How a home looks when you post it on a website will make or break the interest for that listing. Here are some tips from professional architectural photographers on how to show your home's best face to buyers:
- Always use a tripod.
- Take interior photos at twilight when the light coming through windows better matches the interior levels.
- If a room is empty, bring in a prop like a chair to give it a sense of scale.
- Outside, keep the sun behind you, shining on the face of the home. If the main entry is always in the shade (on the north face), shoot it on a partly cloudy day to lower the contrast.
- For empty houses, try to capture rooms that are together, like a master bedroom and bathroom, to add interest to the image.
- Keep the camera straight and level. Tilting it makes side walls appear slanted.
- Don't get too close to objects with a wide lens. This will create distortion, especially with rounded objects.
- Use props such as fruit, drinks, magazines and towels. This will make the space look as if someone was just there.
- Get dynamic angles by shooting low or with something in the foreground.
- You don't always have to shoot the entire room; keep the composition balanced. A vase, chair or object in the foreground gives more depth to the shot.
- Turn on as many lights as possible, and fill in dark areas with work lights.
- Draw blinds so they are horizontal and windows look transparent.
- Outside, remove garbage cans, cars, seasonal decorations, flags and plaques. Inside, put away toys and clothes on hooks.
- If there are heavy shadows from trees, shoot on an overcast day.
- Fluff the pillows, so you don't have an imprint of where people sat on the bed or sofa.
- Use odd numbers of accessories, like three or five, in different sizes. For instance, on a bedside table, put flowers, a few books and a small clock.
- Wait for shafts of sunlight to come through the window; they create a friendly mood.
- Move furniture so it doesn't hide architectural features like a fireplace.
- Each room looks best at a different time of day, so give yourself a day to take your pictures.
- Shoot two walls only, with a bit of floor and ceiling. Shooting three walls creates a shoebox effect.
- Turn all the lights on in the house, and shoot the exterior at dusk. It will look welcoming.
- Never photograph a house dead on, or when it's backlit by the sun.
- Take exterior pictures from a ladder, or the top of your car, especially if you are using a wide-angle lens.
- Compose photos so corners aren't in the center of the frame.
- Figure out where the sun rises and set, and shoot when the sun is 45 degrees from the angle you want to take the shot. If a façade faces north, shoot just before sunset or on a cloudy day.
- Don't use a wide angle lens in an interior shot. They make rooms look smaller.
- Turn off your camera's flash; it will make the most spectacular room look like a scary, semi-lit dungeon.
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