Real Estate Photography – Showcase that Fireplace!

As a child, I can remember icy cold winter evenings laying on the family room floor watching television while warming my feet on the front edge of a wood burning fireplace. The mantle was lined with family Christmas photographs and there could not be too few marshmallows in my hot chocolate. Such wonderful memories in my childhood home will never be forgotten...

Very few features in a home can leave an impression as well as a fireplace. Fireplaces tend to be the main focus in family rooms and living rooms throughout the mid-western United States and are the perfect feature or upgrade in any home.

Important features should never go without being highlighted in real estate photographs and listings. Here are a few tips for getting that perfect fireplace photograph:

  – Make sure the fireplace is lit.

    The warm cozy feeling of a fireplace will be lost if the fireplace is not lit. While viewing photographs, the viewer’s eyes will be drawn to the dramatic highlights and colors created by a fire. Moreover, a cold dark hole where the fire should be will leave a fireplace photo uninspired and dull.

  – Make the fire glow.

    In all cases, photographs do not just take themselves. A good fireplace photograph will need a long exposure in order to catch dramatic dancing flames. In order to capture the photograph all in one shot, the use of strobes (multiple or single, depending upon the scenario) a longer exposure and high F-stop can create the perfect image.

   - The room and fireplace can be photographed separately.

Taking a completely separate exposure of the fireplace and placing it into a photograph of the room can result in a very dramatic photograph. This way you can get the perfect fireplace exposure separate from your exposure for the room. A simple Photoshop cut and paste or an HDR merge can help create the perfect photo in post production.

Next time you have a property with a fireplace, remember to showcase it in your listing! Good photography will make your listings look professional! Better listings = More Clients!

Read more blogs from Ian Haseltine and Haseltine-Photo:

What is most important in real estate photography?

Professional Real Estate Photographs - Making an Impression on a New Client

Are your real estate photographs the right color? - Getting white balance right

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