Commercial photographer in Palm Beach, FLPhotographs Made With Permission First
Epic Wolf is a West Palm Beach agency that plans, directs and produces commercial photography for businesses in the Town of Palm Beach: shops and galleries on Worth Avenue, hotels and restaurants, advisory firms and the charities that fill the season. We work through vetted photographers, and every shoot starts with permission, because the Town requires a Council-approved permit for commercial photography on its streets, sidewalks, parks and beaches.
Photography in Palm Beach
Most towns treat a still camera as harmless. Palm Beach does not. The Town's filming ordinance defines a camera as any device used to produce motion pictures, commercials, still photography or any other photography, and it requires a permit from the Town Council before a shoot uses Town property, affects it or calls on Town services. A model posed on a Worth Avenue sidewalk is a permit question before it is a creative one.
Homes are stricter still. The zoning code for the residential districts lists film-making and magazine feature photography among the commercial uses prohibited on residential property, and the filming ordinance says it offers no permit path around that. So the island's commercial pictures are made where commerce is allowed: inside the shop, the gallery, the dining room, the hotel suite and the office, with the owner's written consent.
That constraint suits the place. Palm Beach clients expect to be asked before they are photographed, and a brand here is read up close, in a window, on an invitation and on a magazine page. We plan the shot list around what can be made on private commercial property, book the photographer whose eye fits the subject and deliver a library the brand can draw on for the whole season.
On the ground
What to know about photography in Palm Beach
- Stills count as filming
The Town's code defines filming operations as the activities needed to create still, live or motion pictures for any print or electronic media, and names still photography and aerial devices in its definition of a camera. Anyone conducting them on Town property, affecting it or requiring Town services must first obtain a filming permit from the Town Council.
Source: Town Code Sec. 22-127
- The exemptions are narrow
Personal or family pictures are exempt only when the session lasts no longer than one hour including setup, involves no more than 15 people and uses hand-held cameras with at most one tripod. Students and faculty shooting for education and news media covering ongoing news events are exempt too. A commercial shoot fits none of these.
Source: Town Code Sec. 22-152
- Residences
The filming ordinance states that it does not create a permitting scheme for commercial filming operations in private residential buildings in the Town's residential zoning districts, because those uses are prohibited there by the zoning code. Confirm with the Town's planning staff before scheduling any commercial shoot at a home.
Source: Town Code Sec. 22-126
- Landmarks as settings
The Town says it protects more than 328 landmark properties, sites and vistas under its Historic Preservation Ordinance. The designation covers the building. Access for a shoot still belongs to the owner, and it should be granted in writing.
Source: Town of Palm Beach: Planning, Zoning and Development Review
- The society calendar
Each week from October through April, Palm Beach Society gives its cover to one charitable organization, its event and the venue. Event pictures meant for the social pages have to be planned against that schedule and delivered the way each publication asks.
- Who owns the pictures
The U.S. Copyright Office says the author of a work is ordinarily the person who created it. A commissioned work is made for hire only if it falls within the categories the Copyright Act lists and both parties sign a written agreement saying so. Usage rights for a shoot belong in the contract, reviewed by an attorney where the stakes are high.
Source: U.S. Copyright Office Circular 30: Works Made for Hire
How we run it in Palm Beach
Clear each frame
We sort the shot list by where the camera stands: private commercial property, Town property or a residence. The first needs the owner's signature. The second needs the Town Council. The third usually comes off the list or moves indoors to a showroom, a hotel or a club that agrees to host it.
Ask everyone in the picture
Staff, clients, guests and neighbors sign a release or stay out of frame. On the island that is manners as much as paperwork, and it is the reason a brand can keep using its photographs for years without an awkward phone call.
Shoot once for the season
One well-planned day with the right photographer produces the storefront, the product, the people and the details, cropped for the website, print, press and social. The files arrive named, organized and licensed in writing for the uses the brand actually needs.
What it includes
Brand photography
A planned set of images of your people, place and work that gives every page and post the same look.
Headshots and team portraits
Consistent portraits for partners and staff, lit and framed alike so the team page reads as one firm.
Architectural and interior photography
Buildings, residences, offices and dining rooms photographed for builders, designers, brokers and owners.
Product photography
Clean catalog shots and styled scenes for ecommerce listings, menus, packaging and print.
Event and gala photography
Coverage of openings, benefits and client events with a shot list built for press and sponsors.
Aerial and drone photography
Property, site and waterfront views from the air, flown by an FAA-certified remote pilot on every job.
Food and hospitality photography
Dishes, rooms and service moments for restaurants, clubs and hotels, shot around real operating hours.
Finished image library
Selected and retouched files, sized for web, social and print, with usage terms stated in writing.
Send us the address and the shot list.
We will tell you which frames need only the owner's consent, which need the Town Council and how we would schedule the shoot around both.
Questions
Photography in Palm Beach questions answered
Yes, whenever the shoot uses Town property. The Town of Palm Beach requires a filming permit from the Town Council for filming operations on its streets, sidewalks, parks, beaches and other public places, and its definition includes still photography. A shoot that stays on private commercial property with the owner's consent, and neither affects Town property nor needs Town services, falls outside that requirement as written. Confirm the details with the Town Clerk.
Generally not in the Town's residential districts. The filming ordinance says it creates no permit process for commercial filming operations in private residential buildings there, because the zoning code prohibits those uses, and the zoning text names film-making and magazine feature photography. Speak with the Town's planning staff before planning anything at a residence. Many brands move the scene to a showroom, a hotel or another commercial setting instead.
Yes, with the host's permission and a plan for the guests' privacy. We agree in advance who may be photographed, how names are collected and where the pictures can run. Palm Beach Illustrated says it does not accept or return unsolicited photos, so coverage is pitched by query first. The Town's charitable solicitation permit also asks for a board resolution stating the event's location and date, which fixes the shoot date early.
Yes, but ask the Association first and expect a permit question. The Worth Avenue Association runs recurring events that include Wednesday historical walking tours, a Christmas tree lighting, a pet parade and costume contest in March and a Spring Bunny Stroll in April. They take place on public sidewalks, which are Town property, so pictures made for a company's own marketing can fall under the filming permit.
The photographer usually does, unless the contract says otherwise. The U.S. Copyright Office explains that the author is ordinarily the person who created the work, and that a commissioned work counts as made for hire only in listed categories and with a signed written agreement. We put the license or the transfer in writing before the shoot, so the brand knows exactly where and how long it can use each image.
Keep reading
More for Palm Beach businesses
- Filming and Photo Permits in Palm Beach CountyWhen a commercial photo or video shoot needs a permit in Palm Beach County, who issues it, how the Town of Palm Beach differs and how far ahead to apply.
- Planning a Brand Photo or Video Shoot in Palm Beach CountyHow to plan a brand photo or video shoot in Palm Beach County: the shot list, locations and permits, releases, image rights, weather and a checklist.
- How to Market a Palm Beach Business Without Looking LoudMarketing on the island of Palm Beach: what buyers respond to, the channels that fit, Town sign and storefront approvals, the season and a checklist.
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