iPhone pics are brilliant quality right? And a lot cheaper than hiring a specialist construction professional photographer, so why bother?
Whilst, of course, I’m biased, there’s a strong case why you shouldn’t be delegating photography to your site team or to the person in the office who’s a keen amateur.
The fact is, if you want photos and videos that can be used as assets across the business, you need a professional, not an employee with a smartphone. Here’s why.
THE BRIEF
An experienced construction photographer can help you bring clarity to a brief. What will you use the images for? Which milestones do you need to capture? For longer projects, progress will need to be recorded in a consistent way. The end result = a library of visual assets, delivering on your brief and more.
SITE PROTOCOL & EQUIPMENT
A specialist photographer will be at home working on sites and have the necessary PPE to support their visits. The more experienced ones will have passed the CSCS exam which means they can crack on with taking photos straight after a site induction. Having Working at Height certification is another plus for an onsite specialist. Using someone from the office as project photographer brings H&S risk or the need to ‘hand-hold’. Whilst the site team is a safer option, photo tasks will be a distraction for them and pull them away from the real work they're employed for.
SKILL LEVEL
How should busy scenes be framed? What is the best position for a long distance shot? How size & scale are best captured? Will staged images or more natural shots work best? Snapping away without this kind of knowledge is a scatter gun approach and is unlikely to get you the images you want. Whilst smart phones have very capable cameras, they're extremely limited in their ability to think independently and creatively.
Pre-visualisation, composition and controlling light is a major part of being a professional image-maker. The ability to look past construction chaos and create images of value, worth and beauty is a skill the iPhone won't ever be able to master.
POST PRODUCTION
Creating a portfolio that's suitable to use in different formats e.g. print, large scale display, digital; editing images to make them pop off the page; more detailed professional retouching: are these jobs you want to give to an amateur? Post production for a shoot of around 60 images can take several hours and is a little more technical than just adding a filter to a photo. Your marketing department will value the variety and creativity of professional imagery. Long term they'll be able to use them for bidding for further work, promoting the company and impressing potential clients.
So that’s my case for getting in a professional photographer for your construction project. I’m always up for a debate but this is one I’m confident of winning. A professional job will result in professional images that put your project, and company, in its best light. Save the iPhone snaps for the family album.
We have many long standing construction and industrial clients that appreciate the quality and consistency that our professional photographer brings to their projects. Check out our case study pages to find out how they've benefited.