Good planning results in a quality final product. This is true in building and true in photography.

 

Our approach to each project consists of three phases.

In Preproduction, we work with you to nail down every detail of the shoot. Production is the shoot itself - intense, but enjoyable. In Post-Production, we take the images through the steps needed to bring them to their final form and deliver them to you.

 

PREPRODUCTION:

Preproduction is the preparation and planning stage of a project.

We start by talking with you about your needs:

• What will be the main use of the images? Additional uses?

• What’s more important: budget or quality?

• Have you made a shot list?

• What is your deadline?

Next we talk property specifics

• Where is the property and what is it’s compass orientation?

• Who is the onsite contact? What hours are they there?

• What is the best time to shoot?

From this input, we can begin to prepare an estimate and propose a shooting schedule.

 

Click here to download an excellent architectural photography preproduction checklist at the American Society of Media Photographers web site.

 

 

 

​Preproduction ChecklistPreproduction Checklist

Preparing & Lighting Interiors

Lighting is what separates excellent from average in architectural photography. In the photos on this site, note the interplay between light and shadow. While light reveals color and texture, shadow reveals form and dimension. The placement of lights is critical to capturing the character of an interior space. Most photographic lighting involves four basic sources: sun, florescent, strobe or tungsten. The challenge is in knowing when to use each, how to combine multiple sources, and how best to accentuate and interpret the elements in the photograph. Often, the trick is to know when not to use specific lights or techniques. We have a full complement of lights, which we use judiciously.

 

Shooting Dawn & Dusk Images

Frequently the most visually striking images we produce, dusk and dawn photographs are also the most time-consuming in terms of conception, planning, setup, and tear down. Because of this, it is rarely possible to produce more than one dusk or dawn image per day. That’s why it is essential for us to know what you desire. For example, you may want to shoot an interior at dusk, with that wonderful deep blue sky showing through the windows. To arrive at shooting angles and lighting, we must determine how the setting sun and dusk light will look through the windows.

 

We must also prepare for the challenges that can occur (usually very near the actual shooting time), such as reflections in the windows, outside light sources intruding in the camera’s view, and shifting ratios of light intensity as the dusk wanes. Exterior dusk shots require time to find photocells or timers for the existing lights; locate hose bibs, if surfaces are to be wet down; turn on lights in windows seen in the photograph, when possible; run hundreds of feet of extension cords, then set up and position lights. As the twilight changes, we must juggle the changing ratio of lights to sky, re-wetting the surface and adjusting lights as we shoot. Wind, temperature and surface area all affect the ability to produce the “wet” look. Many elements change throughout the “magic” shooting time, requiring immediate actions on the part of the photographer and assistant. Due to these variables, dawn or dusk shots can take anywhere from one to five hours, or more. Once again, good communication will help us establish what you want done.

 

POST-PRODUCTION:

The final stage in the process, Post-Production encompasses the steps involved in transforming digital images into beautiful photographs. In this phase, we “process” or computer-render the digital images. The final images are then delivered to you in a DVD package. The package includes a Read Me document reiterating license and usage spelled out in the estimate and invoice, a DVD with folders containing 50mb tiffs and 1mb jpegs of each file, as well as a set of contact sheets showing each file delivered with its file name for your convenience. We can also deliver tif or jpeg files for download via FTP. Small jpegs can be delivered via email.

 

The Fine Art of Retouching

Rarely is a location or a property perfect. Power lines, concrete stains, dead landscaping and other elements are usually present, which can distract from the ideal portrayal of your property. We give every image a basic clean-up, such as removing small marks from walls, leaves from lawns and objects from streets. But based on your requests, we can go much farther. Given that retouching is time-consuming work, please note that it will be estimated separately, based on the time required.

 

Ownership of Images

Contrary to popular belief, the copyright and ownership of images remains with their author, the photographer, who then licenses their use (like software or music) to the commissioning party. This is in accordance with U.S. copyright law. Therefore, Steve Hinds Inc., retains ownership and copyright of the images we create. Our clients are entitled to use the images in accordance with the terms agreed upon in the estimate and invoice.

 

A photograph's value is typically related to its intended use. The more the image will be used or seen, the greater its value. This is one of the reasons for the question, "What will these photographs be used for?" in our initial discussion. This ensures that you do not pay more than needed for the photographs.

 

The normal usage Steve Hinds Inc., allows for architectural clients includes sales packages, portfolio and display prints, marketing brochures or mailers, competition submissions, and company or property web sites. Licenses for use in advertising can be negotiated separately. Fees for potential future uses can be negotiated in advance. Multiple parties may share the costs of commissioning photographs. Your company can save a significant amount of money by partnering with other firms that might also have uses for the photographs. However, sharing, selling, or transferring images in any form to any party that has not participated in commissioning the images is not allowed. Parties who wish to license images after the fact must negotiate separate agreements with Steve Hinds Inc. Please contact us for additional details.

 

File Types, Sizes & Usage

The common file types are "tiff" (or .tif) and "jpeg" (or .jpg). Under normal conditions, we deliver images to our clients as 50mb RGB tiffs and 1mb jpegs. The much larger (and therefore higher-resolution) tiff file is used for making photo-quality prints or for taking an image to press for printing. Because of their size, tiff files cannot be easily emailed and may be difficult to open on computers with limited memory. The much smaller jpeg files are easy to email, they look good on a computer monitor, and therefore can be used on your web site.