Shooting 4x5 for an architect.

[bomzi]

I'm writing a contract for a project to shoot an apartment building an architect friend has just completed. My plan is to shoot the building with b&w film rather than the usual digital. My questions have to do with what I should be delivering to the client.

The bulk of my architectural work has been on digital and I simply hand over a DVD or flash drive with the files on it (which is always a very dissatisfying experience).

If I shoot film, what am I expected to deliver? Scans? Prints? Negs?
What is (or was) the industry standard?

Thanks in advance!

Randhir

[vinny]

Files. Color files.

[Daniel Stone]

Randhir,
Will these photographs be used for marketing purposes, or simply a documentation for your friend(the architect)?
To be perfectly honest, unless (the client) was SPECIFICALLY asking for "black and white photographs", I would be shooting color film if I did not use digital from the start. It is easy enough to convert an original color shot to b/w in post production, and one shot w/o a need for "second" takes or variations could potentially give you that option. Starting in black and white, no color option whatsoever, does not give you that choice.

just my 2¢

-Dan

[bdkphoto]

I'm writing a contract for a project to shoot an apartment building an architect friend has just completed. My plan is to shoot the building with b&w film rather than the usual digital. My questions have to do with what I should be delivering to the client.

The bulk of my architectural work has been on digital and I simply hand over a DVD or flash drive with the files on it (which is always a very dissatisfying experience).

If I shoot film, what am I expected to deliver? Scans? Prints? Negs?
What is (or was) the industry standard?

Thanks in advance!

Randhir

I will add one important thing to Dan's observations - You need to have a detailed conversation with your friend/client and find out what your client needs. That is the only factor that is important - keep in mind that almost any marketing use for the photography will involve web/digital. I would (and do) shoot digital and convert.

[Preston]

Plus 1 for determining exactly what your client's needs are.

Does he want general or specific views of the building?
Does he want images of specific architectural details, such as facades, stairways, roof lines, etc.?
Will he need images showing the grounds and the building?
Does he plan to use the images for web and/or print?

While digital camera images will work, the view camera, with it's ability to control shape and perspective would give you more artistic freedom, and you will spend less time correcting unwanted convergence in post processing. Black and white would certainly work, but I'd suggest using color film. As has been said, converting to B&W is fairly straightforward.

--P

[HMG]

The O.P. asked what the "industry standard" is. I assume that's in preparation for a discussion and contract with the architect.

[Kirk Gittings]

The industry standard is files period. No client these days has any idea what to do with anything but files except HABS/HAER.

[Drew Wiley]

One would think the architect would know what he wants and can tell you that. On the other hand, architects can sometimes behave like, well... architects!
(Sometimes they can be experts at making simple things complicated.)

[Luis-F-S]

When I did architectural work, when shooting film, you'd give the Architect the chromes. If negative film, then the negatives, so make sure you shoot duplicates for yourself. Today, I assume you'd give him the digital files off the chromes/negatives. They could then order prints if needed from the negatives, but the final use will be the determining factor of what they'll need. Make sure you shoot enough to provide what they'll want and shoot both B&W & Color (digital if you prefer since it's easier with the color balance). I stopped shooting architecture when I got tired of being a loan company to Architects!

[Henry Ambrose]

Finished work.

[schafphoto]

The industry standard is files period. No client these days has any idea what to do with anything but files except HABS/HAER.

Well thank goodness we still have HABS/HAER/and HALS otherwise I'd have trouble justifying a darkroom for just the personal work. It's true all my live clients are asking for digital files, a little oversharp and a bit too saturated and it's perfect for them at 1200 pixels wide. Fortunately the dead architects are calling and I'm doing some more HABS work. ;-)

[Kirk Gittings]

As someone who has made their living at this since 78........I have done a ton of HABS as giving something back to the community because it doesn't begin to pay enough-thank god for actual commercial architectural photography which actually pays the bills. Frankly I love digital for commercial architectural photography because it serves my clients needs far better than film would now. I get enough old school juice from my personal work with film and VCs. I'm happy that there is a difference otherwise it would all feel like work. We have the best of both worlds.

[bomzi]

Thanks for all the great feedback!

I have discussed the shoot with my friend and had initially suggested digital as the best option for him. Since then, I've stumbled upon the work of Helene Binet and Lucien Herve (what a revelation!) and have become very excited with the opportunity to shoot the project with film on my Sinar. Since it is a close friend, I can (worst case scenario) screw up the film shoot (like I recently did on a trip to Tokyo) and just go back to shoot it digitally later since the project happens to be in my neighbourhood.

I love the process of shooting with film. The relationship between the amount of time "looking" and "shooting" feels right to me (less pictures, more thought). Digital has it's very obvious benefits of course.

Anyway, scans of the negatives it is. Thanks again.

Edit: I'll probably shoot both film and digital and get my friend to spring for the processing/ scanning costs.

[archphotofisher]

For film and digital; I show up with a set of contact prints showing file numbers along with a cd that has jpeg at 3 different sizes; small med and ex large. Explanation sheet on their rights to the images (you have to remind them).

Then they can order Copy transparencies, prints, raw files and whatever later on.

[Kirk Gittings]

I never deliver raw files of any kind, only finished images.

[archphotofisher]

Yes Kirk, you are right.