The first professional photographs of a building usually aren't the best ones. Construction is just finishing up and landscaping is not in but marketing materials are needed, leasing has begun, or a social media campaign needs photos. This placeholder photography serves its purpose—but it shouldn't necessarily become the images that represent the property for years to come. The building and its landscape haven't reached their full potential.
The UMass Memorial New Inpatient Building shown below illustrates my point. The project was wrapping up in winter but we needed immediate photos for marketing, so we shot the building as it was. Compare the difference to a year later.
Even a few months can make a difference. Initial "placeholder" images are valuable, and can often be pretty good, but they shouldn't represent the property forever. A great example is the Framingham Logan Express Garage expansion. Here the immediate-need photos were replaced in the spring - and what a difference.
With new buildings, not too long after construction wraps, things have changed. In just a season the landscaping has been installed, and all remnants of construction are long gone. A few years later, trees have matured, landscaping has filled in, and gardens add color. The architecture hasn't changed, but the property has a different feel, and your photographs can now tell a much richer story.
That's why revisiting a property can be one of the smartest marketing investments a building owner, architect, developer, or property manager can make.
In my experience, patience pays off. It pays to go back and show properties after the environment has evolved and matured. The finished setting complements the architecture and creates images that are more inviting, more memorable, and simply more effective. The building is now in the environment the architect originally envisioned, and it makes a difference.
If it's been several years since your building was photographed, it may be worth taking another look. You may discover that the property has quietly become far more photogenic than the day it opened—and that a fresh set of images can breathe new life into your website, marketing materials, proposals, annual reports, and social media.
If you have a newer building and are still using placeholder photos, or pictures from year one, give me a call and let's schedule updated photography to let your building shine.