Tips for hiring an architectural photographer #8
This is post 8 of a series of 10, in a series detailing important aspects to hiring an architectural photographer while avoiding the most common pitfalls.
8. CONSIDER ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS.
Your photographer should know how to deal with these factors (seasons, weather and time of day) in order to take the best shots at the ideal time. Factor in weather and allow for contingency plans. Architectural photography is particularly subject to weather, especially when shooting exteriors. When planning a shoot, ask if your photographer has a contingency plan in the case of bad weather - and do not hesitate to reschedule. If images are shot in poor weather, you risk having to re-shoot the project at additional expense if the quality is negatively affected. Ask your photographer to supply you with a site prep checklist. There is a lot more going into preparing the site for photography than just cleaning up. In order to get the best looking shots, ask your photographer to make recommendations for staging the images.
Warden Avenue Jr. PS, Kohn Shnier Architects, Toronto
Tips for hiring an architectural photographer #7
This is post 7 of a series of 10, in a series detailing important aspects to hiring an architectural photographer while avoiding the most common pitfalls.
7. GIVE CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE.
Mutually beneficial relationships are best for all parties involved and crediting your photographer whenever you use their images is more than a mere contractual requirement, it is an ethical thing to do. They should also credit you, the client, on their online and offline marketing material. Do not hesitate to ask them to do so should they not offer it from the get-go (it can also be a contractual agreement).
Webster PS, Kohn Shnier Architects, Toronto
Junction Bungalow by STAMP Architecture
Revelateur recently had the pleasure to shoot a post-war bungalow renovation in the Junction neighbourhood of Toronto.
Main entrance, front of the house.
Designed by Brad Netkin of Stamp Architecture, the house is an very clever take on the bungalow typology. The original house was gutted and a second story was added, so that the main floor was turned into a spacious living-room / kitchen space opening onto the backyard and the front of the house was turned into a cosy dining room.
Entrance, Dining room, looking towards back of the house.
The main design feature of this house is a rather intangible one: natural light. Indeed, large windows and skylights are common currency in every area of the house, making the entire dwelling a very pleasant, airy one that makes one feel at ease instantly.
Living room, looking towards entrance.
Add to the the mix the architect's idionsyncratic furniture and art collection and you get a home that is humble in its materials and finishes yet very generous with large spaces that give away a subdued feeling of luxury. This is not a house of ostentatious character, but rather a symphony of natural light.
Staircase with skylight
There is a constant connection to the outdoors in almost every space of this bungalow. That alone makes it worth experiencing in person.
Back of the house, from backyard
Tips for hiring an architectural photographer #6
This is post 6 of a series of 10, in a series detailing important aspects to hiring an architectural photographer while avoiding the most common pitfalls.
6. MINIMIZE YOUR COSTS.
A good photographer will understand your needs and help you come up with a solution that fits your budget. There are many ways to keep costs reasonable and this should be discussed with your photographer, for example:
1. Shop locally if you can. By avoiding travel expenses, you save money and promote the local economy.
2. Bundle shoots together. If you can combine several projects to be shot at the same time, your photographer should be able to give you a better deal.
3. Use fewer and better views. Carefully consider the shots you need in order to save money. If unsure, your photographer will have a good idea of what shots will best tell the story of your project. Ask them to make recommendations.
4. Keep the bottom line in mind. How much money are you likely to make with these images? How many projects can they help you win?
Greenrock rental management office, Toronto, Kohn Shnier Architects
Tips for hiring an architectural photographer #5
This is post 5 of a series of 10, in a series detailing important aspects to hiring an architectural photographer while avoiding the most common pitfalls.
5. GET THE RIGHT LICENSE.
Great savings are within reach if you predetermine how your images are going to be used, including potential uses that might not appear necessary at first. Discuss your licensing options with your photographer and favor open source licenses (such as Creative Commons) over copyrighted images as these will give you more flexibility in the way the images can be used and limit your legal liability in case of a dispute. It is important to understand copyright law and how you can use your images - not all licenses are created equal - and be sure to ask your photographer to walk you through the type of license he/she is going to use and how it will impact your rights to the images. These licensing terms should be clearly detailed in the photographer’s contract.
Tips for hiring an architectural photographer #4
This is post 4 of a series of 10, in a series detailing important aspects to hiring an architectural photographer while avoiding the most common pitfalls.
COLLABORATE
Photographing buildings and interiors is not an exact science and it requires collaboration between the photographer and client, in order to achieve the client’s vision. Photographers have a particular way to look at spaces, usually different from the clients'. It is a good idea to use this difference in viewpoints as a sounding board for coming up with ideas that neither you, the client, nor the photographer might have thought of on their own. The pre-production meeting and the scouting shoot are great places to brainstorm and kick-start this process. If you are going to be present on the day of the shoot, use this to you advantage by discussing each view with your photographer and formulating your specific needs in the clearest way possible. Your photographer should be able to show you each shot prior to capturing the image to serve as the basis for discussion.
Yorkville residence, Audax Architecture
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.
Designholmen home and office by Downey Design
We had the pleasure to return to designholmen to complete our shoot.
Living room
In addition to the kitchen and dining room we shot the living room and the master bedroom. The understated elegance of the project, clearly influenced by designholmen's Swedish roots made the shoot a pleasure as there were many angles from which to capture the design, all of them looking really good.
Master Bedroom
We hope you enjoy these images as much as we enjoyed shooting the space.
Goldring student center by Moriyama & Teshima
Main entrance
We recently had the pleasure to shoot the new Goldring student center at Victoria college on the University of Toronto campus. Our assignment was to explore the relationship of this new project to its surroundings and emphasize the contextual importance of all the buildings one can see in this dense urban environment. The student center is surrounded by exceptional buildings such as the Isabel Bader theater (Lett/Smith), McKinsey building (Hariri Pontarini Architects) and the Gardiner museum (KPMB) among many others.
Back of house / quadrangle, looking east
Working with context as the main idea driving this shoot, it really opened our eyes the relationship this building has with its surroundings. This is one of the main motivations behind moriyama and Teshima's work and we had a lot of fun working at making this evident in our photographs.
Quadrangle
Hopefully our readers are able to get a better understanding of the project from an urban perspective and we would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.
Junction house by Downey Design
Revelateur is proud to announce the completion of our second project with Downey Design, a detached, single-family house renovation in the Junction.
Second floor hallway leading to staircase
This project, although technically a renovation of an existing house, ended up being a complete gut of the original house and rebuilt practically from the ground up.
Living room, looking out onto the street.
The main objective of the clients was to maximize the spaces with a limited budget, resulting in an increased focus on the quality of the spaces and natural light over materials and finishes.
Kitchen, back of house.
The finished product is a simple, effective and elegant design solution to the limited budget.
Kid's bedroom.
We would like to thank downey design and the gracious owners for letting us come in and shoot their house.
Exterior shots to come soon...
Little Portugal fixer-upper
Main entrance, with staircase leading up to loft space.
We recently shot a small industrial building in Little Portugal. It used to be a small factory that was transformed into a live-work space by Downey Design's Kevin Downey.
Main space, part office, part living room.
The project is interesting in the way only the outer shell of the building was preserved in order to keep the original form, yet, allow for dramatic open spaces on the inside.
Main space from the top of the stairs.
The building is home to Arts and Labour design studio. This live-work space is stunning through its simplicity and brightness, as there isn't a time of the days when the space is not filled with natural light.
Kitchen, looking towards main space.
Natural light is a key component of the design and every space ends up being very bright and pleasant to experience. Sometimes it is all that's needed to make an otherwise plain space exceptionally cheerful. Add to the mix an exceptional art and design furniture collection and you get a unique space reflecting the personality of its owner.
Light-filled Staircase, from top floor.
We would like to thank Arts and Labour for letting us shoot the space and publish it.
Yorkville residential project (upcoming shoot)
We are happy to announce that we have picked up a few clients since our launch back in February, our first contract being the photography of a high-end private residence in Yorkville, commissioned by Audax Architecture. The following images are from the scouting shoot. Stay tuned for the final images to come in the next couple of months.
Kitchen / Dining area
This residence is a renovation of a 70's era detached house. Audax redesigned all the interiors as well as renovated the exterior. The result is a house that feels decidedly contemporary and one would be hard-pressed to find evidence of the 70's original design left to see.
Front facade
We are extremely excited to shoot this project and cannot wait to share the finished photography with you.
Master bath
Designholmen | Parkdale, Toronto
We recently completed a shoot for Designholmen, showcasing the Parkdale-based design studio and home of Carolina Soderholm. Carolina is the owner and creative director of the studio.
Kitchen details
The kitchen was designed by Downey Design, a local firm specializing in residential and commercial design-build.
Dining room
We captured the kitchen, dining room and living room and will be soon going back to shoot rest of the project. Carolina's Swedish background shows through the simplicity and elegance with which the project was designed. Simple lines, peaceful colors, warms textures and the occasional splash of color make this project elegant and appealing to the eye. Let's not forget user-friendliness as this kitchen was designed primarily with the users in mind and this thoughtful design sensitivity show's through the myriad of little functional details, in keeping with Northern European design tradition.
We are looking forward to return for the remainder of the shoot and showcase the other parts of the project.
Living room
MaRS / OICR shoot
Revelateur Studio had the chance to go on a shoot with Toronto photographer Lisa Logan.
Standing meeting room, OICR
We have recently helped our friend Lisa Logan on her latest shoot for Diamond and Schmitt Architects. They recently completed the offices of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) in the new MaRS building at the intersection of College and University in Toronto.
Lounge, OICR
These offices are really cool and packed with high tech gizmos, not to forget cool materials and details as we are accustomed to see coming from Diamond and Schmitt. The shoot was fast-paced and rather intense, but a great opportunity to experience these offices.
We'd like to thank Lisa for letting us hang out and help on her shoot.
Wall and Furniture detail, OICR