The Shot list

The "Shot List" is one of the most important discussions you can have in preparation for a photography assignment. If not determined by a walk-through or scouting of the property by the architect and photographer, the shot list needs to be created by the commissioning party. Often the request is too broad, "shoot everything" and the list too long to accomplish during the photography day. Only the client can prioritize that list by order of importance. It is important to remember that typically only a select number of views will be used frequently from a particular project. It makes the most sense to spend the time on those important views and less time on the photographs that are more "for the record". Having this conversation with your photographer prior to the estimate will help you maximize your photography budget and yield a better final product.

For this assignment my client was looking for a great view of this stone entertainment patio for his AIA competition entry. Knowing this was the more important view than the home interiors, time was spent to make sure this view was ready to shoot when the natural light was right. A torrential rain storm that had ended that morning required that a good deal of effort be made to dry out the stone work and patio furniture prior to being photographed. Without the input from the client this view would not have had the attention it needed to make it a successful photograph which in the end was selected for exhibit at his AIA competition.

Ready to shoot?

With the significant preparation needed to complete a successful architectural photography shoot, not to mention the costs involved, great attention should be given to how well prepared the location is for the photography day. Everyone seems to be very busy these days and the importance of this step can sometimes be diminished or overlooked in the budgeting and scheduling process. From the clients' standpoint the photographs should look perfect and there is occasionally an over reliance on what can be accomplished with photo retouching in post production. The best plan is review all aspects of the shoot with the property manager and maintenance staff. For interiors that would include making sure the desired furniture and fixtures have been installed and are operational and painting has been completed. Is it clean? (you'd be surprised). For exteriors, are the green spaces and trees maintained? Are seasonal or temporary signage or structures removed? Are other people working on site that day? Sometimes property owners schedule multiple parties on the same day as it's convenient to them. It is often difficult or impossible for each party to stay out of each others way when trying to achieve their goals. Sometime it's inevitable so try to determine before hand and see if it will affect the shoot plan.