Showcasing the people that bring to life a Lakeville commercial property developer
I love getting to meet new people and experience different professions through photography; no two days are the same for me. So when I had the opportunity to propose my commercial photography services to Appro Development and Cerron Properties in Lakeville, MN, I was thrilled, especially when the company shared with me its vision for an image wish list.
The company was in the early stages of planning its new (and robust) website design and it had narrowed in its focus to the ideal visitor. Since the company often builds large, warehouse-style properties it can be challenging to create an approachable yet professional image that still appealed to its discerning customers. They wanted to show the grit of the real world scenarios the company thrives in on a daily basis as well as the personal touch they provide in all stages of commercial development — from site acquisition and building materials all the way to the final walk through for the happy customer.
With a personal interest in construction projects and the trades industries I was excited for the opportunity to help with this image library. I worked with Appro Development and Cerron Properties to highlight current projects with as little impact as possible to the work at hand. We partnered for several months so, in a few instances, I was actually able to experience several points of the construction process on the same project, including documenting the look of the finished building.
So what is an image library, exactly? It’s a collection of images created specifically to highlight the unique products and services a business provides to its customers. Often times, certain photos are made for a website or marketing campaign, but at the same time additional photos are gathered that can be archived and utilized at any time in the future to help tell a company’s story or to relay a call to action to its audience. With traditional stock photography, a company must license each individual photo for a specific use and time period, whereas Anthologie image libraries provide a multitude of photos for the client to use for several years.
By opting for an image library the client was able to showcase more than job site photography, including smaller vignettes where there were more opportunities to display emotions and relationship building. Throughout the process I adhered to a more documentary look to the photos with a natural color palette for flexibility of use across various marketing platforms and for greater longevity. In the end we ended up with hundreds of photos that can be implemented at any time, and best of all, they are completely unique to the client.
You can see some of the final images from this project in use on the new Appro Development website. Brian Johnson and the team at PageCrafter did a fantastic job of distilling a great amount of information and service offerings into a clean, easy-to-navigate website.
If you have your own custom work you’d like to document or if you’re just having a hard time finding stock photos that fit your specific business, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d truly enjoy learning more about what makes you and your business special. You may be surprised to discover an original image library is a great and affordable option for you.