Architectural Photographer in Los Angeles, California

Clients need architectural photography for many different reasons. Corporate clients often want their customers to get an idea about the size a style of the company. Interior designers want to show interiors that display furnishing, rugs, paintings, plants and other interior features in their best light. Architects want to show the design, features, details and setting of a building.

As an architectural photographer, I need to know what my clients are trying to communicate. Do they want to say that their building is big, modern, stylish, classic, practical, luxurious, comfortable – what are they selling, and to whom?

If I were assigned to shoot a hotel for an architect, I would shoot images that display the structure and features of the building, the ceilings, doors, windows and overall shape of the building would be my focus. Shooting the same hotel for the hotel owners to advertise the rooms and hotel amenities would result in a very different set of pictures. The hotel owner would want to show the beds and furniture in the rooms, the lobby, spa, pool, tennis courts, and maybe the view.

Exteriors

How long does it take to do an architectural photo shoot, what do you need to know, and what do you need to do to get ready? Exteriors done during the day normally are shot with the sun on the front of the building, and often can be done in less than an hour. If the front of the building is in shade, it shows fewer details, and the building looks colder. Sunny days or days with light clouds are preferred, as grey, overcast days make the building look flat and dull. Night time exteriors are usually done shortly after sunset, the twilight time when the sky is dark blue rather than black. If the building is not well lit, the photographer will need to bring additional tungsten lighting to brighten up the face of the building. It is important that the power cables from the lighting do not show, so a generator is sometimes required if there is no way to power the lights from the buildings without showing the cables.

Interiors

Interiors require studio lighting in almost every case, which normally takes 45 minutes to an hour to set up at each location. A small bedroom or living room can usually be lit with two or three lights, but I have used as many as 15 or 20 lights in large hotel lobbies, corporate work areas, conference centers, concert halls and sports venues. These large areas can take several hours to prepare for shooting. A typical residential photo shoot of an apartment or home will take a half-day to do 4 rooms and one or two exteriors. A typical mid-size hotel will take a full day to shoot 5-8 rooms and up to 8 exteriors.

Preparing for a architectural photo shoot

To prepare for an architectural photo shoot, you will want to present your building at its best. For exteriors, a recent visit by your landscaping crew is in order, with the lawn freshly mowed, the weeds out of the flower beds, and the trash picked up. If possible, it is usually considered best not to have any cars appear in the photograph, as this quickly dates the photograph and draws attention away from the building. For interiors, make sure the cleaning crew visits, and everything is sparkling. Bring in fresh flowers, move plants from other rooms into the rooms being photographed, and reduce clutter to a minimum. Make sure that windows and mirrors have been cleaned. However, when possible, it is best to remove everything in the room that is shiny, such as pictures with glass fronts, mirrors and other shiny objects – even shiny wooden items. These shiny items reflect the lights photographers use to take the pictures, and often cause glare or blown-out highlights that are unattractive. Of course, if a mirror or shiny object is a main feature of the room, the photographer has to find ways to light the room without ugly reflections – it just takes longer!

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