Arriving at the Property

Arriving at the Property: Like I said, this is a practice run at a friend or parent’s house. Therefore, we will treat it with the same respect as though it was a paying client. People will see that you are serious.

Make sure that when you pack all of your gear into your car, it is neat and tidy and that your car is clean. First impressions really count when arriving at the property. When a client sees that you are clean, tidy and efficient, they will relax. Relax knowing that you will hopefully take the same care in their property.

Remember, you are normally going to be on private property with very personal items and belongings around you. Stuff that is very important to the owner so we need to show respect for this. Hopefully, the client will have tidied the house or property prior to your visit. It is generally a good idea to mention this when booking the job.

All of this will help to impress the people around you. You will then stay foremost in their mind should any other photographic work arise. Make the first impressions count!

Inspect the property first

Once you have carefully taken your photography gear into the property, put it down. Maybe in the hall or any large space and walk away...have a look around.

What is the weather like? Should you make the most of the good light and do the exterior shots first? Or leave until last so that the light is better? Where is the light hitting the front of the property and when will it be directly on it?

The lighting is so important for the exterior shots. If it is extremely poor, you can still do the interiors and come back another day for the outside shots.

Once inside, the client will normally show you around themselves until they feel comfortable. However, sometimes they literally just go about doing their own thing and leave you to it. I have even had clients leave the house altogether and go off shopping, asking me to shut the door on my way out. That is trust!

Essential planning

You may have predetermined which rooms the client would like you to photograph during your meeting. It may be left up to you to decide. Whichever option, you must always follow a planned "route" for your photography.

With the amount of equipment, wires and cables needed, you are going to want to make it as easy and efficient as possible. It can get quite tiring lugging everything from room to room and constantly re-setting it all up believe me!