Should a Remodeler Hire a Photographer or Shoot Projects In House

By the time the last cabinet door is hung, the question of who will photograph the kitchen has to be settled, and the shoots planned the way los angeles kitchen remodeling project photography art in the americas keeps them are shorter and cleaner than most remodelers expect. A kitchen remodeling business in Los Angeles County has to decide, project by project, whether a professional is worth booking or a phone in capable hands is enough.

Which projects deserve a professional?

Book a photographer for the jobs that will headline the website: the large layout change, the wall removal, the full custom cabinet package, anything that will be the lead image on a page for years. Smaller refreshes and repeat styles can be documented in house and still look good.

What does a professional bring?

A photographer arrives with lighting, a tripod, a wide lens that corrects for distortion and the experience to fix a room quickly. They also edit, straightening lines and balancing windows. In Glendale or Silver Lake the result is a consistent set of pictures that can sit next to each other in a gallery without looking like they came from different companies.

How good can in house photos be?

A recent phone, a small tripod and a level can produce clean frames if the shoot happens in good daylight and the room is staged. The weakness is usually consistency, since different crew members shoot differently. Write a short shot list, the same each time, and the in house set improves quickly.

How does Los Angeles traffic affect the schedule?

A photographer working from Pasadena to Santa Monica in one day will lose hours on the freeways, and the light will move on while they drive. Group shoots by area, such as the San Fernando Valley one day and the Westside another, and give the photographer a narrow time window with the sun in mind. Clients also need notice, because most want to be at home.

What equipment is worth owning?

A sturdy tripod, a wide but not extreme lens or phone setting, a small bounce card, spare bulbs and a lint roller cover most needs. Skip drones and gimbals for kitchens. A clean cloth and window cleaner will improve more images than any new piece of gear.

Can the two approaches be combined?

Many remodelers hire a photographer for the signature jobs of a season and shoot everything else themselves, using the professional frames as a style reference. Over time the in house photos start to resemble the professional ones, and the website gallery keeps a steady look while new projects appear through the year.