Architectural photoshoot planning best practices

Key questions and best practices for kicking off your photoshoot planning like a pro

Architectural photoshoots are about more than just capturing beautiful project images—they're about creating marketing assets that reinforce your brand and tell a story that resonates with your target audience. A well-structured kickoff call sets the stage for a successful shoot by aligning your design, marketing, and extended project teams around a shared vision and clearly defined marketing goals.

A successful photoshoot kick-off meeting focuses on more than just the shoot—bringing marketing, BD, communications, and design team members together to document and align around project goals, process highlights, success metrics, and promotional potential.

It's all about building a consistent list of questions that capture a project's unique story and details, and its relevance to your broader brand message and mission. Here are a few of our favorites to use when planning your next architectural photoshoot.

Bring the right people to the table

An inclusive and collaborative kickoff ensures the shoot reflects a unified perspective—and that nothing important gets missed. It also roots all marketing and business development initiatives in a shared experience and single source of truth about the project. Invite representatives from:

• The design team

• Key project stakeholders

• Your marketing and business development team

Start with the story

Before the camera comes out, get the narrative straight. This context fuels a richer visual story, helping you capture more than form and function. Ask:

• How did we win this project—and why?

• What were the main project goals and challenges?

• How were those challenges addressed through design and/or construction?

• Where does the story stand today—are there any potential roadblocks to photography we should be aware of?

• Who are the other players we should consider for cost-sharing partnerships?

Know your audience

Understanding the end user is essential to demonstrating design intent and impact. This insight informs both the visual language of the shoot and decisions that reinforce authentic storytelling, like model casting and prop styling. Get clear on:

• Who is the target resident, user, or audience?

• What features or spaces were designed specifically for them?

• What demographics should we use to guide model casting decisions?

Dig into the details

Every project has its standout moments. Capturing this information supports the development of meaningful project narratives, award submissions, and marketing content—and helps you and the photographer prioritize the most impactful visuals in a tight shot list. Make sure to surface:

• Favorite design elements

• Custom-designed and/or built features

• Sustainable or innovative strategies

• Opinions on “need-to-have” vs. “nice-to-have” images to guide the final shot list

Results matter

Photography should showcase more than aesthetics. Clear project outcomes provide proof points that elevate your imagery from documentation to storytelling. Knowing the data that matters most to your target clients can help ensure you have images to illustrate your impact. Ask:

• What results has the design achieved?

• Has it improved community engagement, user satisfaction, or operational efficiency?

• Are there any measurables the client is tracking that we could use?

• Do priority award programs require any key data points or metrics?

Document everything

Your kickoff conversation covers a lot of ground. Make sure you're capturing it properly and saving it responsibly and consistently. The transcription becomes a valuable resource for photography captions, case studies, awards submissions, and beyond. Some tips:

• Leverage virtual meeting formats to record and transcribe the kickoff call as the official record

• Use a consistent question set to reinforce your firm’s storytelling approach across all project narratives

• Customize additional questions based on the market and audience

• Commit to thorough data entry to ensure project information is accessible and searchable for future efforts

Final thoughts

A successful project shoot starts long before the photographer arrives on site. By asking the right questions and engaging the right voices early on, you maximize your shot list and your return on investment. Standardizing your approach—and educating internal teams on its value—helps you hone your skills, build trust, and create the foundation for images that communicate the depth and value of your work.