The idiom, “it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission” is bunk. Trying to get away with shooting on a property without an OK is not smart business.
The situation
Recently a designer that I have really wanted to work with called me up with a job of producing a couple of photos. The first was her client with an office building as a soft-focus background. The second was of the client with his road bike. Sound simple, doesn’t it?
All that had to be done was to set up in front of a building make the headshot and move on to a park for the bike photo. Shooting the guy with his bike at a public park was not the problem. Shooting on private property was a very different story.
Location scout
A few days before the session, I scouted locations on Google Earth. This is a huge time saver. If you haven’t used it to narrow down locations, give it a go. It’s worth it.
Once I found a building near my studio, I drove over to see where I could stage the photos. The building was perfect. I discovered that the grounds would be perfect for the bike photo too. I went inside looking for the security desk.
Permission
I introduced myself to Officer Bebee and gave her my business card. I explained what the project was and asked permission to use the building’s exterior and grounds. She gave me the building owner’s name and phone number. I would have to get their permission.
In the parking lot, I called and of course, it went to voicemail. I explained what I wanted and asked for approval saying I would provide a certificate of insurance also known as a COI.
About an hour and a half later, I got a call from the property manager. She said she was very impressed that I would ask permission. She said that photographers assumed they could do commercial work on private property just because they were “photographers.” She told me that once she received my certificate of insurance (COI), she would tell Officer Bebee that my client and I were welcome to shoot there.
COI
I emailed my insurance company’s commercial lines specialist requesting the certificate. Two minutes later, I got a copy of it and another email from the building’s property manager granting me permission to make my pictures there. Permission granted! The shoot was on!
Photo day
My client and I drove into the parking area of the building as Officer Bebee was making her rounds. I rolled my car window down and said hello. She smiled back and wished me a good shoot.
I finished both series of photos in less than an hour using a battery-powered 400 watt-second portable electronic flash. Several people working in the building walked by us as I was working. The entry was right by the security desk. I am sure that some of them asked about the photoshoot going on.
There is no way that my client and I could have done the photos without security finding out right away. Had we not had permission, there is no doubt we would have been told to leave. Possibly the police might have been called. Imagine the embarrassment my client would have felt if we had been run off. The designer I had worked hard to get my first project with her would not be happy either.
Permission is good business
Once I had the go-ahead to use the building as a location, I emailed the designer and our client with the address of the location. The designer commented that she was impressed that I had gone “the extra mile” to assure the success of the photography.
I have to think that there is a real problem when a solid business practice — getting permission to use a location — is going the extra mile. It is not. It is part of the job. I proved my credibility with the new designer by behaving professionally.
Being a professional photographer is more than knowing how to use good cameras and lighting gear. It is having the necessary insurance that gets us access to commercial, privately-owned spaces. Property managers appreciate professionals who ask their permission a few days in advance of a shoot. With the right insurance, the COI that proves the photographer is covered, property managers are likely to grant the all-clear.
The point to know is that people get really upset when a photographer shows up to do a shoot unannounced and without permission. Photographers who behave this way make photography harder for all of us.
So get permission and skip the forgiveness begging. Who knows, you just might get thanked for asking as I was.
The other benefit to asking first is that when you establish a good relationship you’ve created more opportunities to use that location. That could offer more opportunities for your business and, possibly, aid the building owner/manager in maintaining a 100% capacity in that building.