The Shortlist Episode 39: Developing In-House Photography Skills

In the AEC industry, professional photography is one of the most valuable representations of your team's culture, technical expertise, and years of hard work delivering successful projects. As a rule, it is often recommended to budget for photos annually, not only for finished buildings but also for "in action" shots that highlight your team and collaboration. If budget is limited, perhaps it is time to tune up your in-house photography skills.

In Episode 39 of The Shortlist, Digital Marketing Strategist, Fadi Asmar gets into the nitty gritty details of selecting the right equipment and honing your skills on the jobsite. From the basics of camera bodies, lenses, tripods, and lighting equipment to different tips for architectural photos versus candid team shots, Fadi shares decades of experience behind the camera as an in-house marketer who also wears the "photographer hat."

CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 5

Podcast Transcript

Welcome to The Shortlist.

We're exploring all things AEC marketing to help your firm win The Shortlist.

I'm your host, Wendy Simmons, and each episode, I'll be joined by one of my team members from Middle of Six to answer your questions.

Today, we have Fadi Asmar back on the podcast to focus in on the topic of photography and photography for AEC marketing.

Fadi joined us with Kyle a couple episodes ago.

We talked about the power of visuals for our AEC marketing and digital marketing efforts.

So we thought, let's go a little bit deeper.

Let's focus in on photography specifically.

Hi, Fadi.

Hi.

Hi, Wendy.

You are pretty passionate about photography.

You consider yourself a photographer, right?

Right.

I've never worked professionally as a photographer, but I do consider myself a photographer.

I'm very passionate about it.

And I think one reason why I never pursue a career in photography is because I love it so much.

I didn't want it to be my job.

That is smart advice.

You're a smart man, Fadi.

But you have used photography a lot in your career.

Give our listeners, give us all an overview of when you started doing photography kind of professionally and leaving that into your marketing role.

Since I started working in the AEC industry with my first role back almost now eight, ten years ago, maybe now in New York City, when I was working with a structure engineering firm, that's kind of the first time when I started doing professional photography in part of my job in marketing.

And back then, I was working as a marketing coordinator and graphic designer for the firm.

We had a lot of projects in New York City, and that's where it started documenting the construction process, going on site with the engineers, learning more about the project and telling the stories from visiting on site with the engineers at the same time, using my skills in photography, taking photos on site, which was something very rewarding back then for me.

And I've seen, as an architectural photographer or landscape photographer, I've always been fascinated by architecture, but usually taking photos of a final building, final construction.

But that was the first time going and seeing construction sites.

And it was really fascinating and eye-opener back then, learning about the process, like how the building is progressing, how change is happening.

So it was something I've never done before and I really enjoyed.

I mean, that is the classic AEC marketer story.

Our journey is we come in with one piece of expertise that we can share as part of the marketing team.

But as anyone learns about your talents and interests, it seems to somehow grow into our role, right?

So I'm sure others can think of times when their job kind of expanded to include something else.

And hopefully, that creates a lot of enjoyment, fulfillment in your job.

It sounds like for you, Fadi, doing photography as part of your job then became something cool.

You could look forward to go out there, learn more about the projects and the people.

Absolutely.

It was very, you know, it was part of the process, and I tend to enjoy even more because it felt like hands on learning about more the projects I'm writing about and trying to promote and talk about.

But now I'm visiting with the engineers on site, learning really about small little details that we tend to describe in technical terms sometimes.

But I had the opportunity to see them live there and even taking photos.

A lot of times, you know, the engineers would direct me like, take photo of this, this is super important, which I normally, if I was alone, I would not even think about it.

So it was really, I would say, very fulfilling just learning more about the projects from a different angle.

And the fulfilling part is also including my own photos in our collateral, in our, you know, books and, you know, proposals.

So it was something again to enjoy.

You feel more accomplished, like I'm not just contributing in a proposal in the writing and sharing it with the partners and reviewing it, but I'm also really contributing in the graphics and the visual elements and photography.

So yeah, I can only imagine what it would be like to have your photograph on a, not only like the cover or proposal, but then like maybe a national publication.

I know you've had some some success out there in that way.

So that's pretty, pretty awesome.

And it's proof of you have some talent there.

And it's cool that it's you've been able to bring it into your your day to day work life.

Yeah.

So that was actually one one of the biggest surprises.

It was really rewarding.

One of my photos, it was a final photography.

It was not a construction photo, but one of super tall building in New York City, and ended up on the cover of Architecture Record Magazine.

And it was really a very fulfilling moment of my career.

And no one even anticipated from the team that this would end up on the cover.

It was just like a surprise for the whole team.

So yes, it was really something to enjoy.

Yeah, that's awesome.

That's really great.

So you mentioned that you started going out onto job sites, talking to the structural engineers, interviewing them, hearing what was interesting, and taking photos of the projects in process.

How did you transition to taking the finished photography, which has a very different look and feel to it than the more kind of candid, journalistic, in-progress photography?

Part of it was, as I was documenting the progress of these projects being built in the city, it was a natural transition to move into when people were appreciating the construction photos I was bringing to the table.

So I think it was just a natural transition to even, let's go and try taking photos of the final finished product.

So it just became a very natural transition.

Well, I'm sure they were very happy to have you as an in-house resource.

Sometimes scheduling can be really challenging or maybe getting the permission to get on site.

You may have to move quickly and get out there and do it while newsworthy or while the action is happening.

So having that in-house resource would be really, really helpful.

Exactly.

And I think one big part of it, also like the savings that we were bringing to the, you know, photography is not cheap.

So being in-house, it was definitely a big factor, you know, saving on that.

No, that's a good point, right?

You know, there's marketing is a lot of overhead.

And if you can find some savings and you can allocate those resources in other places.

Another reason why I'm sure they were super thankful.

So a lot of our clients probably aren't lucky enough to have like a dedicated photographer.

We do have, I come across that every once in a while.

Sometimes in architecture firms, they do have someone who is a dedicated photographer.

But most of the time, it's going to be a little bit more like your experience, Fadi, where you have skills and talent and it can be used out there, you know, to support the marketing efforts.

Let's talk a little bit about if you are part of an in-house marketing team, how you decide you might want to start doing more photography internally as a team.

What would you kind of advise to look for?

Or how do you make that call?

Sure, so I think the first thing is you need to invest in a camera.

Obviously, don't expect your phone is going to do the job.

And for many reasons, and I'm not saying just because you need to go and buy a fancy, expensive camera, but there are really very valid reasons for that.

I mean, phone cameras have really advanced in the last few years and you can do a lot with.

But still, the sharpness, the details that you're going to get from an SLR camera or a mirrorless camera is never going to be the same, no matter what.

And then there's the big part of the color correcting and then the perspective, correcting the perspective of photos, all of these factor into the final resolution of the image.

Because as you're editing photos, the image is gradually being degraded.

So if it's a JPEG, it's not the same as a RAW file.

So there are really a lot of good reasons why you need to invest in a camera.

And that little bit of sharpness and more depth in the details that you can get from a professional camera is going to make a whole lot of difference for your team and how you can use them professionally, be it on a website or in your proposals or for any other uses.

So I think it's worth that investment.

OK, I have to interject here, Fadi, because I think all of season one of The Shortlist, I kept telling everyone that it didn't matter if you had a nice camera, that you could take your iPhone out there and take a picture.

So I have been advising that for a while now.

And I'm sure there's a time and a place for everything.

iPhone can work really well in a pinch.

You are bringing another level of refinement in photography.

But come on here, right?

It's okay to use your iPhone on occasion, right?

Absolutely.

If you're on site and you want to take some photos documenting the day and having quick photos that we can repurpose and reuse in our material, that definitely works.

But if you want to step it up a little bit more, I think it's worth investing in that more higher resolution photos with more sharpness.

And it's again, not every time you go on site, you need to do that.

That's more kind of something you plan ahead of time.

You go on a nice day, you make sure the light is really good.

So you have some quality photos and the whole purpose of that.

I see it from my perspective, if you're spending all this money on building a new building or a new development, it's worth investing the little extra bucks to just document that process in the best possible way.

And row files are going to stay for a long time in a better resolution.

You can reuse them, re-edit over and over versus a phone.

Any photo coming from an iPhone or any other phone, it's not going to stay the same way after years.

And we're talking years in time, like JPEGs get degraded.

So just think about the long term, when you use that professional camera, you're just part of documenting the whole process, and it's worth investing in.

You have a billion other expenses, and I think that little expense, if you add to part of the project process, I think it's worth it.

That makes sense.

We're looking at it from a couple of different perspectives there, right?

So the overall documenting the project, it should be a small percentage, a teeny sliver, but just of the overall project cost.

And then sometimes in a pinch, if you want to get a little bit of content for social media, you want something that might be a little more gritty and real and doesn't need that shelf life.

You could, like if you're creating a reel for Instagram, your iPhone works great for that.

Absolutely, absolutely.

Fair enough.

You have convinced me and you let me CYA on my other recommendations that I've made.

So, okay, you've decided you need to get a professional camera and you feel like you've got some budget.

What else do you need to do to kind of get yourself set up?

So when you get a professional camera, the thing is it does not stop there.

So now you have to invest in a little bit more and then get the right lens.

And yes, it is costly.

It can be not cheap.

And lenses sometimes are more expensive than the actual camera, so it depends.

But in my opinion, lenses are more important than what camera you buy.

Really, the end result is really determined on what lens you use.

The lens you choose is really part of what type of projects you do, what kind of lens is working best for you, and why do you need that professional camera?

If you're someone who's really focused on taking photos on site, taking photos of the engineers, you know, working on site, you might need a very different lens for that purpose.

But if you're really going out there, focusing on taking only architectural photos, the construction site, then a different type of lens would be needed.

So keep in mind, what is your preference?

What do you need mostly for your content?

That will determine what kind of lens you need to invest in.

There's no harm in investing in one or two lenses.

Again, in my opinion, it's worth it.

But if your projects are not super tall buildings, then maybe you don't need this extra wide, super wide lenses.

That's not something you probably need to invest as much.

It just really depends on what you need.

Do your research before buying a lens.

See what this lens is delivering for you and what do you need this lens for.

That will help you making that choice.

Is there typically a kind of all-around good lens that you could, that would be your basic starter?

You know, something that's right in the middle.

It's not going to be on either end of the spectrum for your photography.

I don't know if the kits come with that, or is it something that you buy just separately?

A lot of cameras do come with a kit lens, and that could be a very good starter.

If you've never used a professional SLR camera, that's really a very good starting point.

That will give you an introduction, and you will learn from that lens what's giving you.

And usually the mid-range zoom lenses are really a good start, and that's all what you need.

So as long as it's a little bit of a wider angle, so you can take some architectural photos, and then it zooms a bit on-site if you're taking photos of the engineers working, and it just helps you to have that variety.

So don't take, I would say, for a first-timer, don't invest in a fixed lens, meaning that you cannot zoom or zoom out, because you will need that versatility when you're taking photos.

So that's very important.

Yeah, that's good, good tip.

Well, what else do you need in your starter photography kit?

Unfortunately, for photography, it's very costly, and you can invest a lot.

Once you start, it can never stop, I swear.

There's a lot there, but I think the basis, the camera and the lens, that's the first two things that you need absolutely.

Memory cards, obviously, you need to invest in a good memory card.

Don't go for cheaper ones because they break while you're taking photos.

Sometimes they fail and they're slow.

So just like when you're doing that extra step, invest in a good memory card.

Tripods are very useful, in my opinion, especially if you're starting to do a little bit more final photography.

You want to show the final results of these buildings.

It's really good to have a tripod and go around like sunset time and take really nice photos.

Those kind of photos are going to give the most justice for that project.

So the light is really part of the story and how this building is part of the new skyline or whatever you're doing.

So tripods are very important, in my opinion, and you can even use them in interiors for inside the office, taking some photos of colleagues when you're working.

So I think a tripod is not even that expensive and it's worth that investment.

And I think that's the basic stuff that you would need.

And then there's a lot more, but we're not talking about, you know, you're not going to open a studio.

You don't need lighting equipment and so on.

Maybe a flash, if the camera doesn't come with a flash for your in-house photography when you have an event or something, because you need to make sure if you're investing in this, you need to use the camera on-site and also like for any office events and stuff like that.

So it's all part of why it makes sense to invest in a camera.

Yeah, so I hear you.

You could go down the slippery slope of outfitting with tons of equipment.

It would be very fun.

But as a starting point, those four or five items is a good checklist for the marketing team as they're doing research and pricing out camera, lens, memory card, tripod, flash lighting or whatever.

I'm going to put you on the spot.

I'm so sorry.

What do you think that that costs to get started?

And what would you suggest people budget in 2023 dollars if they want to get that starter kit?

So without going into brands and recommendations, what brand works, I mean, you do your research.

A lot of photographers have a preference for a certain brand, and this could be a whole conversation.

We can do many episodes on this, and I don't know where it would end, so I don't think it's really what we need to focus on.

But in general, I think to answer your question, professional SLR cameras or mirrorless cameras today, a really good one that's going to deliver quality, it's going to range within the $2,000, I would say, not less.

So let's say a little bit less, $1,500, but I think that's your range.

So that's the minimum I would say to invest, and then plus another $1,000 or so for a lens, a professional lens.

So within like $3,000, you really have a very good starting point.

You really don't need beyond that.

And tripods are really cheap.

You can get something for less than $100, and it will do the job.

So $3,000 to $5,000, which could very easily be the cost of one professional photo shoot.

Obviously, we're not trying to replace the professional photographers out there.

We're just trying to supplement the resources that we all have available.

So it's not unusual to spend in those, you know, $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 for a professional shoot.

And if you want to just get one photo, could really start to add up the savings over time.

Well, thanks for walking through all of that.

Is there anything else that you'd put in your kind of like first things first to get set up for photography in-house?

The last thing that we didn't mention is the software.

So if you're investing in a professional camera, now you're dealing with raw images.

Make sure when you're taking photos, you're not taking just JPEGs because you're really not upgrading your game if you if you keep taking photos in JPEGs.

So make sure it's a RAW file, depending on the camera brand.

There are different extent, you know, file systems, but you'll need software to edit these photos, organize these photos.

So that's the next step which you need to invest in.

And I believe we all use InDesign and Adobe products, so that's not a huge expense on it from a marketing team's point of view.

So you already have the plans.

Just add Lightroom to your organization and how you download the images from the camera and then Photoshop or Lightroom both do an amazing job in editing.

And, you know, just a side note, RAW images need to be edited in those photo, you know, software programs.

So a lot of people assume, oh, you don't need to edit photos, they're not real anymore.

No, you need, RAW images are made to be edited, color corrected, and then reused.

So this will be part of your workflow if you invest in a professional camera.

How much of a learning curve do you think it is if you haven't had much experience with Photoshop or Lightroom to start working in those programs?

I would say Lightroom and Photoshop are very different.

And Lightroom is more designed to organize your catalogs and your images, and the editing in it is very intuitive and easy to use, and it should be, you know, not a very long learning curve for someone to start using it.

And there's so many tutorials to help you.

Photoshop, I would say, is a very different type of software.

It's designed for more professional use, and it depends on what you need the photos for.

You might even not consider using Photoshop, depending on how much advanced editing you want in your photos.

Yeah, okay, so it's like anything else.

We're always kind of faced with these technologies that maybe we haven't had the experience with, but it can be kind of fun to dive into it, learn something, watch some YouTube videos.

That's how we all learn everything these days, right?

And figure it out.

So I'm guessing if you are the person who's raised your hand to and said, I'm into this, I'd like to be the in-house photographer for our team, probably already have some natural interest in learning all the components and the tools, including the software.

Okay, well, let's imagine now we are set up, we have all of our fancy new camera equipment in some sort of bag, and we want to start going out there and, you know, taking that photography.

What are some of the tips you would suggest the individuals think about as they're going out there and learning how to do this?

So now you've got your camera, you've never taken photos before, and this is something new you want to experiment with and learn more about.

Obviously, the first thing is it's a digital camera.

You can take as many photos as you want.

Experiment.

That's my first advice, first step.

Just keep shooting, keep taking photos, because that's the best way to learn.

And have that interest in what you're photographing.

Don't just like click on it and take photos for the sake of taking photos, but just have an eye and look at what interests you.

If you're going on site with some of the engineers, just have that curiosity why you're taking photos.

Try to understand more about the project, the building, those little details when you hear the engineers are talking about.

Just look for something interesting, something that interests you, and practice.

That's the first tip, very general.

But there are obviously the technical parts of photography, which you need to also learn.

And this only comes, like I was saying, with practicing, with shooting more.

But the first thing is lighting.

For me, lighting is the single most important factor in any type of photography you do, be it architecture or any portraits.

So lighting is very important.

And the only way to learn it again is with more practice.

If you're on site, the time of day is going to determine a lot on how that photo is going to end up.

And then you have composition.

There's so many ways to learn more about how to take better photos with a better composition.

There's the rule of thirds, which it's basically dividing the image into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, resulting in a grid in nine equal parts.

And you have to kind of center the subject in between.

You can go too much into that, but for me, it's just making sure your subject is centered.

Just make it very simple.

So when you're taking a photo, what is your focus?

What do you want the viewer to see in this photo?

So just keep that in mind.

Just always make sure that what the subject is in the center of this photograph.

Okay, that all makes a lot of sense, you know, focusing on the lighting and the composition and practicing a lot to understand what's working, what's not working for you.

When you're experimenting with your new camera that's got all of these settings that you haven't played with yet, what, Fadi, would you say are the things to focus on?

What are the buttons and the settings that are going to help you produce the best results?

Yes, well, you have a lot of things, obviously, in a camera.

And I personally choose to take photos manually.

And that's the best way when you are able to control.

And you need to do some research.

Obviously, when you invest in that, it's worth investing some time in learning more about the technical parts of your camera and what it can deliver.

Obviously, the aperture, this is something very important to learn more about.

Let's say it in simpler words, the larger f-stops is more sharp images and seeing everything in detail.

The smaller f-

or aperture stops is more focused on the subject first.

And then you have those like blurry background.

So portraits tend to use the smaller f-stops, but architectural or landscape photography, usually you go to higher f-stops.

So all of that is something that, you know, we can talk a lot about it.

It gets very technical, but you need to do some research, understanding what your camera delivers, and understand with the higher f-stop, you're getting more sharp results, versus, you know, if you want to do something more artistic, you're going with the lower f-stop.

So in terms of like, if you're on site and taking a photo of a large building, obviously you need to go with the higher f-stop.

If you're inside in the office and taking event photos of people, then the lower f-stop is going to help take better photos because you don't have as much light, if you're not using flash.

So those are things to, you will learn more, like I was saying, with experimenting.

And the only way you learn is just trying all these different options and click on the different f-stops and see what is the result, what photos you're getting.

And the nice thing about digital photography is you can take as many as you want and then just delete them.

You don't have to even be stuck with it.

Like imagine back in the day when they used to have film, if you're practicing on films, then you have all these like developed photos that basically are useless as you're practicing.

Well, two quick things.

I can hear in how you're describing all of this that, yeah, practicing matters, right?

This is something that you just need to get out there and fuss around and see the results.

There's gonna be no amount of like video tutorial or listening to this podcast that's really gonna make it click until you get that camera in your hand and you're practicing.

So that's good.

But then the other thing I wanted to say is you were mentioning, I was like, did you, you didn't say the olden days when there was film?

Because like, yes, I'm remembering now.

I took a photography, a wildlife photography class really quickly.

It was like a one day thing at a national park.

It was awesome and it was on film.

And we had this thing where you could only take one shot of each thing that you set up.

And then there was a whole contest and I won.

But that's not why I'm bringing it up on the podcast.

But it was on film and it's tricky when you only have one shot to get it.

So let's count ourselves lucky that we can practice and do multiple versions and see what the results are from that.

All right, well, thanks for humoring me with my photography stories, Fadi.

What else, what other tips do you have once you've done the practice mode?

And I guess we're always in practice mode, but then what other things would you be looking for to help make your photography look really good, be consistent across different projects?

I mean, I know you have some thoughts on that.

The first thing to consider when you're taking photos, after you practice and you start going more on-site and joining the engineers, be it for construction site, is just, we already mentioned that, focus on what you're trying to show the viewer.

And this will guide your photography style, it will help you achieve what you want if you have a little bit of thought before taking a photo, or not one single photo, but the whole day.

What do you want to tell from this day?

Why you're joining a team on-site?

Or for events, it's obvious, you want to take photos of people in the office, so that's kind of self-explanatory, it's easy.

But if you're on-site and you've never done that before, that's where it gets tricky.

Like I said, talk to the engineers, learn from them what they want to show, learn the little details, like some of the things that they're talking about as the construction is moving forward.

What are the things that they seem to be passionate about when they're telling you about this project?

If you don't see what they're seeing, just try to ask even more, ask why this is important, because it will change your perspective on how you see things.

And then just have a plan.

Think about what you want to show and limit yourself.

We talked about having the luxury of taking so many photos to practice.

But again, I think a good tip is that when you're on site, taking photos of a building or in a construction site, have a plan to limit yourself to like, if I want to end this day with only ten images, seven to ten images, what would they be?

And as you're taking photos on site, try to train your eye to say, okay, this is one of those photos.

Keep saying that to yourself, keep reminding yourself.

I'm not saying don't take a lot of photos, take as much as you want, but just keep reminding yourself, this will be one of the final ones.

This will be, and as you plan this, it will help you more look into what you were trying to tell.

And that's kind of more informative of the day, because you cannot just share with someone hundreds of photos from that day.

It's just not going to work.

And that's one big problem I see with a lot of people who just, you know, we invest in a camera now, and we're just going taking photos.

We don't care how many.

It's just it does not help tell that story.

So as a marketing person, if you're helping with that, just keep in mind that will help tell the story, narrow down how many shots you want at the end of the day and search for these different angles, different parts of a building or whatever you're taking photos of.

So you're covering it from all angles, all sides.

So you have different perspectives, different views.

Don't get stuck in the same location, taking photos over and over.

So just move around, walk around the project.

I personally, the way I do it, before even start taking any photo, I just walk around the site, look around the building, even the surroundings, not only just the site itself, what's happening around this building, who's there, kind of other buildings, just comparing it to its context, and then start looking more in depth into the project or the building in focus.

Okay, I get what you're saying here.

You've got a plan for going out on site.

You're going to come with the, probably the end result in mind.

What do you actually want to come away with?

Not 200 photos, but maybe just a solid eight or 10, and with the compositions that are going to work for your use, you know, that variety of landscape and portrait.

As you step foot on site, and you're actually start shooting the photos, what would you recommend the photographer kind of look for or implement to make a really good solid set of photos?

So consistency is very important.

Once you start taking more photos and you plan ahead of time what you want to achieve, just also keep in mind that you can achieve consistency by taking the similar way of how we approach things in your composition, your lighting, what time of day you're taking your photos.

It's all part of how your image is going to end up showing.

So if you're the type of person or your firm likes to have more photos during sunset time or dusk time, that's very different than how you go and take photos in the middle of the day.

So consistency in the time of day you're taking photos, when you're going on site probably is during the day.

So that's also helping in keeping that consistency.

How much of that is done on site?

Let's say you decide that you're going to try to shoot everything in the golden hour of each day.

In the morning or the afternoon.

Are you getting all of that mood and color from that day, or is that done in like post in the editing bay, and you're like, oh no, all of our photos look like this because that's our style?

You can do a lot with the post editing, but really the main factor that will determine is, if you take a photo during sunset time and you have all these really colorful, beautiful sky with so many colors there, that will never be the same if you go and take a photo during noontime.

So that's always something to keep in mind.

Yes, you can overly manipulate photos today, but that's not the intent here in this conversation.

You know, as a marketing person, you just want to take one of the best photos.

So if it's a site that you think it matters, light matters to it, so just make sure you're going during that sunset time.

It does the easy job for you.

And if you invest in the tripod, it will make it even easier to take a professional photo as it's getting darker, so the photo is not blurry and all that technical details that comes with it.

So just make it easier for you.

Pick the perfect timing of the day when the light is really nice and your editing is so much less work or daunting because you can spend a lot of time in post-processing and you don't want to do that as a marketing person.

You have a million other things to focus on, so that's also important to keep in mind.

I'm hearing that consistency is really important for the style and the mood of your photos.

Is there anywhere else that consistency is really important?

Absolutely, in the equipment you buy, once you have that camera, make sure you're always using the same camera, especially for your final photos.

Keep taking photos with the same equipment, same camera, making sure you're using the same settings in the same, you know, if you're on site around the same time, making sure you have the same quality with sharpness, the aperture stop is going to determine that.

So as you're getting more of that practice, the equipment is part of it, your technical settings, basically the manual mode, how you can control how much light you want in your photos versus how sharp you want this photo.

So all these things keep them in mind, so your photos are looking more consistent.

I never thought about the camera impacting the consistency of the images, but that makes a lot of sense.

And I have definitely seen and provided photography guidelines to photographers when they're going out and shooting.

And sometimes that includes showing sample images that we're trying to kind of get a similar mood for.

So I'm sure professional photographers can match that a little bit better than the amateurs, but using the same camera makes a lot of sense.

Yeah, it makes it easier just to keep that consistency, because different brands will have different color.

Color schemes are a little bit different.

The color rendering will be slightly different, but a lot of people might not even very much notice that.

But as you're putting all these photos in one book, it might start to show up more and more.

So just keep that.

Those are very subtle changes, but they do affect on inconsistency for sure.

Great.

Then what other tips you have for consistency and those kind of final images?

So the final thing which really plays a major role now today, more than ever, is the processing.

Post-processing and how you edit your photos.

This is a big, big factor.

Let's go back a little bit.

I said, even if you take photos with different cameras, the processing might even help make them more consistent sometimes.

So really, you need to focus a lot on editing and post-processing because that's where you can control the color correction, the sharpness of your images, how much you want, you know.

That color correction is really a big part of how these photos would look like.

Just learn a little bit more while you're using Lightroom.

If, let's say, you settle on using Lightroom, how to, you know, there are, you can even download for free some presets online.

And, you know, you can apply that preset across all the images so that they all have the same mood, the same color scheme, and just have the same feeling to them.

So processing is a very important part of, like, your brand and how you can keep those photos consistent.

I also wanted to touch on perspective correction.

Oh, yeah, yeah, let's do it.

So when you take a photo of a building, a lot of people, when it's a tall building, you just go there, like, and just point the camera up high so you can take the full thing in.

It ends up distorted.

That's not how you see it in real.

And then you can fix it in Photoshop or Lightroom.

So it's like straight lines, because that's how you want it to see.

Some of those software, like Lightroom, can make it very easy for you to correct an image, correct the perspective, but don't go overboard and do it, because it will show up.

It's been corrected, and it will reduce a lot from the resolution.

And then that image, the more the building starts to look flat, kind of like not a 3D view of that building, it will look like you did the perspective correcting in those software.

So it's important not to overdo it.

And what's more important, I think when you're taking the photos, try to be focused on taking that photo in the most like straight, kind of holding the camera straight in front of that building.

When you're taking a photo, just if the building is a little bit high, don't assume if you're looking up and pointing that lens way up to get the whole building, that photo is going to look professional.

It will really not serve the architectural purpose of that photo.

So that's something to always consider when you're on site.

If you can't get the full building in the lens, it's fine.

It's better than going up and pointing the camera all the way up.

I feel like that was a really great overview.

High level, you know, for those who want to start, and then some specifics for those who want to really dig into photography and start practicing it for themselves.

Thank you for thinking of this and bringing it to our listeners.

I really appreciate it.

And yeah, thanks everyone for listening.

Have a great day.

Thank you for having me.

And of course, this was a pleasure.

I always love talking about photography.

And this was just a very basic overview.

Of course, you can get in more into it as you practice, like I said, but thank you for having me.

The Shortlist is presented by Middle of Six and hosted by me, Wendy Simmons, Principal Marketing Strategist.

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The Shortlist is a podcast that explores all things AEC marketing. Hosted by Middle of Six Principal, Wendy Simmons, each episode features members of the MOS team, where we take a deep dive on a wide range of topics related to AEC marketing including: proposal development, strategy, team building, business development, branding, digital marketing, and more. You can listen to our full archive of episodes here.