One of the most important and often overlooked shots in Real estate photography is the exterior photograph of the property. This is the picture that everyone is going to see first and will decide if the potential buyer will click on this property. You want to spend the time to make this picture stand out and be the best it can be without making it look too tacky. There are many ways to do this and make a simple picture look great;
- Make sure that the shot is in focus.
- Make sure you can see the entire house in the picture.
- Make sure the vertical lines are straight. If they are not, fix in photoshop.
- Add features like a wet driveway (as shown in the article picture)
- If it is cloudy or overcast, replace the sky with either a plain blue with some clouds or a mild attention grabber.
- If the house has exterior lighting that will compliment the house at dusk, then take a true twilight picture.
- Make sure the sun exposure is good and that there are no harsh shadows.
A simple picture done well will gain far more attention then one that is over edited and it will help show your professionalism as a photographer. So next is a list of DO NOT’s that will take your photograph from good to a 0.
- DO NOT do fake twilights. Some photographers think it will make their picture stand out, and it will, but not in a good way! They look cheap with the gold windows and still having shadows on the house or ground from the sun.
- DO NOT replace the cloudy sky with an unrealistic sky. It looks fake and people aren’t buying it. You might as well photoshop the house being on the moon.
- DO NOT photoshop in or out any features of the house or property. The real estate board has rules about pictures and advertising and you can get the agent in trouble with the board and your reputation will be shot. We had one local photographer advertising that he can photoshop in grass and eliminate unsightly roof antennas and such. but when the snow melts and there is no grass where the picture said there was, both the agent and the photographer are in trouble.
If you apply these tips you will have better real estate pictures. The better your pictures, the more views it gets and the better your agent looks. Other agents also browse the MLS for new listings and if your pictures are better than the rest, they will be phoning you for their next listing. If you have any questions about this post visit the contact page and send me a message or comment below