Architectural photography that does justice to the design.

A full day on site is standard for a single project, and there is a good reason for that length. Architecture reads completely differently as the light moves, so we shoot the same building across early-morning, midday and late-afternoon light to capture each space when it is at its strongest — a courtyard that is flat at noon can be the hero frame at 4pm. A twilight add-on runs a further 60 to 90 minutes after sunset, capturing the building in the short window where the sky still holds colour and the interior lighting becomes the lead. Larger commissions naturally need more time: multi-building developments, campuses or projects with extensive landscaping may run 2 to 3 days, which we scope and quote up front so there are no surprises mid-shoot.

Yes — the deliverables are produced to publication standard precisely so they hold up for awards and press. Files are supplied CMYK-ready for print, perspective-corrected so vertical lines stay vertical with no keystone distortion, and put through a full retouching pass that removes cables, plug points, reflections and stray cords rather than just applying a Lightroom preset. Every commission is supplied with an intellectual-property licence suitable for SAIA and CIfA awards entries, magazine and press features, competition submissions and your practice portfolio. If a specific publication or awards body has particular file specifications — resolution, colour profile, crop ratio or caption credit format — let us know in the brief and we will deliver to that spec directly so nothing needs reworking before submission.

The two services have different goals, and that shapes everything from time on site to post-production. Real estate photography is built to sell or rent a property quickly: bright, even, welcoming, listing-friendly images, captured efficiently and delivered within 24 hours so an agent can launch the next day. Architectural photography instead documents the design itself at publication standard — it is slower and more considered, with deliberate attention to material, form, proportion, light and detail, often shot across a full day to catch each space in its best light. The retouching pass is significantly heavier, and the deliverables are made for portfolios, awards and press rather than property portals. Many clients commission both: real estate photography to sell the unit, architectural photography to represent the design properly afterwards.

Yes. Interiors are usually shot through the midday hours when interior light is most stable, while exteriors are captured before and after sunset when the building's form and the sky are at their best. Interior/exterior blends — frames where you can see both a styled room and the view or landscape beyond it correctly exposed — are captured with long exposures during the dawn or dusk window, when ambient light inside and outside is balanced enough to hold both. Planning the day around the light is exactly why a full-day commission is the standard scope.

For full-day commissions we recommend 2 to 3 weeks notice, which gives time for a site recce on larger projects and lets us schedule the shoot for the best light and weather. Twilight slots fill faster because each evening only offers one usable window — during peak season from October to April, book those about a month ahead.

Yes — DV Media commissions architectural photography across South Africa. Within roughly a 100km radius of our home metros, travel is generally included in the project quote. Beyond that radius, travel is quoted per project with clear line items covering time, transport and accommodation where an overnight stay is required, so the figure you approve is the figure you pay.