Photography Services

Photography for your business needs – the built environment

A wide range of external and internal architectural photography services in the UK.

Great photos that work for you…

Use our high resolution images to promote your practice,  support the planning process and document all stages of your project – from site investigation, visual impact assessment, through every step of the construction process to completion, showing the form and function of the finished building. Our photos can be used to show your buildings in use, for lighting surveys and to showcase interior installations.

Our aim is to provide you with photographs that tell your story, emphasise your design ethos and promote your services – from architectural and interior design to master planning, conservation, landscapes and detailing – with elevated viewpoints up to 8.5 metres.

We speak your language and understand your needs. Our photographer, Keith Cooper, is an affiliate member of RIBA and is an active member of the council of the Leicestershire and Rutland Society of Architects.

We’ve a guide to our fees on our main commercial photography site.

Your images can be supplied in a variety of styles and geometric projections.
If you need any help with additional image correction just ask for our free processing advice.

Architectural photography

Show your projects at their best, whether under construction or in use.

Our photographs can be taken at any time of day, occupied or not.

We work with clients to establish a style and look that fits your exact needs – with post processing tools that can recreate the look of large format film images at a fraction of the cost.

Your photos will be suitable not just for web and printed marketing materials but also as high quality decorative images – for your office or for conferences and events. We have our own in-house, bespoke fine art printing service and can produce images at any size you need up to 14 metres long.

We’re in Leicester, in the UK East Midlands (Northampton, Nottingham and Derby).

Based near to the centre of the UK, we cover the entire country – and also work internationally for companies with a UK presence.

Construction photography

Photography for the construction industry, civil engineers and developers with photos suitable for site surveys, works progress reports, marketing and promotion.

We will cover all aspects of your construction project, from initial site investigation and groundworks right through construction, handover and buildings in use.

Our principal photographer, Keith Cooper, has a background in surveying. We’re used to working on busy sites, putting safety first. Northlight Images only does commercial work and is fully covered by the appropriate insurance (with PLI cover up to £6 million).

Take better photographs for your practice

Architectural photography training for architects, architectural technologists, surveyors, marketing and PR professionals promoting architecture and architectural projects.

We know that you need to document the progress of your projects but perhaps your own shots aren’t quite up to the task when you want to make more use of them to promote your work?

Learn how to take and process better photographs of your buildings and projects and take the opportunity to showcase your work and expertise to a wider audience. Northlight Images’ architectural photographer, Keith Cooper, has a background as a university lecturer and public speaker. He’s happy passing on his technical expertise as an established professional architectural photographer to help you take better photos.

Are you interested in improving the photography for your practice? We’ve more details about our photography training services for architects on the main Northlight Images web site. Note that we offer special rates for smaller practices.

Our training is customised to just what you need, so why not give Keith a call on +44 (0)116 291 9092 and discuss what we can do for you?

Elevated mast photography

Professional photography services using an 8.5m high tripod mast – also known as low level aerial photography.

An alternative to drone photography, the mast allows us to take rectified shots using our standard lenses from a height that allows us to capture entire buildings, while avoiding ground level obstructions such a cars, fencing or crowds.

Mast (or pole) photography removes the need for expensive equipment such as cherry pickers and, as the camera is controlled from ground level, is safer for us as the operator as there’s no working at heights. It also means we’re able to get into much tighter spaces and when combined with our wide angle, tilt-shift lenses means we can often get a shot of a building in its entirety even from the narrowest of streets.

Heritage Architecture

Specialist heritage and conservation photography for architects, reconstruction and renovation companies and organisations that need images for conservation and restoration projects, where precise details require a accurate and permanent record.

We combine expert image capture with creative expertise, giving you photographs that can be used in technical and funding reports, as reference images for plans and drawings or reproduced for your portfolio, as promotional material or decorative fine art prints.

By using advanced technologies, specialist lenses, camera equipment and software we’re able to offer you a wider range of imaging options than traditional techniques. Our combination of creative photography and highly specialised technical skills mean we’re  able to give you images that leave even other photographers wondering just how we do it.

Post production work – to improve usability and add visual impact – is available on all our images. Rectified, high resolution files can be produced for import into CAD packages for stone identification. Specialist Photoshop image processing, such as localised contrast enhancement can be used, for example, to highlight cracks in stonework or show up defects in buildings.

There are some examples of rectified images in our blog, along with some aspects worth considering when planning for such work. We can elevate any of our equipment to ~8 metres if required for a view.

High resolution photography

High resolution, gigapixel, panoramic and spherical photography. Our cutting edge digital image capture techniques far exceed the capabilities of traditional film based large format photography.

If you still feel the need for large format film – give us a call and perhaps we can persuade you otherwise.

You can use our extremely detailed, high resolution images for web and print media – including large scale printing like billboards, building wraps and large fine art prints – and for panoramic and computer simulation backgrounds and visual impact assessment (VIA).

Our largest print to date is 14 metres long. Some of our high resolution panoramic Gigapixel (Gigapan) images have exceeded twenty gigabytes per file.

Our principal photographer Keith Cooper is a widely acknowledged expert in the camera technologies and specialised software needed to create such high resolution images and is always happy to offer help you with colour management, image correction and printing of his photographs.

There are some examples that you can pan and zoom on the High resolution photography page.

Verified View and AVR Photography

Northlight Images provides source photographs of views for creating verified views / AVRs.

The images we supply are taken from existing view points and are intended for import into view creation systems for the production of photo-realistic renderings and simulations.

Each Verified view/AVR source photograph is supplied with a full methodology and description of the equipment used for the image capture.

Your photos are created with specialised cameras and lenses and a range of post production software packages and techniques – including geometric correction, ultra wide angle images for Visually Verified Montages (VVM) and a range of geometric projections and adjustments.

Multiple image captures for stitching can be supplied using specialist lens mounts to avoid parallax errors and facilitate image use for photomontages and panoramic photography.

AVR source photographs are typically taken at a lens height of 1.6 metres and supplied at 50 megapixel resolution as 16 bit TIFF files (along with original camera files for traceability.

If necessary we can attend the location with your surveyor or, if needed, mark the camera position for subsequent survey work (paint or survey pins). Photographs of the location context are supplied for confirmation of the precise spot the camera was situated.

We are happy to liaise with local planning departments as needed and welcome the presence of planning officers if they wish to attend the shoot.

AVR photography can be combined with our standard architectural photography services, which cover site photography and construction.

Use an expert photographer

When you want a professional photographer for new homes, buildings, architectural or interior photography, give us a call…

As specialist commercial photographers, we work closely with architects, project managers, contractors and agencies to ensure our images are always supplied to meet your needs, whether for web or print use.

Technical choices set the mood for the entire image – remember that your photos have a job to do, and emotional impact can be an important part of that.

“Not all your photos need to be a precise record of a built structure
– your practice sells far more than that”

Technical expertise does make a difference

The latest technology – specialist lenses, camera equipment and software – allow us to produce a much larger variety of creative options and views.

Our combination of creative photographic ability and technical skills produce images that leave other general purpose photographers wondering just how we made them.

Our principal photographer, Keith Cooper, regularly tests new professional photographic and print equipment from major manufacturers before it is available to purchase, meaning we’re often ahead of the game when offering new services to our clients. He’s written many detailed articles and reviews related to photography.

Commissioning architectural photography

We work for you and your input is vital. How your site is presented for the shoot and the style of photography you need makes a big difference to the kinds of photos we create.

To ensure we know everything about you, your practice and the project and so you know what you can do to help us get you the photographs you need, we’ve put together a short guide: Advice for commissioning architectural photography

Good photos work for your business

“Remember, poor images harm first impressions and turn potential clients away…
… this will cost you real money”

Great photos make a difference

“Good relevant photos can help move the would-be client into thinking about
-how- they will work with you, not -if- they could work with you”