A Simple Way To Make Your Amateur Photography Look More Professional

It's All In The Way You Bounce It

I like to browse through the online photos of new listings to get an idea of how the homes in my area are being merchandised, and so often I see photos that are so dark and shadowy it's hard to get a real sense of what the home is like. The common problem of overly dark backgrounds or overly bright subjects can be easily (and fairly inexpensively) fixed by using external flash. Aim the flash upwards so that the light bounces off the ceiling and fills the room with reflected light. This will naturally brighten the subject and the background.

Put It To The Test

I recently purchased an external flash, and within minutes I was able to test it out and marvel at the wondrous results. I happened to be sitting at the kitchen table when I first attached the flash to my camera, so I snapped a photo of my dinner. WOW! Just to compare, I took the flash off and took the same picture using just the regular internal flash on my camera.

Let's Try Some More

I was so amazed and excited that I went down the hall to snap a photo of a room. In my excitement, I did not even "stage" the room, I just wanted to see the difference in how the photos came out with and without the external flash. It was after dark, so I turned on the lamps and positioned myself in the doorway. It occurred to me that these are the conditions that many Realtors face when they are taking their own pictures for their listings. Of the two photos, which one do you think would look better online?

I still have a lot to learn about photography, but I am much more pleased with the way my photos will show my work from now on!