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The value of photography

The person that said, " A picture is worth a thousand words," must have been a realtor. At least they should have been. The one thing that people want when they investigate your listing is lots of pictures. I hate when I go to a listing that has a single photo. People that are attempting to make decisions about their future home want and need to see what it looks like. We live in an age of digital imagery, so there should be no problem with taking lots of photos. More is definitely better. You don't need to spend a fortune on a good camera, but it does help to get the widest angle lens possible for those interior shots. One note of caution, however; stay away from fisheye lenses, unless you want all you images to look like they were taken through the bottom of a soft drink bottle (do they still put soft drinks in bottles?) The key word to look for is "rectilinear" lenses. On a single lens reflex camera (SLR), the lens of choice should be between 15mm and 20mm. You can certainly buy a wider angle than this, but you better stop by the bank first. Ask to take some test shots with the lens first to see how much distortion you will be getting from the lens. There will be a natural tendency for vertical elements to lean in toward the center of the image, but this is a small price to pay to get a much wider view of a beautiful room. Oh by the way, if you can afford a flash that will bounce the light off the ceiling...your photos will make your clients think you hired a professional just to take pictures of their home.

Posted by John Knauf on 11/23/2007 10:28 PM

Comments (6)

harrisonburg, virginia, homes, real estate, rockingham county, photography, houses, remax

6 Comments on The value of photography

John,

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm also not a big fan of the one photo listing. It drives me crazy to see the photos where the room's almost completely dark because they took a picture of the window. The amzing thing is that those photos actually get posted on the MLS. It's laziness.

I appreciate the info about the lenses as well. I had no idea, but I'll have to look into it. I want my photos to look as professional as possible.

11/23/2007 10:38 PM

by Andrew Trevino Wilkes-Barre Homes For Sale (TradeMark Realtors Group)

Flash bouncing from the ceiling, should it be used with the built-in flash, or instead. Also heard the suggestion to wrap the flash with coffee filter for softer image. What would you suggest?

Another question is abut taking pictures from the room, when you want the outside been visible.

We often make pictures from the room and I need the ocean to be visible, and tis is tough. I got some results using this +/- compensator, rolling it -1. Do you have a better siggestion?

Thank you

11/23/2007 10:49 PM

by Jon Zolsky (FunCoast Realty LLC)

You are so right. Photos are so important.

11/23/2007 10:58 PM

by Bob & Carolin Benjamin - E Phoenix Arizona Real Estate (The Benjamin Team - Keller Williams Integrity First Realty )

John, all I can say is amen!

11/23/2007 11:21 PM

by Tony & Darcy Cannon - The C Team (ERA Realty Center)

I agree with you for the most part. One picture is better than no pictures. If agents would put themselves in the clients shoes- what does lack of pictures mean? Is the house/property that awful or does the agent does not care enough to buy a camera? I look forward to more of your posts.

11/23/2007 11:34 PM

by Sondra Meyer (United Country Brazos Valley Realty)

The built-in flash will not work for bouncing the light off the ceiling or an adjacent wall. You will need to purchase a separate flash unit, but you must be sure to get one in which the flash head has the ability to swivel upward toward the ceiling. When the light hits the ceiling, the light is scattered and thus softened significantly and the light is spread by the surface of the ceiling to give broader distribution of the light. Coffee filters is a new one for me, but I think it will probably work for softening the light. Pretty much anything will soften the light and a coffee filter would allow the light to pass through and diffuse it as it does. You just need to make sure that it does not restrict too much of the light. If you are planning to sell homes for a living, invest in a good camera and flash. Then learn to use it in a way that will make your clients happy. Photographers are fairly generous about helping others learn to use their equipment. Go to a good camera shop (one that sells to the pros) and you can find plenty of folks to help you. If you are buying online, there is only one place to go in my humble opinion- B&H.

11/24/2007 07:24 AM

by John Knauf (RE/MAX Allegiance Realty Partners)

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