1) Full Time Photographer – As a professional real estate photographer, I do this for living which means that you are paying for my years of experience and knowledge. Think you’ll save some money by shooting your brand-new listing with your Iphone that has such an amazing camera? Think again. The saying “it’s all about the light” couldn’t be truer than when photographing interior and exterior real estate photography. I combine utilizing ambient lighting conditions with both on-camera and off-camera flash before blending sometimes up to ten images in Photoshop to create a final image. In addition, the perceived value of you investing with a professional vs. taking photos with your cell phone camera will speak volumes to your home owners. Take advantage of this and let them know that by investing in professional photography they will see the return with a faster sale and on-average higher pricing.
2) Professional Experience – Which professional you use is just as important as simply hiring a “professional.”In my opinion there are two types of “professionals.” The first being one who takes your money but doesn’t take their time. They will rush through the property shooting as quickly as they can in order to get through to their next job. Good for them, bad for you. You’ve seen these images. Harsh, white shadows from their flash, windows “blown-out” so that you can’t see any of the exterior landscape. The second type of professional is one who utilizes additional professional lighting to really highlight a space. I am all about the light and what it can offer to a space. The blending process in post-processing is where the magic really happens. You will rarely ever see a shadow in one of my images that is the result of an on-camera flash. In my opinion that is the first thing that attracts my eye and takes away from the experience of imaging yourself in a space.
3) Matterport Photography Technology – Consider a professional who utilizes 3D Walkthrough technology and floorplans. I have been shooting with Matterport camera for three years. As one of the first photographers in the Boston area to embrace this technology I have dozens and dozens of property scans to offer as examples. It’s this technology that will blow your clients away with the immersive 3D technology which really is the future of real estate virtual tours. Attract buyers from all over the world who are able to virtually walk through your listing from afar.
4) Shooting the right angles – In addition to beautiful lighting composition is key when properly presenting a new listing property. A good photographer will know how to highlight a scene’s features focusing in on what’s most important. As a result of proper camera height, and the right angles to fill the frame, a professional real estate photographer will consider the correct horizontal and vertical lines that will draw the viewer’s attention into the image. One of the first things that always bothers me when looking at some real estate photography is the camera height of the images. I cringe when I see images of kitchens for example that are lower than the counter tops focusing on the cabinet doors. You don’t view a kitchen as a human by bending down and looking at the view from 3 ½ feet high so why would a photographer shoot images like that? I always shoot from a vantage point that gives the viewer just a sense of looking down into a scene. Not much but enough that it seems more realistic.
5) Post Production – Proper post production requires patience and understanding of correct photo editing. Shooting real estate is a LOT more than simply showing up, slapping a flash on a camera and delivering images. If your photographer isn’t editing their photos in a program such as Lightroom or Photoshop to really enhance the images, then perhaps you’re using the wrong photographer. Post production of real estate photos includes color balancing, white balance correction, removing stray artifacts from images, blue sky replacement, and so on. My standard real estate pricing includes photo editing vis a vis a company I work with. I have a professional relationship with them which includes my specific retouching process. I also offer my own professional retouching services for a slightly higher fee.
Here is an example of one image and the process that I will use:
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