The Case for Wide Angle Photography in Real Estate Marketing

The Case for Wide Angle Photography in Real Estate Marketing

You wouldn't think there would be any argument that wide-angle photos are an important tool in marketing homes for sale.  But there are still real estate agents out there who don't use it, or who don't understand its value.

I read several comments on an ActiveRain blog about ten days ago that described wide-angle property photos as "unrealistic", "misleading" and "unfair". 

There's nothing misleading or unrealistic about using wide angle photos to portray a home.  Human beings see the world with the ability to employ their peripheral vision to view and organize the world in a broad, spatial sense. And humans (unless they suffer from tunnel vision) have a nearly 180-degree field of view. We don't see the world in frames.

People also perceive the world around them, for the most part, in a 3:2 aspect ratio (a horizontal rectangle), since our field of view is broader horizontally than vertically.  A 3:2 aspect ratio is identical to what you see in a 35mm film frame.  Of course, our vision doesn't stop at 3:2, but our primary visual perception is a horizontal rectangle, since our binocular vision is more wide than vertical.

Anything which helps the viewer to take in a broader, more natural view of a scene is good. Whether that scene is an outdoor landscape or a living room view, most people looking at architectural or real estate photos want an overall impression of the setting and its surroundings.

Unless a photo is deliberately distorted in order to make the subject appear wider than it truly is, there's no harm in offering the public a wide-angle view of a room or a full-screen shot of a home's exterior.

If you think it's "unfair" that other agents are using wide-angle photography and you feel left out, there's a simple solution. You'll find lots of camera equipment on eBay, Amazon and Craiglist that is reasonably priced. Some of it is used, some remanufactured, but there are real deals out there if you shop wisely.  And if you're looking for affordable wide-angle lenses for a DSLR, take a look at the Adorama website.  Search for so-called "grey market" lenses if you want or need to save some serious money.