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Take Pictures that Sell Houses

I went to a Real Estate Photography Seminar about how to take pictures that sell houses. I learned that by spending another five extra minutes per shot I could get 5 times better pictures and sell more real estate.

How to use the Natural Light in a shot and not to use Flash!

How to create a “Moment” in a shot that will have viewers want to notice, stop and draw viewers in to want to check out the rest! Put the Buyer in the Shot by adding a Human Element!

How to make each picture convey THE MOST that it can- Be all you can you be- INFORMATION!

Make the viewer WANT WHAT YOU'RE SHOWING IN THE PHOTO- INSPIRATION!

Take the shot so that the viewers SEE THEMSELVES in the picture- INVITATION!

Use your ZOOM to see the whole picture.

Level the Camera- the lines of the building should be parallel with the sides of the Camera!

Remove Clutter, stage your pictures if you have to and Focus your camera!

Take some shots at sunrise or sunset when lighting is better!

Practice, Practice and more Practice!

Steve White is the Owner/ Webmaster of SDW Realty of Cape Cod.com website and agent of Ocean Blue Realty, LLC of Falmouth. He has over 30 years of Administrative, Military, Computer and Web Experience. He has lived on Cape Cod since 1974 relocating from Medford Ma near Boston. He is a full-time realtor working with both buyers and sellers. He has earned his E-Pro Internet Professional and ABR Accredited Buyer Representative Designations. He has actively participated and blogged on Active Rain since February of 2008. He is an active member of the Cape & Islands Association of Realtors CCIAOR, National Association of Realtors NAR, and the Massachusetts Association of Realtors MAR.

Posted by Stephen D White, E-Pro, ABR Cape Cod Realtor® on 09/15/2008 08:26 PM

Comments (48)

Photography in the Online Marketing Channel

real estate photography, digital cameras, homes, houses, property

Post is included in group: Online Marketing Help Center
Post is included in group: Photography

48 Comments on Take Pictures that Sell Houses

SEP

2008

Stephen, great tips. I know with the Flip camera I need to keep a steady hand, with the digital I try to take my time and take several shots and pick the best. Thanks for sharing .

De cluttering and staging pictures is a smart thig to do. The better your pictures look the better your home will sell

Hi Stephen - I envy you - I desperately need that course!!! I hope to take my first photgraphy course soon. Haven't seen any specifically for real estate and I think that is great targeting.

I believe in pictures, it makes such a big difference

Thanks for the great tips. Sometimes it's common sense but we get rushed and forget to take our time and get a really great pic. The pictures are what draw the buyers to your listing instead of another. And I want my listings to get all the showings I can!

I couldn't agree more that good photos help sell homes. I not only try to capture the best features of the home but do a little editing in camera raw using CS3. It helps to assure the exposure is right and ad enhanced features to the image. I think we should all have a photo class or something. Who in the world uses the phone as a camera when taking photos for a listing. I have seen some pretty bad listing photos.

Appreciate the ideas. I know there are some pics I should have taken more time on. In this market taking your time and doing it right is your best bet!

it is amazing how many bad photos you see in the mls. I can't stand the photos where you have to guess what it is of.

I have a trusty digital camera (Panasonic Lumix FX01 - using Leica lens) that I've had since it first came out in 2006. And it provides all kinds of options on shooting in natural light, cloudy or sunny days, warm or cool tones, etc.

Point #1 for me should be to learn how to use the camera. But like most people, I just want to point and shoot. After all, that's the reason to get a PHD camera (push here, dummy).

In time, I learned how to shoot better pictures --- and that brings me to point #2: take a lot of pictures! All professionals take hundreds of pictures to get a few really good ones.

Point #3. Learn to edit, crop, adjust contrast, color, brightness. Bu right clicking on the picture, opening with Microsoft Picture Manager gives me the basic tools for editing. I don't need to learn Photoshop.

Point #4. Learn how to use the Photo stictching software that most digital cameras today have --- it's such a blas to watch this in action. If you don't have one, here's a site that provides a free download

Somewhere, I picked up a tip on how to make sure your pictures are even when you take multiple shots to create a panoramic scene. Tie a string around the camera. At the other end of that string, tie a washer, a stick, anything you can step on. Then put the camera to your eye level and step on that stick at the end of the string. Move your camera, shot to shot keeping that string taut. You'll find that your pictures are going to be pretty much at the same level. The poor man's version of a tripod.

Point #5. Always seek ideas from others. You're bound to pick up a tip or two.

thank you all for sharing and your great tips!

I love taking pictures & working them into a presentation. That's the one, really fun part, to me, about listing a home. Thanks for the post.

Too fun! These are great tips. About a week ago I had a staircase I could not get straight, then I realized, "Do I really need a pix of this staircase??"...love the level comments, they hit close to home.

Yes thanks for your comments Dawn. Why put in pics of stairs in a listing? nobody likes to climb stairs do they? I think they could be an instant turn off?!

SEP

2008

Great info thanks for shaging it in the Photography group!

I would love some of the agents to read this -- those that DONT include photos of the property at all! Or those who should be fired by their clients because they photos that are terrible!

Great photo advice! Thanks for reminding me to turn the flash off as often as possible. I spend tons of time taking and "staging" my pictures. It is totally worth it!

Staging your pictures is key!!! :)

SEP

2008

thanks for all of your comments!

SEP

2008

Great advice. I am working on ePro but haven't completed the online as of yet...couple more days. This summer got away from me but I am working on it now that family is back in NY and I have more time. I just like playing around with computers. How about you? ePro?

Yes Samantha I am an E-Pro. My background is in computers having been A+ trained and studied some HTML courses in web design as well. Good luck with finishing your E-Pro course!

Sorry guys - I have to chime in.

A couple of comments: First off, pros do take a lot of pictures, BUT, they are not random and in most cases, every single image on a pro card would be better than anything most realtors crank out on a glossy flyer.
So, take a lot of pictures, but try to think of it this way: This one, is the ONLY chance I have to get it right. That does not mean you can't experiment with lighting and such, just don't go around and shoot a lot of pictures for the heck of it.

Every pro I have ever met, uses a log of some sort, it can be a small note pad, or something more substantial. The point is, record the image specification (RAW format cameras does a lot of this for you, check your data in bridge). When you look at an image, you can then see what motivated you to shoot it, was it the great windows, the granite or maybe the excellent staging - what are you trying to show the viewer?

Level camera? Ah, now there's a thought for you.
Should I say something? Hmm... Tough one...
Can I just say one thing? TRIPOD - oh - yeah and GET ONE TODAY!!!
I don't care what camera you use, but if you are standing on one leg and shaking the thing around, there will only be images, well, let's just say, they should not be on glossy flyers...

Going back to the original post. I concur, it would be great if there were more classes offered, this might even be something to offer at the local board, would you go?

Ok, so you want to know why I say anything... Well, I started out with a pin hole camera, use a matchbox, a piece of film and some black tape. Insert film in dark bag. Find your awesome shot of the day, setup your matchbox, remove tape (time for correct exposure)... Finally develop the great master piece.
Alas, I have since played with medium format, countless SLR's and dSLR's, lots of lenses and such good things.

Please enjoy your image making, and please invest even a few dollars in a tripod (hey, a few more bucks will get you a level built in, might just come in handy)...

I am an ardent photographer and that's what I want to be when I grow up. So, I do take time to spur my creativity in my real estate photos. I think it's so much fun.

SEP

2008

Great info Stephen.... Those tips can be your main checklist for better photos along with practice, practice, practice.... Keep up the great work.

thanks for all of your comments!

Hi Steve White,

Thanks for the post. We do all that you have suggested then we spend some time in PhotoShop to take out lens distortion, crop the shot, level the shot and brighten shadows.

Stop by, visit and talk story at our office on the Big Island of Hawaii!

John Petrella, REALTOR®
ABR®, GRI, Broker/Owner

Direct: 808.640.3953
Local@LocalHawaiiRealEstate.com

Local Hawaii Real Estate
Honesty • Integrity • Commitment

159 Keawe St., Suite 1
Hilo, HI 96720

REALTOR® is a federally registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is Member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

SEP

2008

thanks for the invitation John I would love to go to Hawaii someday. Must be beautiful!

Hi Stephen - Having good photos is certainly very important. I would say I take a decent shot. I am sure a pro could do a lot better but I get by.

Hi Steve,

I took a similar class and I'm still going to use a photographer but now I know how to put together a shot list so that I get exactly the pictures I want.

SEP

2008

thanks for reading my post and your comments Bill & Susan!

SEP

2008

You got some great tips from the seminar.Thanks for sharing.

Hi Stephen, I missed this post the other day. Sounds like a very worthwhile course. Practice is the key to good photography. I would also recommend reading up on good composition using the "Rule of Thirds". If you haven done so, it will change your photography dramatically. Good Post!

thanks for your comments Gita & Michael

From my photggrahpy experience, interior shots are best done at dusk or dawn or on extremely cloudy days. This way, the sun does not blaze in and change the exposure. And yes, natural lighting without a flash is best.

I also like to sit on the floor and get a shot when the hardwood floors are a great feature. It adds an interesting angle and really shows off the floors.

Dave Culbertson, Broker/owner, Real Living Home Team, Mount Vernon, OH

Good job Stephen,

When I shoot interior shots and virtual tours, I really like to do it near sunset or even after, or just before dawn, or at least when there's no chance the bright sunlight will be blazing in, throwing off the exposure. I always try to use existing light for a natural look and avoid the flash at all costs.

Another thing I like to do, if there's a nice hardwood floor or other quality, interesting floor, is take a shot of the room while sitting on the floor. This accentuates the floor and gives a different angle and looks interesting.

Dave Culbertson, Real Living Home Team, Mount Vernon, OH

SEP

2008

Thanks Steve, these are good tips. Photoshop Elements saves the day whenever I have to use flash, but you're absolutely right that it's best not to complicate with flash for real estate photos. Not too many sellers want me in their house at dawn though :-)

BTW, is there a tripod you recommend. I have a Nikon D40

SEP

2008

I need to work on improving my camera skills. I think mine are a lot better than some I see, but there is always room for improvement.

OCT

2008

Hi Stephen,

I absolutely LOVE your photos!!! You learned many new photo strategies, and it shows...

My question is how did you get all of them on the blog. I was under the impression that you could only get one photo at a time on your blog. Let me know the technique for that. These are GREAT PHOTOS!!!

;>)

OCT

2008

Ann-Marie are you referring to my background photos that you now see when you go to my blog?

OCT

2008

Ann-Marie I found that I could make a collage of photos like I did on my background for my blog on AR at http://www.picnik.com check it out

NOV

2008

I will give it a try, thanks for the tips

thanks for your comments

NOV

2008

Will you share the name of the seminar? I am interested in attending a seminar for real estate photography.

Mindy & Jay this course was taught by a local photographer who does local real estate photography. thanks for your comments and good luck!

NOV

2008

I learned photography way back in junior high when I was on the newspaper staff and the yearbook staff. What I learned then is still relevant today, and you've captures many of them in your post, especially the last one: "practice, practice, practice." Some good photo-editing software -- Corel Paint, Photoshop, and Corel Draw -- can also come in very handy at times.

thanks for your comments Russel

DEC

De-clutter whats that ? LOL I wish some sellers knew. Thanks for the tips but what did they say about lighting?

Agents have to many times help out their sellers with decluttering and lighting to ready their house for sale if not taking on larger projects. Thanks for your comment PJ!

DEC

A bowl of fruit, some fresh flowers, a bottle of wine can really jazz up a photo by adding color, especially in a white kitchen. Also decorative place settings do wonders. I am amazed how bad most realtor photos are. Sometimes you just can't fix ugly but we can help.

Very True Johnathan your tips were also part of the photography course- along with a small fire in a Fireplace, using overhead recessed lights to brighten up a kitchen, always to shoot a bathroom with the toilet seat down!, a bowl of fruit on a kitchen table wiht a place setting, a bottle of wine and a glass to give the viewers a feeling that a memory or a special moment could be created in this property for them!

Most realtors just dont take the time to setup better lighting, decluttering and working their photos for the "Best Shot!"

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