevent misunderstandings” and ask your photographer to clarify anything that is unclear. Do not let technical terms and jargon confuse you.
Tips for hiring an architectural photographer #1
This post is the first of a series of ten, detailing the most important aspects to hiring an architectural photographer while avoiding the most common pitfalls.
GO FOR VALUE OVER PRICE.
When hiring a photographer, it is important to consider what is included in the service that was quoted to you. Not all photographers’ fees are created equal and it is critical to read the fine print in order to understand what the fees include. Some professionals will do a “package price” including a variety of services while others will break down their estimates into line items. When comparing fees, make sure that these include comparable services and more importantly, that those services suit you. Be wary of items that are included but not needed for your purposes.