Real Estate Photography Tips
DSLR Mini Tutorial – How DSLR Cameras Work
05/14/2019
Home Staging Tips for Great Real Estate Photos
06/15/2019
Tips
You are selling your home! Whatever the reason for your move, the sooner you can sell your home, the better! There are some great real estate websites that offer wonderful first views of potential homes. Having been through the process fairly recently, I can say that those first photo impressions of your home are so important! I have revisited homes on various websites over and over, enjoying each photo while imagining my life there. I have also seen photos of houses that turned me off immediately and completely. Real estate photography tips that I’ll discuss in the blog will help you think about how you are taking photos and why it’s a good tip. Here are my real estate photography tips for you:
No iPhone Zone!
An easy real estate photography tip is to put away your iPhone. Don’t use it to take photos of your house. While the iPhone is invaluable in its accessibility (and even wonderful in its ability to produce some really high quality pictures) it is not going to be able to capture what a digital camera can or produce high quality images like a camera can. I don’t think it’s impossible to take a good photo with your phone; however, it will probably look like you took the photos with your phone and that is a disservice to your goal of selling your home.
Equipment to make things easier and professional looking.
Get a tripod.
Another easy real estate photography tip is to invest in a tripod. Nothing too fancy, although I think it would come in handy for all sorts of situations. It is quite difficult to take a really great photo using natural light without one. And natural light is best. You need to have the right equipment to allow the natural light to show in the photos. You also need to have an extremely steady hand to avoid blur. If you don’t have either of those things I would get a tripod, especially if you have a camera and are struggling with why your photos don’t look as illuminated as you feel it looks in real life.
Invest in a wide angle lens.
A wide angle lens allows your photo to communicate the depth and detail of the space you are photographing. To get the feel of a room to come through in a picture a wide-angle lens is almost a non-negotiable.
Invest in a simple DSLR camera.
This investment doesn’t have to be top of the line, or super fancy. Whether you go with a Nikon, Canon, or another brand, it will produce quality photos that can convey the loveliness of your home with high quality images. Please ask me any questions you may have about DSLR cameras, or refer to my last blog post about how DSLR cameras work.
Staging and DE-cluttering tips
Getting rid of the clutter, both obvious and not.
Some clutter is obvious, like mail on the table, children’s toys stuck here and there, un-shelved books, etc. Those items are easy to identify. Simply put them where they belong, throw them away or, at the very least, remove them from your camera’s sight. Things that are not so obvious could clutter up your room and make for an unintentionally messy looking photo. For example, is your fridge covered with children’s art, save the date postcards and magnets? If so, they could make the space look cluttered. When you take real estate photos you are presenting a space that will get a potential buyer’s pulse racing. Remove your magnets, art work, and personal reminders so that they do not distract from the space and so that someone else can imagine a life in that space.
Stage the home.
We hear this term for sure and see it on TV shows constantly. You have decorated and lived in your house the way you see fit. Staging offers a universal appeal for potential buyers, while highlighting your home’s strengths. The furniture arrangement, dinnerware placements and coffee table decor may not be practical for everyday life, but the purpose of staging is appeal. Play around with furniture, place settings, and your throw pillows while taking photos to see what looks best. If you are lost – don’t worry; there are many online resources that will help you with staging ideas.
Don’t forget to capitalize on natural light. Also, play around with where you are standing while taking the photo. Perspective is key and just a few steps to the left or right, forward and back, may give a more accurate feel of the space of the room.
Hire a Professional.
Hiring a professional can circumvent the need to get a new camera, tripod, or learn about photography. A good photographer has already invested in the equipment. He or she has put the time into the education and can get you the photos you need. As professionals, we have used our cameras enough to know where to stand to make the room shine and how to use the natural light coming from that gorgeous window. We are also not you and will be able to objectively point out clutter or maybe even move something to the other side of the room, etc. Professional photographers also have the know-how in editing to make the lighting in the picture just as it is when you are standing in the room.
If you have a large property or your landscaping is gorgeous consider hiring someone with a drone certification to get some great aerial shots of your property.
And there you have it – your real estate photography tips. I always welcome your comments and love to hear if you find these tips useful. And remember, to receive the monthly newsletter, you can sign up here. Good luck!
