Why is it important to take great property photos?
Good quality property photos deliver a critical first impression for a buyer this could leave a deal dead in the water or have the buyer scrambling to purchase it.
With the majority of property searches both commercial and residential being done online, great photos are the way to engage with more buyers and generate more leads on your property listings.
It’s key to make sure that photos are accurate to the property and area, give a great overview of the property and making their not so good looking features look great.
Here are some tips on how to capture great property photos.
Weather
It’s ok to shoot interiors with your own lighting set-ups when the weather is not playing ball outside, capturing the exteriors will always look better when the weather is good and there are some but not many clouds in the sky.
Remember you’re selling not only the property but the views and neighbourhood which surrounds it.. A rainy first impression will only go one way!
Set the scene
Before anyone takes any photo’s the property must be clean and tidy with as little clutter as possible.
For smaller properties this may be the case of a handful of rooms but for larger properties, this takes much more time and organisation ahead of time.
There is nothing worse than having to ask a vendor for a second trip round to capture missed photos and features.
A shot list will make sure you don’t forget anything generally look for kitchens, lounges, bathrooms, common areas, outside spaces and bedrooms.
Staging some of the rooms will help a room look lived in and how the current layout works this could include adding artwork and accessories, a lit fire in a living room or a set-up snooker table.
If the property has outdoor spaces its always useful to check if the windows are clean and garden furniture is in good condition.
Shut all the garage doors and move any clutter out of shot to best present the properties elevations.
If exterior shots are important to market the property, windows should be clean and outdoor lighting should be checked.
Sometimes properties are located in cities or nearby areas so incorporate people and objects to give the viewer a feel of where the property is.
Lighting internal property photos
It’s rare that two buildings are the same in appearance and position, checking what time of day the property looks best in will save you added trips if the hero shot (main photo) is shaded by the roof or neighbouring buildings.
The kind of light can also impact the photos, generally, golden hours (before sunrise and after sunset) gives a good glow to exterior photos.
If the building has good exterior lights it can be a good time to capture something a little different.
On light, bright days photos are punchy and crisp with a blue sky in the background. The sun at its highest (around midday) is great for capturing these photos.
This works really well when a building is already bright in appearance and has its own bright colours.
Using natural light to take interior photos is a good way to light the room, the orange glow which tends to be given off by artificial light means a lot of white balance correction in post to match it up with the exteriors.
Expert tips
Getting your composition (bringing all the elements of the photo into one : Light, the subject, surroundings and movement) is essential for any good photo.
Making sure that the property is well lit and taking the photo from the right angle will help. If your starting pop the grid lines of your camera on as a good place to start.
Make sure all your verticle lines be it windows, door frames or walls always appear vertical if they are off it makes the whole image look a little distorted or somewhat leaning tower of Pisa esc.
Using converging lines (taking a photo from a low angle will give you this) can distort the property however it can be used to add a more dramatic and imposing effect on your image.
There are often mirrors and windows which will give a reflection of you, the photographer in the background. Make sure to check mirrors and shiny accessories and take the photos from a different angle to avoid this.
Filters and special effects
Smartphones and new photo editing software make it easy to add filters and tweak photos as you go. Changing the light, adding a filter and enhancing the colours have never been easier but it’s easy to get carried away.
Filters often give a photo a tinted vision kind of look which can sometimes come across a little tacky so be careful how much you are adjusting these.
Remember you are enhancing the images its best not to change their appearance entirely!
Storage and organisation
High-quality images will be used on brochures and online, the photos taken are more than often quite large and you will need to put some processes in place to make sure they are saved and stored safely.
Losing a set of photos is not fun, make sure you download them from the SD card and save them to a couple of locations as soon as you can.
Learn more about our property photography services
Professional photography can help generate more views and engagement to your listings.
Larger properties with high values always have extra features to capture and also require a better visual experience than an ordinarily listing.
Professional photos can give clients a special treatment and sell their property, faster.
Here at The Media Straw, we offer bespoke property photography services which include stills from the air, from the ground, inside and out.
For more information click here: themediastraw.com/property-photography
