What does an architectural photographer cost?

What are the factors?

Photographic qualification & professional experience
As in other sectors, the professional experience and qualifications of an architectural photographer are particularly important criteria. If the architectural photographer has completed a creative, photographic study programme, this often indicates a high quality of work. Basic design rules, as well as the technical handling of equipment and photographic theory, are taught both during training and during studies. In addition, young photographers gain practical experience in many projects during their studies, which optimally prepares them for their professional life. As a client, you can therefore rely directly on the fact that the architectural photographer knows what they are doing. With increasing professional experience, the wealth of experience increases and even larger projects and challenges are no obstacle. In the end, this expertise and confidence are also reflected in the pricing.
 
The location
Another decisive point is the costs incurred by the architectural photographer. If he is located in a large urban catchment area such as Frankfurt am Main, Cologne or Düsseldorf, he will have to pay higher rents for his location. If, on the other hand, the architectural photographer is located in a rural catchment area, the rent is less important.
 
The right equipment
Much more important, however, is the equipment that the architectural photographer brings along for professional architectural photography. To create professional architectural photographs, a high-resolution camera and a variety of lenses are required. As a rule, a professional architectural photographer primarily uses a selection of special tilt-shift lenses. Thanks to their larger image circle, these special lenses are suitable for adjusting the image section and avoiding converging lines. However, this exclusive equipment also has its price. On average, an architectural photographer can expect to invest between €15,000 and €20,000 in order to practise their profession at the highest level. For special camera models with particularly high resolution, such as PhaseOne or Hasselblad, the acquisition costs for the camera body alone are higher.

calculation of a daily rate
I call these factors hard factors that determine the daily rate of an architectural photographer. Without special equipment, this is usually between €1,000 and €3,000. In addition, there are editing fees per image, possible travel costs and licence fees for exclusive or special types of use, as well as additional services such as drone photography.
 
 
Soft factors: requirements & challenges
As mentioned at the beginning, your requirements for the photos also play a decisive role. Your requirements and wishes set the time frame for photographing your project. For example, if it is a large project with extensive interior and exterior shots, we will need more than one day to create the images. The same applies if you have a wide range of perspectives that cannot be photographed in one day. Elaborate retouching can also lead to higher costs. As you can see, time plays a central role. For this reason, it is not possible to offer architectural photography at a fixed price. Architecture, as well as architectural photography, are individual products that require individual consideration and calculation.

The key points summarised

The price of an architectural photographer is made up of the rate per day, the editing fees, as well as any licence fees and special services such as drone photography. The daily rate of a professional architectural photographer ranges from €1,000 to €3,000. The editing fee per image is between €50 and €80. Additional rights of use are calculated on the basis of the daily rate and depend on the scope of use.

An alternative for saving costs

Cost Sharing

The right price model for every customer
It's true that professional architectural photography has its price. But it also reflects the value of your building and the architectural design. For this reason, the price models listed are primarily aimed at architects and building owners who want comprehensive documentation of their project. For other professionals involved in the project, hiring an architectural photographer is rarely worthwhile due to the costs involved. For trades such as façade builders, furniture manufacturers, interior decorators, manufacturers of floors, lamps and many more, it is usually suitable to licence individual images.
 
concept of cost sharing
However, if you as a participating party also want to access the entire pool of images, we offer you the concept of cost sharing. Here, the parties join forces and the price is then divided by the sum of the participating parties. There is only a small fee for the additional image usage rights. Here is a numerical example to better illustrate this:

Example calculation cost sharing

The architect hires the architectural photographer for a daily rate of € 1,000 plus image processing of € 1,000. The façade constructor would also have to pay these costs if he were to hire the architectural photographer himself. With cost sharing, a licence fee of €500 would be added to the €2,000. This covers the additional image usage rights and corresponds to 50% of the daily rate. The total sum of €2,500 would then be divided equally between both parties, so that each party would only bear €1,250. A win-win solution for all parties involved, allowing maximum flexibility in the selection and use of the images.

Conclusion

After a lot of figures, one important fact remains: the price of high-quality architectural photography is just as complex as the design of an impressive building. The price depends on the requirements and especially on the time and requires an individual project-related calculation. With this in mind: I look forward to receiving your project enquiry!