Hiring a 360° photographer
A 360° photographer shoots every room of your venue in a visit. They can give you the photos, build the tour and hand it over, or build it in your own account. Here is what each way needs, what to ask before you book, and how to get your venue ready.
In short
A 360° photographer takes one photo from the middle of each space with a 360° camera and joins and corrects them. Then they give you the finished photos to upload, build the tour in their own account and hand it over, or build it in yours. You find one near you in Hire a Creator, contact them directly and agree the price with them; Panoramr’s hosting is separate, from £36 a year, in a Vault of up to 36 photos.
- Where to find one
- Hire a Creator, searchable by town
- Their fee
- Agreed with them; Panoramr takes no commission
- What you get
- The 360° photos, or a finished tour in your account
- Hosting
- From £36 a year, in a Vault of up to 36 photos
Three ways to work together
Agree which one before you book: it decides who builds the tour, whose account it is in and who pays to host it.
- 1
They give you the photos
The photographer shoots and sends you the finished 360° photos. You upload them, link the rooms and design the tour yourself. It is yours from the start.
What you need
- A free Panoramr account to build it
- The photos as 2:1 JPEGs, one per spot, level and named by room
- An hour or two to link the rooms and design it
- To share it with your customers: a Vault for one or two tours, or the Pro or Agency plan for a restaurant chain
- 2
They build it, then hand it over
The photographer builds the whole tour in their own account and offers it to your email address. You look round it first, then take it over with a Vault and it moves into your account. Or they keep hosting it for you, with you on it to look or edit.
What you need
- Your email address, to look at it and take it over
- To take it over, hosting from £36 a year, in a Vault of up to 36 photos
- An agreement on who pays to host it, and for how long
- 3
They build it in your account
You make the tour with a first photo, then invite the photographer to it from its Settings. They upload the rest of the photos and build the tour inside your account. Only you publish it, choose its hosting and invite anyone else.
What you need
- A free Panoramr account to build it, and your photographer’s email address
- Room in your account: their photos count against it (250 panoramas on the Free plan)
- To share it with your customers: a Vault for one or two tours, or the Pro or Agency plan for a restaurant chain
Which way suits you
| They give you the photos | They hand it over | In your account | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who builds the tour | You | The photographer | The photographer |
| Whose account it is made in | Yours | Theirs | Yours |
| Whose account it ends in | Yours | Yours, or theirs if they keep hosting it | Yours |
| Who pays to host it | You | You, with a Vault, or they do while they keep hosting it | You |
| What you need | A free account and the photos | An email address | A free account |
| Best when | You want to build it and keep it up to date yourself | You want a finished tour and no work | You want it yours from day one, with nothing to hand over |
Building the tour is free whichever way you choose. Sharing it with your customers takes hosting: see below.
Sharing it with your customers
Building the tour is free. To share it with your customers, host it without Panoramr’s branding: a Vault for each tour if you have one or two, or a plan for a restaurant chain or a group of venues.
Vault 36
Suggested£36 a year
For one or two tours: a Vault hosts one tour of up to 36 photos, so a second venue takes a second Vault. Pay once for one, three or five years, or yearly until you stop. You need no plan.
- No Panoramr branding: no start screen and no logo
- Your own design in any theme, Pro themes included
- Your logo and words on the patch over the tripod
- Private, by link only, or listed on Explore
Pro
£99 a year
For a restaurant chain or a group of venues: hosts 250 photos at once with no Panoramr branding, shared by all your tours, on one bill.
- Upload up to 1,000 panoramas
- Host up to 250 panoramas with no Panoramr branding
- Every Pro theme on your tours
- Your tour in other languages, with a switch for visitors
- Download your tour as a ZIP, in your own design
- Your own branding, private or published
- Hand a tour over to your client
Agency
£360 a year or £36 a month
For a bigger chain: hosts 360 photos at once with no Panoramr branding, shared by all your tours.
- Upload up to 3,600 panoramas
- Host up to 360 panoramas with no Panoramr branding
- Every Pro theme on your tours
- Your tour in other languages, with a switch for visitors
- Download your tour as a ZIP, in your own design
- Your own branding, private or published
- Hand a tour over to your client
A large chain or group? Enterprise is arranged with you: talk to us through the contact page.
What a 360° photographer does
- 1
Plans the shots
Walks the venue with you and agrees where to stand: each room, the entrance, the ways between them, the outside.
- 2
Shoots in one visit
One press per spot with a 360° camera on a tripod, usually in a morning or an afternoon, out of sight of the camera.
- 3
Edits the photos
Joins each shot into a 360° photo, levels it, evens out the light from the windows and hides what should not show.
- 4
Builds the tour, if you ask
Links the rooms, adds notes, a floor plan and your branding, and designs it to match your website.
- 5
Delivers it your way
Sends you the photos, hands the finished tour over, or builds it in your own account, as you agreed before the visit.
- 6
Comes back after a refit
Reshoots the rooms that changed. Replace a photo in the tour and its hotspots and links stay.
- Can I see tours you have made of venues like mine?
- How many spots will you shoot, and is the outside included?
- Which way do you work: photos, a tour handed over, or building in my account?
- Can you send the photos as 2:1 JPEGs, named by room?
- Who pays for hosting, and for how long?
- Can I use the photos elsewhere: my website, social media, listings?
- How long until I have the finished tour?
- What does a reshoot of one room cost after a refit?
- Will you add my logo, floor plan and booking link?
- What should my staff and I do on the day?
Getting the venue ready
The camera sees everything, all the way round. A tidy, bright room photographs best.
- Turn every light on, and open the blinds and curtains
- Open the doors between the rooms you want linked
- Clear desks, counters and floors of everyday clutter
- Hide cables, bins, cleaning kit and paperwork
- Make beds and lay tables as guests would find them
- Move cars away from the entrance if you can
- Keep staff and guests out of shot, or ask their permission
- Have your logo and floor plan ready to send
Questions
How much does a 360° photographer cost?
Each photographer sets their own price, usually by the number of spots or by the visit. Panoramr takes no commission. Hosting the finished tour without branding is separate: from £36 a year, in a Vault of up to 36 photos.
How do I contact a photographer?
Open their card in Hire a Creator and click Contact, which emails them, or visit their website from their creator page.
Are the photographers checked by Panoramr?
No. Anyone can list themselves. Look at the tours on their card and their creator page, and ask for venues like yours.
Can the photographer work in my account?
Yes. Sign up, make a tour with a first photo, open its Settings and invite them as an Admin under Project Collaborators. They upload the rest of the photos and build the tour in your account; only you can publish it, host it or invite anyone else.
Who owns the tour?
Whoever’s account it is in. A tour you build from the photos, or one your photographer builds in your account, is yours from the start. One built in their account is theirs until they hand it over: you take it over with a Vault, with your own renewals.
Do I need a paid plan?
Not to build the tour: an account is free. To share it with your customers, yes: a Vault for each tour if you have one or two (hosting from £36 a year, in a Vault of up to 36 photos), or the Pro or Agency plan for a restaurant chain or a group of venues.
Can I take the photos myself instead?
Yes. With a 360° camera on a tripod, one press takes a whole room. The camera page explains which cameras work and how to shoot.
Other ways to start
I have a 360° camera
Which cameras work, how to take the photos and turn them into 360° photos.
From your camera to a tourI have the photos
Upload them, design the tour, put it online and share it.
From your photos to a tour
Find your photographer
Search Hire a Creator by your town, look at their tours, and contact them directly.