How can a Virtual Tour help my business?

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When potential customers search for your business by name on Google, they will see the images displayed directly  at the top of the search results page. These panoramic images are published on Google+ Local pages, Google Maps and other Google properties and give customers a better sense of the layout, decor and beauty of your business interior. With easy-to-use html snippets or Maps APIs, you can also embed the tour into your own business’s website and Facebook page.

 

What will you do that I can’t do myself?

 

We have been recruited, trained, and certified by Google as Google Trusted Photographers. With over 30+ years of combined 360 degree photography and traditional photography experience, we have the ability to take our Google Tour Photography to a higher quality level. We are adept at taking exceptional tour photography with the ability and know how to accommodate for common challenges such as extremly low and bright lighting, mixed white balances and tight spaces. 

 

How can I coordinate a photo shoot?

 

Simple! Call or email us today and we'll get started: (404) 971-8434 • info@djaren.com

 

How long will the photo shoot take?

 

The amount of time varies, depending upon the size of a business and the amount of panoramic photography required. In most cases, a photo shoot will take between one and a half and two hours.

 

What do I need to do to prepare my business ahead of the photo shoot?

 

You are welcome to clean and tidy things up prior to the photography session, but remember that the aim of the virtual tour is to show customers what they would expect to see if they visited your business on a normal day. Please take the time to prepare your business before the photo shoot is scheduled.

 

Which areas of my business will be photographed?

 

Photo shoots will include the main customer-facing areas of your business. We will work with you to determine what areas of your businesses that you would like to highlight, or even exclude from the shoot. Once again, the goal of the photographs is to show customers what they would expect to see if they visited your business on a normal day.

 

Will the photo shoot disrupt my business operations?

 

We will work around your schedule to ensure that photos are taken at a convenient time for you and your business.

 

Will people be included in the photo shoot?

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Because Google wants to keep the focus of the photos on the inside of your business, we aim to have as few people in the shots as possible. As the business owner it would be your responsibility to notify your employees and customers that the photo shoot is taking place.

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What measures are in place to ensure privacy and legal compliance?

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Photo shoots will exclude any areas of your businesses which you would not like to feature. We will blur out faces of any employees or customers who appear in the imagery. At any time you may request additional blurring or a takedown of entire images through the Report a Problem link at either the bottom of the pano image, or within your Google business listing. In medical settings all HIPPA guidelines will be followed to ensure patient privacy. Due to HIPPA regulations no people can be present in a medical space when photographing.

 

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Who from my business can give legal permission for the photo shoot?

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You must have the proper authority to allow us access to the business premises to collect photographs and to subsequently allow Google to use those photographs in its products and services. People with this authority include the owner of the business or a director or manager with the designation to make those commitments on behalf of the business.

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Will Google be using the imagery in other applications besides my Google Business listing?

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Google may use these images in other products and services in new ways that will make your business information more useful and accessible to users. For example, further integration with Google Maps came online in June 2012 allowing customers to find these images easily from the 360-degree Street View imagery of nearby roads for many locations.

 

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Do I own the photographs that you take?

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We retain the copyright to the photos taken by us once you have paid for this service and the shoot is completed. Aside from reselling the images you will be licensed to use the images to promote your business in any way that you see fit. Keep in mind that we may also use the imagery as examples of work to promote our services.

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Can I blur the images or take down all panoramas from my business listing?

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Yes. To request blurring or a takedown of the tour click on the “Report a Problem” link on the specific images where you see issues and provide the requested information. Please note that the blurring/removal process is not immediate.

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Can I embed these images on my business website and/or Facebook pages?

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Yes, to get the most our of the Google Virtual Tour, we encourage you to share the walk-through experience of your business with your customers. To embed the 360-degree panoramas on your website, simply find the HTML snippet from a good point of view of the panoramic imagery on Google Maps, click on the “Link” button , click “customize and preview embedded map,” and then copy and paste the HTML to embed in your website. Click here to go to our step by step visual instruction guide for this procedure as well as our step by step visual instruction guide to learn how to embed the tour into Facebook.

 

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Can I have a repeat photo shoot?

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Yes, you are welcome to have a repeat shoot as often as you’d like. Many businesses who have recently renovated their interiors or that have seasonal decor, or would like to have the most up to date inventory featured will request a reshoot. We offer discounted pricing for repeat shoots if they happen within one year of the original shoot.

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Someone quoted me a price that is waaaaay less than you quoted me. Why?​

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The certification of what is a "Google Certified Photographer" is​ practically meaningless these days. It used to be that you had to pass quality control and take a written test to be certified. Now it is open to almost anyone with a 360 camera or a smartphone to claims to shoot panoramic images. Most low cost virtual tour providers are using an inexpensive and low quality "all-in-one" camera that in our opinion provides substandard quality. We shoot with real camera equipment and the results speak for themselves. We want to work with businesses that want to look their best, not just good enough! If you get a crazy low quote be sure that you look at sample images to inspect the quality of what you are buying. In most cases you will be buying a low-quality product from an all-in-one camera like a Ricoh Theta, Insta360 or similar, with blown out highlights, odd color casts due to different temperature lightbulbs and out of focus imagery -- all things that we take into consideration and correct for when we shoot your business. This person also likely will run through your business without a second thought to how it looks before they begin. Buyer beware! We provide an excellent quality product, the best in Atlanta we believe, for a fair price.

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Do you shoot ​virtual tours that are not on Google? Can I have a private virtual tour that isn't viewable to the general public/competitors?

 

Yes, we can create virtual tours that behave like the Google tours but are hosted elsewhere. Also we can add overly information that can give additional context to the virtual tour. See an example from Antarctica here.

 

Do you shoot ​Matterport?

 

Yes, although we don't love Matterport as it doesn't allow any way to edit the photos once they have been taken so with Matterport what you see is what you will get.

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Do you shoot ​do people photography?

 

Yes! Go take a look at our people photography at www.djaren.com

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What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

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What do you mean? An African or European swallow? Read a great answer to this age-old question here.