I agree .... well said!!

This is so important as investors we buy properties to JV with people, of course numbers are important but everyone likes a beautiful house. Pictures tell everything or nothing about the house.

nice pictures. i contract out to a company that does 15 stills, virtual tour, floorplan measurements all for 99.00. to me, it saves time and frustration.

Good pictures. I will read the post again and see if I can learn to  improve my pictures.

Great tips for taking pictures.  I always try to take an inventory of that photo before I take it, trying to make sure I get the best photo possible.

Great post and an area I needt much improvement on.

Sandy you have been bookmarked and given a 5. When we become business people we must assess our strengths and weaknesses. A weakness of mine is photography skills. Up until recently what I have been saying is, "I can't." So my choice was to pay someone else to do this for me. Now, I'm saying, "I'm getting better, I'm learning, I can do basic photograpy." And of course with help from the AR folks like you I may someday look back and say, "I don't know why I thought I couldn't do that."

What a well put post.  Thank-you for clearly stating what should be always put in action by the professionals in this field.

: )

Very nicely done.

Sandy,

You make it look so easy. I like the picture with the frame around it and the one with the edges faded. If you don't mind me asking, how exactly do you create that look?

Thanks for your help.

Sandy,

Thanks for the inspiration and great examples of doing it right.  I'm headed back to yesterday's staging to do it better. 

Great tips thank you.  I couldn't believe today when I was searching the MLS for a client that I actually found a photo that was obviously taken by the agent who didn't care, and it had a full garbage pail-yuk! and one of the rooms was so cluttered I couldn't make it out and there was half a person in the picture.  Now does that agent really think those pictures are going to help sell that property?  I for one, won't be showing it to my client-it was gross!  Thanks again for the tips.

Sandy - thanks for the very good photography tips. I provide a CD of post-staging photos to all my Realtor clients to use for marketing the home, so taking good photos is a must. I use a Nikon D-40 and am very happy with the quality of the photos.

Another tip - Take lots more photos than you think you will need, from every conceivable angle, with and without flash, blinds open and blinds closed, etc. Digital photos are free until you print them out, so taking a lot won't break the bank, but it will give a large number of photos to choose that perfect shot.

Thanks for the information Sandy.  As I've said many times, I suck at photography.  Recently I've begun using a 35mm and a digital, taking the same picture twice.  Sometimes the 35mm actually comes out better than the digital, but I'm not seeing what the lens is seeing and thats my problem.  I need a professional photographer to follow me around!

Great post Sandy! 

Sandy - Does the MLS have any "rules" on pictures?  You did a great job with this!

Thanks for the great tips Sandy.  You're so right about photographing rooms from the corners to get those interesting angles, which results in much better photos.

Sandy - Great tips.  I love focusing on architectural details and the frames look great!

You should post this in the Photography group we could use some fresh ideas. 

Great tips! and thanks for the post.  Even as a stager, I need good photos. 

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Douglas, $99 is a good deal for professional photography services.

Christine, I use use the Printshop and  Microsoft Digital Image Suite, but there are lots of photo editing software out there. The programs provide a menu of effects, such as framing, fading, filtering etc... You just click on the effect you want and it gets applied to your photo. If you don't like it, you don't have to save it. But caution! Once you start playing around with it can get addicting.

Michelle, the tip about taking an excess of pictures is good.

Maureen, I didn't even realize there was a photography group on AR. I'll have to check it out.

Sandy - The photography group is one of my favorite groups on AR.  

Great photo tips - I am always working on my skills and just got a Kodak v570 to play with.  However, my daughters photos are really good and she loves the special effects tools.

Simply said and points well made!

thanks for the post in the staging group!

I rarely rate posts...but this one gets a five from me.  Thanks for the tips.

Photos are key.  I just heard an interesting tip the other day when shooting dusk shots with all the lights in the house and outside the house on.  It makes a great effect to wet down the driveway to reflect light.

Thank you that was some really good information. I've been messing around with photo's for a while now, I don't have the adope photoshop, which programs do you all recommend... keeping in mind price! ;)

Great photography is something I have been so concerned with. I take two cameras on a job, and my staging partner has her own, so we can make sure to get really great shots. The other nice thing that this new skill has afforded me, is getting pictures of really great shots around the Pacific Northwest! Thanks for the pointers, I enjoyed your post!

I'm glad my post struck a chord. Good photos are key to good marketing. I loved the tip about the wet driveway when taking evening pictures with the homes lights on.

I like to to work with Microsoft Digital Image, because it is fairly intuitive. I didn't need to read volumes in tutorials.

Thanks again for all the great comments.

Thank you, That is what I've been using because it came on my laptop. I was wondering if I should invest in something with more options, but I think I'll be okay with the Microsoft digital Image for now!

I just caught the tip on wetting the driveway.  That is a great one.  I have seen many people actually using a paint sealant on their driveway and walkways to have this effect.

Great information.  Thanks for the post.

Great info.  I am finally getting the hang of better pictures.  Frames look great.  What software do you use for the frames?  I don't think I have the "fade out" one.

Janice,

I used Microsoft Digital Image version 10. The frames are under the "effects" button. I hope this helps.

Sandy

I love your use of different photos to illustrate the point. I now have put up some detail photos as well instead of just doing purely the whole room view.

Cheers,

Cindy 

Great advice- you should teach a class!  Another of my favorites is the photo of the toilet with the toilet seat up.  Not sure how this will sell your listing.  Common sense, I guess.   

I am unsure about photoshopping photos to erase the unwanted objects- some of my clients are very observant of this type of thing.

My favorite listing photo:

I use Photoshop to edit my pictures. "Picture worth a thousand words"

Sandy-

Thanks for the pointers.  I'm always looking to imporve my shots.  The AR Photography blog is a favorite of mine too.

Great post! Very helpful.

Thanks.

Sandy - thank you for the tips! I like the part about the 'unique perspective'!

Yvonne, Thanks for checking out this article and good luck with your interior photos.

Sandy

Sandy,

Great tips.  I must say, you've had a lot of posts recently.  Are you sure you had a holiday? : )

I love the thought behind this.  It speaks to putting forth your best effort.  Lazy-agent-syndrome gives us all a bad name.  If an agent cares enough to put a fine point on photos, chances are they are watching other business carefully as well.

See my post: http://../284011/We-did-it-We

Joy Canova

Joy,

I just got back from Leavenworth, where I spent my Thanksgiving holiday. Our vacation cottage had no Internet, which was a welcome break. Thanks for your response to my post. I tried to follow your link, but it didn't work.

Have a good weekend.

Sandy

It bears repeating.  The photo is today's drive by and essential to our marketing efforts for our listed homes.  Thanks for the tips.  And a stager that takes and gives me the photos, oh so valuable to me.

Terrylynn:-)   Realtor

Terrylynn, Most Stagers take before and after pictures for their portfolio anyway. They might as well furnish the Realtor with the "after" photos.

Sandy