Media for properties that never close
Photos, aerials, video, tours and labelled site views for leasing, sales and hospitality marketing, shot around the people who use the property every day.
A commercial shoot is a small operation
A house listing is shot when the owners step out. A shopping centre, an office park, a hotel or a winery is never empty. Tenants, guests, staff, delivery trucks and the public are on site, the parking lot is full at the wrong time, and the property manager has rules about where you can stand and what you can film. The media is only as good as the plan for working around all of that.
The audience is different too. A leasing broker wants a labelled aerial that shows access, parking, neighbouring anchors and the highway. An investor wants the whole asset and its condition. A hotel wants guests to picture themselves on the patio. A winery wants the rows, the tasting room and the view at the right moment in the season. Each needs a different shot list from the same property, often mixing aerial video, twilight and a 3D tour.
What each kind of property usually needs
| Property | Key shots | Planning notes |
|---|---|---|
| Office and industrial | Labelled aerial with access and parking; loading; typical suite interiors; building exterior | Shoot on a quiet day for empty lots, or a busy one to show activity; truck courts need a safety briefing |
| Retail and mixed-use | Aerial context with anchors and traffic routes; storefront frontage; vacancies | Signage and tenant brands appear in frame; the property manager should confirm what may be shown |
| Multifamily | Building and grounds; amenity spaces; a typical unit; neighbourhood context | Residents must be notified; avoid windows and balconies with people |
| Hotels and resorts | Twilight exteriors; rooms; pool, spa and restaurant; aerial setting | Guests are present; schedule around check-in, events and quiet hours |
| Wineries, golf and marinas | Aerials of the land and water; seasonal views; the venue | Timing follows the season; marinas can sit near water aerodromes and controlled airspace |
| Venues and event spaces | Room setups; 3D tour for planners; exterior and parking | Capture between events with the space dressed |
Where commercial shoots fail
Nobody told the tenants
A drone appears over a busy parking lot and a tenant calls security, or a store manager objects to their staff being filmed.
Too many people for the drone rules
The distance a drone must keep from uninvolved people depends on the pilot certificate and the aircraft. A crowded site can make some shots impossible on the day.
Airspace near a harbour or airport
Many waterfront and highway sites are near aerodromes, heliports or water aerodromes.
The lease area in the brochure is wrong
Rentable area is quoted from an old document with no method stated.
Who needs what from whom
Property manager
- They need from you
- No disruption, no complaints, and a record of what was filmed.
- You need from them
- Site rules, a contact on the day, roof or parking access, and notice to tenants.
- On the DroneLink record
- Site rules and notices are stored in the project with the flight record.
Leasing or sales broker
- They need from you
- Labelled aerials, suite photos and tours on a marketing deadline.
- You need from them
- The labels, vacancy list, and suite access.
- On the DroneLink record
- Review and approve images with pinned comments; see review and approve.
Hotel or venue marketing team
- They need from you
- Images that feel like the guest experience, without identifiable guests who have not agreed.
- You need from them
- Staff or models, dressed spaces, and a schedule around operations.
- On the DroneLink record
- Shot list and model releases kept with the order.
Owner or asset manager
- They need from you
- A consistent record across a portfolio, year after year.
- You need from them
- A list of properties and priorities.
- On the DroneLink record
- One project per property, so each shoot builds on the last.
Municipality or park authority
- They need from you
- Permission requests for take-off from public land where required.
- You need from them
- Their answer before the shoot.
- On the DroneLink record
- Permits attached to the order.
How a commercial shoot is run
Scope
Agree the audience, the shot list, the labels for aerials, and whether the shoot also needs video, a tour or twilight.
Site plan
Take-off points, flight paths, areas to avoid, times of low activity, airspace, and any public land permissions.
Notify
Tenants, guests and staff are told through the manager. Signs on site for larger properties.
Capture
Aerials first while the lot is quiet, then exteriors, then interiors and suites, then twilight if booked.
Label and deliver
Aerials annotated with the property outline, access and neighbours you specify. Files by link to the project for the broker, the owner and the marketing team.
Media, mapping and inspection on one record
Commercial owners rarely need media alone. The same visit can capture a roof condition survey or a map of the parking lot for a repaving plan. Keeping the media, the roof inspection and any mapping in one project per property means the next person who needs an image finds it instead of paying for it twice. Our sister company BDM3d Studios uses aerial capture to place proposed buildings into real site views for developers; see BDM3d.
Questions
Do I need permission to fly a drone over a shopping centre?
You need the property owner's or manager's agreement to use their site, and you must follow the aviation rules on distance from people and airspace. A professional operator plans around busy hours and notifies tenants through the manager.
Can a drone fly over hotel guests?
Flying over or close to people is restricted and depends on the pilot certificate and the aircraft. In practice, flights are scheduled for quiet times and paths are planned away from pools, patios and entrances when guests are present.
Can you add labels and property lines to commercial aerial photos?
Yes. Outlines, access routes, neighbouring businesses and distances can be added from information you provide. Lines on marketing images are approximate and are not a survey.
What is the best time of year to photograph a winery or golf course?
When the land looks the way guests will experience it: vines in leaf, fairways green, the patio open. On Vancouver Island that usually means late spring to early autumn, with harvest giving a different look.
Can drones be used near a marina or harbour?
Often, but many harbours are near water aerodromes, heliports or controlled airspace. The pilot checks and requests any authorization before the shoot; see preparing a site for a flight.
Do I need model releases for people in commercial photos?
If identifiable people appear in advertising, get their written consent. It is simpler to use staff or models who have agreed, and to frame around guests.
Can the same shoot include a roof inspection?
Often yes, if it is planned as part of the order. Inspection needs different shots and sometimes different sensors, so say so when you book.
Keep reading
Tell us about your site.
An address and what you need is enough to start. We reply with what it will take and when we can fly.