For many years, we've been capturing construction photography and videography work for Morgan Sindall across the North West. It's been fascinating to be involved in their construction projects, which centre around regeneration schemes in Oldham, Salford, Accrington, Gorton, and Liverpool.
Typically, we capture the projects at the groundwork or clearance phase and return regularly to gain progress assets to secure new work and demonstrate the completion of phased work to investors.
Our visits to the construction site usually have 2 or 3 disciplines that I bring to the project. Professional photographer, videographer and drone capture.
So how does the construction shoot get planned?
Before the shoot, we'll have a quick chat to discuss the shoot objections and outline a brief. We talk with the site manager to check the scheduling of activities aligns with our approach.
A few days before the shoot, I'll check the weather forecasts and discuss if it's suitable for exteriors. At this point, if the shoot is time-sensitive, we have to make a judgment call to either cancel, postpone or proceed. Whilst wind and rain aren't ideal for flying drones, we can concentrate on any interior work or wait for a better weather pattern if the exteriors are important.
Once we're confident that the project can proceed, we meet onsite for a quick pre-shoot meeting to discuss any last-minute changes to the brief and a safety awareness briefing to outline ongoing work and how that might impact our movements around the site.
The shoot
We put on the required PPE and proceed with the proposed brief. Invariably, we're chaperoned by someone familiar with the site layout, activities and staff. Having a person familiar with the location and personnel is important as they can make introductions and know who the best people are to get in front of the camera.
If capturing multiple disciplines, I speak with those chosen and communicate that I'll switch between the various cameras. At this point, communication is key we need to keep them as engaged as possible to get the images and video for the brief.
Depending on the focus of the photography or video, we might focus on updating the project for a wider perspective. Typically, we try to capture your tradespeople working on site, showing off their expert construction skills and demonstrating their dedication to the project's success.
The results
If you have a building projects and would like us to add value, get in touch to discuss how we can help your project succeed. Stay safe, everyone.