Elements of a Successful Photoshoot
It all starts with a plan.
Begin with the end in mind. It is always helpful to think about where the images will be used and what you can gain from the images. Is the project something unique in your firm's portfolio? Are you submitting the project for an award? Are the images accompanying an article in a magazine or blog? There are so many uses for photos nowadays. You will probably have a number of uses in mind and it is always helpful for us to know a few of your ideas so that we make sure to photograph with the appropriate orientation, style and angle in mind. 
Floor Plans and Renderings
We love when clients send us a floor plan and renderings of the space. We all know that the renderings may differ slightly once the project is completed but it is always helpful to know the ideas behind the design. Starting with these items helps us to determine the best angles and important details to be focused on. Having folks in the marketing department team up with the project designers to review the project and mark-up angles on a floor plan is a great place to start.
Importance of a Walkthrough
A key element to a successful photoshoot is to walk the space. The best way to do this is with a project designer, someone from the marketing department and myself. This is always a great time to discuss the angles you have in mind, learn more about the unique features or challenges that went into the design and build of the space. It also gives us an idea of how ready the space is to be photographed, best times of the day to photograph each space and challenges that may arise during production. 
Gathering Cost Share Partners
When trying to work within a budget this is a key element to get the most out of photography. There are not many instances when there is only one company interested in having images of the space they worked on. We can help reach out to companies to see if they are interested. It is important to have these folks on board before we begin production. It gives everyone a voice in the direction of the photography and will keep the cost down for each party. Review our cost sharing page to learn more. 
The plan comes together
We have a shot list and floor plan to follow, have reviewed and walked the space, and gathered additional companies that want to be involved. The next step is the day of production. This can range from a solo trip to the site to take photos or a higher level of production involving one or two assistants, folks from your marketing and design teams and in certain cases models. We typically try to photograph 10-12 angles in a day. It takes time to find the angle, move furniture and people into the right places in the frame, capture the images and move from space to space. We try to get everyone involved that wants to be involved. 
Coffee, Editing, More Coffee, Editing, Walk the Dog, Editing, Food, Editing, Rinse and Repeat
Once we have completed capturing the images it's time to get to work. Images will be downloaded and stored on multiple harddrives and the cloud. We begin to cull the images, make color corrections, export the images into photoshop and really get to the nitty gritty of compositing, cleaning up and making any adjustment to enhance the image. This takes time. We try to complete all initial edits within two weeks of the production. A gallery will be sent to the parties involved to review and request any additional edits. Once everyone is happy with the end result we deliver the images. Final images will be cataloged and stored on our harddrives and backup systems. We can also help advise you on how to store and catalog your images as well.