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

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 #2

This is post 2 in a series of 10, in a series detailing important aspects to hiring an architectural photographer while avoiding the most common pitfalls.

DETERMINE THE AESTHETICS THAT SUIT YOU. 

Each photographer will have a different aesthetic identity and most will likely have one or two trademarks that they are known and recognized for. Understand what this particular aesthetic is by perusing your photographer’s portfolio and discussing it with them. They should be able to explain what their expertise is in detail and convince you that they are the right fit or help you determine that they are not in the qualifying process. You should obviously like the particular aesthetic of your photographer’s previous work and your vision should be aligned with that of your photographer. Ultimately, fit is a critical part of the client-photographer relationship. 

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. 


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...

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

Kitchen details

The kitchen was designed by Downey Design, a local firm specializing in residential and commercial design-build.

Dining room

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

Living room