StanCox:
Hey...was someone maligning my alma matter, NYIP??! I didn't see it, but I saw a remark about a comment not being representative of NYIP grads....

Anyway, re RE vs Archetectural...I think the distinction being made is :photos of houses & buildings etc shot for a RE company to put in the newspaper or on a website, etc vs Beautifully lit, composed and framed archetectural photographs of interiors and exteriors of homes and buildings for the purpose of advertising for the archetect, or design firm in high end print etc.

The former is generally lower quality and pays very poorly. The later is of very high quality and pays considerably better!
Aloha,
SPC II

Thanks Stan, for the clear distinction...

It would seem to me that a great place to start (if one is interested in high-end architectural photography) would be in Real Estate . One could gain a lot of valuable experience while not necessarily being under the heavy scrutiny of having to produce high end results.

Nothing beats real world experience...

Regards...

Russ

My experience with home builders and contractors hasn't been much better. I was talking to a friend who also shoots architecture and interiors and he was saying contractors view photography as a commodity. They want to buy photography the same way they buy concrete. If they can get it for $3.00/yard less somewhere else that's where they will buy it.

Have you guys had similar experiences with builders and contractors?

Cheers,

Andrew

My experience with realtors is that there are value-concious people and cheap people, and the challenge as a photographer is to find the value-concious and show them why you want to work for a living. Providing good customer service and a great product are the most important things to remember. After that, set your price high enough that only certain kinds of homes warrant hiring you, and stick to it! When you put your price out there, some will say,"that's fair" and others will say, "that's robbery, I can do it..." etc. This is where you as a professional let it go, and wait for the next opportunity.

Look around at your competition. Are you the highest priced, middle or low? When you go to Walmart, you expect low prices and generally low quality. If you go to a high-end furniture store, you don't expect to buy a floor lamp for 30 bucks, or a 3-pc sofa set for 799. What you do expect is to be treated well, have your questions answered, and your need filled. As a photographer it is your job to determine the need of the client, fill it and get paid to do so.

I charge at a minimum $425 to photograph homes for realtors. They don't even call for homes under 700K; most are 1M plus. I limit usage to marketing the homes, and all my clients are good with that. To the realtors (and other kinds of clients) that say that the guy down the street can do it for nothing (or close to it), I say go ahead. I've had more than one who hired me afterward, having learned their lesson: you get what you pay for.

BTW, the pics posted are very nice. Great solution throwing the shadow onto the drapes, great choice for time of day. We don't always get that luxury.

Tim

Thanks a lot for sharing!