The things we are doing now will be here to stay

Last year marked two decades in the wedding industry for husband-and-wife photography duo Alan and Jackie Rankine of Rankine Photography, but the couple didn’t feel like celebrating.

The pair usually find themselves rushed off their feet during wedding season, instead, last year saw them shooting no weddings during summer and down 90% in revenue as all but one of their couples changed plans.

By mid-summer, it was clear they’d need to pivot the business and Alan started mulling over subjects to photograph that wouldn’t require human contact.

“I thought a lot of wedding venues would be sitting empty with couples unable to visit them, and hit upon the idea of 360-degree interior photography to allow people to take a virtual tour,” Alan explains.

Images taken with this style of photography allow the viewer to see a setting from every angle – similar to walking down a street on Google Maps.

Since learning how to capture 360-degree photographs, Alan has been commissioned by venues, retailers and property owners who want to invite people to wander around their premises from the comfort of their homes. He foresees this being a big part of his business even when weddings make a return.

“This photography will be part of our new normal,” he says. “We’re starting to realise that some things we did before weren’t entirely necessary – like couples who would visit 20 venues before choosing one.

“I’m hoping it might get to a point where not offering a virtual tour of your venue is like what not having a website used to be. People will wonder, ‘Why don’t you offer this? What have you got to hide?’”