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.