Welcome to my first blog at Active Rain. I have been selling real estate in the metro Atlanta, GA area since 1988 and look forward to contributing to this fantastic community. I now exclusively serve Alpharetta and Johns Creek GA.

I enjoy photography as a hobby and will focus my initial blogs on the topic of how to make a home more appealing through quality photography.

According to the National Association of Realtors 80% of the public start their real estate search online.  With the huge inventory of homes on the market today it is critical that your photos make the home as appealing as possible. The reality is that you will loose showings if your photos are poor.

You do not have to become an expert at photography (I am not) but you can learn simple yet effective techniques to greatly improve your results.  If you do not want to do that then make sure you hire a qualified photographer.

I will be covering the following topics in the weeks ahead.

• How to choose the right equipment

• The best time of day to photograph

• How to prepare the home for photo day

• How to choose the proper perspective

• Why white balance is important

• Lighting and why it is the key to success

• Stitching photos for dramatic effect

• Using high dynamic range (HDR) techniques to go to the nest level

• How to obtain correct exposure

• Simple camera settings for quick improvements

• Specialized software that adds quality and impact

• Why to make a tripod your best new friend

• File management and color space

• Photoshop techniques that shine

• Links to great photography resources

• Create your own 360 degree tours

I am sure I will come up with more topics as I move ahead.  Please feel free to ask me questions or suggest topics you would like to see covered. 

I don’t pretend to know all and I will be learning as well as I cover the above topics.  I always strive to improve and hope you enjoy this journey to improved real estate photography.  Who knows you may even get hooked on photography like I did.

All the best,  Jeff