Back to Black and White

When your subject is monochromatic and color would only provide a distraction, consider converting the view to a Black and White image. It is one of the great pluses in working digitally that you can photograph in full color then covert to gray scale when completing the final post production. It's the best of both worlds. I think this office view has more impact when presented in black and white.

Coordinating with Construction

Even with the best plans sometimes you have to adapt to a fluid situation. This is the new Marine Mammal Center at the New England Aquarium designed by McManus Architects, Cambridge, MA. They were faced with scheduling a photography shoot day that fell in between the contractor's final wrap up, the installation of a semi-permanent event tent that would obscure most preferred views and the grand opening of this fantastic new facility. With the cooperation of the NE Aquarium, its staff and the various contractors, many exciting views were able to be photographed. Digital post production resolved what was not possible or practical on the actual shoot day. When time permits always try to schedule your photography after the work has been done.

Preplanning for Limited Access

Sometimes the access to a temporary installation is limited due to constraints imposed by the venue or show management. In this case you need to adapt to the limitations. What is most helpful is a walk through of the site to design a plan to achieve your final photography objectives. What may be the right solution is to add more photo assistants and equipment so that you can progress from one view to the next as efficiently as possible. Preplanning can smooth out all the access limitations.

Assignment preproduction tip

Certificates of Insurance are usually required when photographing on or from other people's property. In the case of photographing skyscrapers the best views are often from other private buildings. Most building management offices are agreeable to provide access to their property as a vantage point only requiring the photographer to provide a "certificate of insurance" issued by the photographer's insurance company to show proof of liability insurance. It is best for the client to initiate the call to the building management office as they are often interested in a reciprocal arrangement when their building needs to be photographed. After the client contact has been made the photographer can provide the needed insurance paperwork. Allow a few days to make all of these arrangements and to fit into the building owner's and photographer's schedules for the best weather.

Tight Budget?-Photography now File prep later

Though your need for new photography continues your budgets may be tighter. Why not plan for smaller well targeted shoots that cover your most important needs. Or if you feel you'll only have one opportunity to photograph the location then work with your photographer to focus time on the prime views and get coverage of the others. Depending on your arrangements with your photographer you may be able to photograph a set number of views but defer the file preparation of the less urgent views to later in the year. Work with your photographer in advance of your shoot day to plan within your budget. A solution to fit your budget is out there, no reason to wait.

Sharing the cost of photography with a MPL agreement

A MPL "Multiple-Party License" is an agreement between the photographer and multiple users of the finished photography prior to the shoot. Simply stated the cost of production of the photography is shared equally by all parties, then each party is billed a separate rights-license fee for their intended use. Agreements like this are most successful when the final image choices and use of the images is the same. It can represent a substantial savings to each participant vs separate photo shoots. The only time a MPL is not practical is when the needs of the parties differ significantly. If one party needs a full coverage record of a project and the other party is looking for more styled images for marketing it becomes too difficult to please both and separate shoots should be planned.

To learn more about MPL's in the AIA ASMP Best Practices PDF booklet click here.

"In or Out"

This classic phrase used by all parents is also applicable to discussions about what the client wants in the final photograph. What to include in the frame is often a very personal decision that only the client can answer. Take the time to communicate your preferences with the photographer. Is there a particular way you'd like your photographs to look? The inclusion of plants, furniture, props and other image details should be reviewed in advance. In post production retouching do you prefer to have small distractions, like exit signs and sprinkler heads removed? Having these discussions prior to the shoot will insure that the images you receive are the images you envisioned.