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Top Ten Picture Tips for Making Every
Picture Count!
Great pictures of the interiors of the home is so important in
this digital age where home buyers are ONLINE shopping for homes and no
longer going door to door. Most people do not put enough time
and energy into these photos but consider them more of an
afterthought which is great because that means that those who do
will compete easily in slowing market. In today's slowing housing economy having a
beautifully, professionally staged home is critical in order to
compete. Having enticing photos of the home online for buyers
to find is imperative!
Here are just a few picture taking pointers to remember when
taking those "After" or interior shots:
- Go For Volume - With digital cameras, you can never
have enough photos so feel free to snap away! Plant
yourself in every corner of the room and take the shot.
Don't simply stand there and shoot, get low or high (on stairs
or chair) in order to produce a more interesting picture that
draws the buyers eye.
- Turn On the Lights - Every light in the room must be
on and your blinds or drapes should be open! Indoor light
has a photographic quality all it's own that adds warmth and
color which adds a rich effect that emotionally draws in a
buyer.
- Turn Off the Flash - Take a picture with a flash but
ALWAYS take one without the flash which will usually be your
inevitable first choice shot. Why? Because the flash
adds a hard light quality whereas removing the flash forces your
camera to draw in as much natural and artificial light adding a
warm, comfortable glow to the shot which buyers can respond to.
REMEMBER - You must have a steady hand otherwise there will be
blur. A photographers trick is to steady your arms against
your body, specifically, pushing your upper arms into your chest
as you shoot. At the same time, spread your legs wide so
as to have a tripod effect. Another trick is to lean
against a wall or door frame to steady your shot.
- Always Review Every Shot - Digital cameras allow us
to review the shot in the viewfinder after it has been taken so
make sure you do this. A camera sees quite differently
than us! We are taught to be extra critical of what the
camera sees so many times you will catch things in the picture
that you wouldn't have noticed otherwise ie bed sheet sticking
out, cluttered counter top or faulty wall hanging.
- Go Green - Savvy Realtors know that the trick to
taking a great back yard shot is to shoot from behind some
greenery back at the house at the far corner of the yard.
This not only produces an interesting angle of the entire yard
but many times adds a fringe of green leaf/plant in the edge of
the shot as to give the viewer a sense of peering in from behind
foliage.
- Don't Center Everything - Create interest by
positioning focal points to the left or right rather than
center.
- Shoot for Magic Hours - An hour or two after the sun
rises and before it sets is when the light is it's softest,
warmest and most flattering.
- Avoid Backlighting - Make sure the light from windows
is coming from the side or behind you to avoid glare. This
tip is critical and most often the one we see people not
following on Realtor.com!
- Shoot From Different Vantage Points - Squat low or
climb the stairs to take a variety of shots from different
angles...it's digital so shoot away!
- It's In The Details - Look at every detail and
photograph some of the emotional connection points in each room
to "zoom" in on staging effects.
- Touch It Up - Use a photo optimizer like Adobe
Photoshop to put the finishing touches on your photos. (see
my friend Craigs tips on this)
We hope these time tested tips were helpful to you! If you
would like to add to this list
email us.
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