Real Estate Photography Tips For Realtors - Don't Do it Yourself, You'll Lose Your Commission Check

I've done it myself; taken what I thought were great listing pictures and used them for my online MLS listing. My clients thought they were fine and I thought they were just fine, until I started working as a buyer's agent in Seattle a few years back.

I worked with over 40 different buyers a week and everyday I'd hear, "Did you see those listing pictures? There's no way we want to see that house, it's a dump! Does the listing agent know how bad they are?" Obviously, the listing agent didn't spend anything on real estate photography.

My buyers would also see some great listing photos and want to get in to see the home that afternoon. We'd step inside and they'd wonder if it was the same home they saw online. They felt cheated because the pictures were nothing like the real home. (but at least the listing agent got buyers walking through the house).

It all came down to the listing pictures they saw online. That's essential marketing for listings! Give buyers a great picture and they'll jump inside the house that day. Give them a "do-it-yourself" picture and they'll move onto the next home. The listing pictures make the difference, especially when you spend a few bucks on professional real estate photography!

Even when the listing pictures were better than the actual house, guess what? It still got the buyers inside! That's your goal as a listing agent; get as many showings as possible. Professional real estate photography makes that happen.

With upwards of 80%+ of buyers looking online now, the listing photos are the first thing they're looking at and basing their initial impressions on.

How much money in lost commissions do you think you're missing because you won't spend a couple hundred bucks for professional real estate photography?

If you did spend the well invested marketing dollars on some professional real estate photography.......

You could have more satisfied clients because the home sold faster. You could have made more cash because you didn't have to drop the sales price when the listing became stale on the market. You could look like a top producer in the area because of the quicker sales, better looking listings and more satisfied clients. Your overall image is enhanced, big time!
Isn't it funny how such a small aspect of your business can affect the whole thing? Anytime you realize how one issue affects your net profits, that'll make you perk up, right?

Now don't give me the excuse that it's too expensive because it's not. Look at it as a marketing and advertising expense because that's exactly what it is. And real estate photography is one of the best things you can spend your marketing dollars on.

You have a couple options........

You could grab a professional in real estate photography in your local area and offer them -0 to come to your listing and take some fabulous photos. Make sure they're top notch, have all the right equipment and understand the goal of these photos. You don't want to pay for real estate photography that's no better than your own.

Your other option is to go with a company like Vicaso.com who does real estate photography exclusively. Their business is listing photos for real estate agents!

You can schedule your photo shoot on their website, pay about 0 or so and get the most captivating listing photos you'll ever see. Even if you have a crack house listed for sale, their real estate photography will make it look like a palace.

I'm telling you; don't skimp on your real estate photography. Look at the cost as an investment. If you spent 0 on professional real estate photography and got back another ,000 in commissions that year from faster sales, more clients, and higher listing prices, wouldn't that be worth it? You betcha!

Real Estate Photography Tips For Realtors - Don't Do it Yourself, You'll Lose Your Commission Check

Photography Tips

Real Estate Photography Tips For Realtors - Don't Do it Yourself, You'll Lose Your Commission Check

Real Estate Photography Tips For Realtors - Don't Do it Yourself, You'll Lose Your Commission Check
Real Estate Photography Tips For Realtors - Don't Do it Yourself, You'll Lose Your Commission Check

Photography Tips

12 Creative Photography Ideas

Here are 12 ideas to get your creative juices flowing and increase your skills and value as a photographer.

TIP 1 - Time Lapse photos. I showed my niece how to do this with clay figures and stitch the resulting frames together into a video file, and she was busy for days. If you control the exposure consistently to keep the images consistent with one another, you can do some really fun stop-motion animation. Or, you can set up your camera to capture other slow motion effects such as flowers opening and seedlings growing.

TIP 2 - Night Lights. Things look very different at night. Shooting city scenes with available light creates some interesting images. And shooting outdoor images under moonlight or with "light painting", where you open up the camera shutter for an extended exposure, and "paint" your targets with colored or plain light, can create some truly bizarre images.

TIP 3 - Astrophotography. Hook that SLR up to a telescope, and you are ready to peer into the depths of space and time. You'll need some adapters, and ability to compensate for the earth's rotation for really long shots. Start with the moon and move on from there.

TIP 4 - Macro photography. From flowers to coins to stamps, you can polish your skills at close-up photography and capture some really detailed images. Often a macro lens or close-up attachment will help. See my tips on Flower Photography to get more information.

TIP 5 - Micro photography. If you can interface that camera with a microscope, you can get some really crazy images. Or, stack up a bunch of close-up magnification and try your hand at turning salt crystals into surreal imagery.

TIP 6 - Insurance Photos. OK, maybe a bit boring, but you and your friends and relatives will thank you. Take a couple hours and touch and photograph everything of value, with a full shot or two if each item of value, accompanied by a shot of the identifying marks - manufacturer model or serial number. Then burn a CD or DVD and store it off site. If you have a fire or other loss, this could save the owner thousands of dollars.

TIP 7 - Family Recipe book. Anytime those family favorites are prepared, copy down the recipe and take some photos of the food. You can produce a printed or electronic cookbook of family favorites that everyone will love.

TIP 8 - Stock Photography. This is a very busy market niche, but the cost of entry is low. Specialize in things you love, and you may be able to generate some income from your stock images. Search for stock photography sites, and make sure you understand your rights before you post images.

TIP 9 - Special Effects. Maybe you want to specialize in high-speed images of athletes, or surrealistic collages. Try your hand at using your editing skills to put someone in a soda bottle or floating on a candy lifesaver. Often more artistic than photographic, it will test your composition, lighting and editing skills to come up with believable artificial realities.

TIP 10 - Still Life. Ahh, the bowl of fruit. Sometimes a simple object or collection, properly lit, shot and edited, is a thing of beauty. It's a great way to study light. Start with an egg on a light background, a lamp and a window and see how you can learn about lighting and composition.

TIP 11 - Computer Control. Many cameras have a USB interface and remote control software. You can actually control the camera from the computer. See if you can get it to work to your liking, and maybe even program some time lapse or exposure bracketing experiments.

TIP 12 - Be Like Andy. Take some images of everyday items and try to create those neat colored backgrounds like Andy Warhol used to make. Create a 4-up print of the same image and change the colors of each quadrant to make an interesting square print.

Have fun with these ideas, and let me know when you become famous!

12 Creative Photography Ideas

Photography Tips

12 Creative Photography Ideas

12 Creative Photography Ideas
12 Creative Photography Ideas

Photography Tips

Photography Tips - 7 Tips To Make Your Photos Stand Out

Sometimes very small changes can have a huge effect on the outcome. This is especially true for photography and I'm just about to share seven of the most powerful photography tips there are.

#1 - Take the photo from the subject's eye level

It's so easy to just take a picture from a standing position, but if you're for instance taking a picture of a kid, you will get a much more interesting picture if you bend down to the same level as the kid.

Remember that you don't have to make the subject look into the camera. Simply getting down on the level of the subject will create a picture that has a more personal connection to the subject.

#2 - Avoid using a distracting background

This is a simple photography tips, yet a very effective one. By using a plain background, the picture will emphasize your subject and give you a much better result. A noisy and distracting background will draw the eye away from the subject and make the whole picture look messy and amateurish.

#3 - Use flash outdoors

On sunny days the sun often creates hard shadows and you get high contrast pictures where either your shadows burn out or your highlights get overexposed.

One of the best ways to remedy this is to use the flash. Given that your subject is within the range of the flash, it will work as a fill light, lifting the shadows and giving you a more balanced picture.

#4 - Get close to the subject

Getting very close to the subject or using the zoom to make the subject fill the viewfinder, will often give you a very impactful result. By doing this, you eliminate all background distractions and display the subject from a different perspective than what we're used to.

If you want the subject to really pop from the background, you can either zoom in on the subject as much as possible and/or decrease your blender as much as possible. This will give you a nice, defocused background.

Keep in mind that you may have to put your camera into "macro"-mode (often indicated by a flower-sign) to make this work. In addition, there is a limit of how close you can get. This depends on the lens of your camera and you can often find this distance printed around the edge of the lens.

#5 - Focus before you shoot

You'll often get the pictures you want just pointing your camera at the subject and hitting the shutter button, thanks to the advanced auto focus found in newer cameras.

However, it's not always perfect. Your camera might be focusing someplace different from where you wanted the focus to be, or maybe you missed the perfect moment when your camera was auto-focusing. If that's the case, here's what you do:
Point the camera at the subject so that the subject appear in the center of the viewfinder (usually you will see a small box or point when you look through the viewfinder. Make sure your subject is within that area). Press the shutter button halfway down and wait for the camera to finish focusing. While still holding down the shutter button, reframe the picture the way you want it. Press the shutter button all the way down.

#6 - Place the subject off-center

Placing the subject right in the middle of the picture often result in boring pictures. To spice things up a bit, imagine that the image you see through the viewfinder have three vertical and horizontal lines equally distributed, forming a perfect grid.

Place the subject at one of the intersections of lines and take the picture. Remember that since most cameras will try to focus on what's in the middle of the picture, you may have to lock the focus as described above.

#7 - Bring the subject within range of the flash

Keep in mind that the flash range of most cameras is around ten feet (slightly over 3 meters). If you try to take a picture of a subject further away than this, the flash will have little or no effect on the picture.

In the worst case you may end up ruining the picture since the flash could light up the foreground. With the camera set on automatic, it is likely to try to expose for the foreground, making your subject very dark.

Photography Tips - 7 Tips To Make Your Photos Stand Out

Photography Tips

Photography Tips - 7 Tips To Make Your Photos Stand Out

Photography Tips - 7 Tips To Make Your Photos Stand Out
Photography Tips - 7 Tips To Make Your Photos Stand Out

Photography Tips

Scrapbooking Tips - How to Make Photo Frames

Not those regular picture frames! That would take too long to paste on a page of your scrapbook. But, creating photo frames out paper can give a really cute look onto your scrapbook. Photo frames are a more upgraded version of a photo mat. Instead of simply having background, you get a cute frame.

The first scrapbooking tip would be to trace the photo onto the back of your chosen frame. You should have two patterned papers for frames, one pattern for the overlapping frame, the other, should be a simpler pattern or a plain piece of paper colored with crayons - this is only used to give your picture a framed look at the sides. Once you're done tracing, use slicers or cutters to cut through the pattern paper. Paste the photo first onto the page, followed by acetate or a strong piece of plastic. This will serve as the glass cover.

Next, paste the simpler patterned paper on the side borders, overlapping a thin piece of the photo. If you'd like a decorated look for the inside frame, paste embellishments such as small flowers at the side of the simple patterned paper and make sure it's halfway out the border so you can overlap half with the main frame.

Last scrapbooking tip is to paste the main frame over the first border and the photo. Overlap all frames and maybe even photo with huge decorative pieces for an outer framing look. Make sure that all decorative pieces and patterned papers would look well together. Finish off the layout with a huge title overlapping the photo and frame.

Scrapbooking Tips - How to Make Photo Frames

Photography Tips

Scrapbooking Tips - How to Make Photo Frames

Scrapbooking Tips - How to Make Photo Frames
Scrapbooking Tips - How to Make Photo Frames

Photography Tips

Basic Photography Tips - How to Improve Your Photo Shoot With Your Compact Digital Camera

When one intends to explore the world of digital photography and possibly make it a lucrative career in the future, the first thing to be accomplished is to understand the basics of photography. You must able have a reliable compact digital camera in your possession that would prove to be your most valuable tool when you are out shooting or capturing pictures. Here we have some basic photography tips that would hopefully guide you well in your bid to become a successful photographer in the future:

1) Once you own a camera, go through its manual, and understand exactly what every switch, button, control and item on the menu does to your photographs! Even if you are unable to master everything, ensure that you know how to turn on the flash when necessary, are able to switch between different environment settings and know how to zoom in and out.

2) Start taking pictures by switching your camera's mode to automatic setting at first, and once you are more familiar with the settings and features of your camera, you should be able to alter it in accordance to your needs and preferences

3) Set the camera to its highest resolution whenever you can so that you would get better quality pictures that would prove to be more convenient to alter digitally when you are processing them. If you do not have much memory to play with, it is advisable to obtain a bigger memory card as photos with higher resolutions tend to be bigger in terms of image size

4) Be constantly on the go, and ensure that you carry your camera everywhere you go! Many people tend to miss good memorable shots because they tend to stay indoors a lot, and many forget to bring their cameras when they are out traveling.

5) Avoid red-eye distraction if possible, this can be accomplished by switching on your red-eye reduction feature (most digital cameras come with this options nowadays)

6) Use a tripod whenever you can, as it would reduce the chances of your picture blurring due to shaking hands or other distractions - if possible, get yourself a carbon-made tripod

7) And remember, practice makes perfect, thus work on your photography skills whenever you are able to!

Once you fully understand all these basic tips, you would be able to take high-quality photographs, regardless of whether they are family photographs, portrait photographs, or even scenery shots! Good luck!

Basic Photography Tips - How to Improve Your Photo Shoot With Your Compact Digital Camera

Photography Tips

Basic Photography Tips - How to Improve Your Photo Shoot With Your Compact Digital Camera

Basic Photography Tips - How to Improve Your Photo Shoot With Your Compact Digital Camera
Basic Photography Tips - How to Improve Your Photo Shoot With Your Compact Digital Camera

Photography Tips

Make Up Tips for Photography

Photography make up is slightly different from daily make up applications. Here are some pointers -

Lighting:

Use natural lighting - for example, near a big window with lights coming in If photography is taking place outdoors, do so around 4pm to 5pm, when the sun is about to set. Soft lighting makes a person better

Preparing the face:

Wash, exfoliate, tone and moisturize your face before applying make up Oil control is very important. If you can, use oil free formulated products Keep hair away from the face To reduce puffy eyes, use Preparation H

Foundation:

Choose a thicker formulated foundation rather than the sheers ones that are used in daily applications so that all blemishes are covered easily Blend foundation from chin to neck so that they are of the same colour

Powder:
Use lots of it, and reapply between shots, to create a mat finish look

Concealer:

2 shades lighter than skin to cover blemishes and dark spots; apply before foundation application

Contouring:Contour cheeks and eyes to create a sculpted look Use foundation in a shade that is 2 to 3 shades darker than normal skin tone

Eyes:Highlight eyebrow bones using light shadow to create lively eyes Avoid eyeshadow that is too frosty or shimmery - it'll appear shiny Apply eyeliner with precision Use waterproof mascara Overall application needs to be than normal make up

Lips:Use lipstick and liner of same colour, in a shade darker than natural lip colour

Make Up Tips for Photography

Photography Tips

Make Up Tips for Photography

Make Up Tips for Photography
Make Up Tips for Photography

Photography Tips

'Train Photography', my photos for 2013 so far.

Tube. Duration : 3.25 Mins.

'Train Photography', my photos for 2013 so far.

Photo's I have taken of the railway. Most photos were taken in 2013. Almost all photos were taken in the Adelaide Hills, and all were taken in Australia!

'Train Photography', my photos for 2013 so far.

'Train Photography', my photos for 2013 so far.

'Train Photography', my photos for 2013 so far.

'Train Photography', my photos for 2013 so far.

No URL 'Train Photography', my photos for 2013 so far.

Photography Tips - Understanding Aperture Settings

Most tips relating to exposure advocate the use of the aperture priority mode, and with good reason. The Aperture Priority Mode allows you to control the shutter speed through the aperture settings, which are responsible for crucial picture dynamics that include depth of field, motion blur and freezing action.

Understanding how the aperture and aperture priority work, will help you as a photographer gain control over exposure and these critical picture dynamics.

Setting the camera mode dial to aperture priority puts the camera into a semi automatic mode, which means that you will have to take care of other crucial setting such as white balance, metering and ISO. In this mode the shutter automatically changes to compensate for the different aperture settings.

Aperture and F-Numbers
The aperture is basically a hole behind the lens which allows the light to pass through the lens to the image sensor located within the body of the DSLR. The aperture uses numbers (F-Stops) corresponding to the different sizes of the aperture (or hole if you like).

The F-Stop is derived from the mathematical relationship between the aperture diameter and the focal length of the lens.

Typical ranges
A typical range of F-Numbers or F-Stops is:
F 3.5, F4, F4.5, F5, F5.6, F6.3, F7.1, F8, F9, F10, F11, F13, F14, F16, F18, F20, F22

These numbers are the range available when using the 18-105mm AF-S NIKKOR lens, with the lens set to 18mm.When set to the other extreme of the lens (105mm) the F-Stop range changes from F5.6 to F36, and so it will change for each focal length. For example at 50mm the range will be from F5 to F32.

The increment value between F-Stops can be changed on many DSLR cameras. Typically the light is halved or doubled for each F-Stop increment.

Picture dynamics
So what's the big deal about using Aperture Priority? In most cases the beginner accepts the exposure set by the camera's choice of shutter and aperture combinations. This still gives a good picture, but does not take into account the look of the picture in terms of depth of field, movement and frozen frames. The aperture setting can be used to control all these dynamics.

Given factors
A wide Aperture (small F-Number):
- Narrow depth of field
- Fast shutter speed

A small aperture (High F-Number)
- Wide depth of field
- Slow shutter speed

Taking into account the factors above one can see how the three picture dynamics can be controlled.

- Depth of field. This is the area in front and behind the subject that is in focus. A small F-Number results in a very narrow depth of field, so the background and often the foreground is out of focus. This is great for portrait photography where the attention is focused on the subject. Because the shutter speed is normally high in this mode it is easier to shoot without blurring the picture.

- Movement through blur. Using a high f-number will force a slow shutter speed when the camera is set to aperture priority. This is great when you want your picture to show movement. A typical scenario is when shooting a waterfall. The water is blurred through movement while the rest of the picture remains sharp. A tripod is essential for this type of shot. The camera can be panned swiftly to follow a moving subject, keeping the subject sharp but blurring the background.

- Freezing the subject. This of course depends on the shot you are attempting. Anytime you want to avoid blurry pictures, a faster shutter will become your best friend. The snag here is that the higher the shutter speed you use the more light you will need. A high F-Number will give a fast shutter speed when in aperture priority mode.

When you need a really fast shutter, keep an eye on the warning light in your viewfinder which indicates the shutter speed is cutting off too much light and the aperture range for that lens has been exceeded. This is a common problem.

A good example is when photographing birds. The best time of day to shoot is often when the light is low. A necessary compromise in these poor lighting conditions is to increase the ISO. Why compromise? Well too high an ISO introduces noise into the picture, influenced largely by the quality of camera model. This can be a nuisance when enlarging photos in post production.

Increasing the ISO increases the shutter speed, so one need to make a choice between capturing a great photo that is hard to repeat, or risk introducing noise.

Practice
Practice in manual mode and play with the shutter, aperture and ISO. Some cameras offer an anti blur feature which in essence is automatically creating the fastest shutter speed with the right combinations of the three (aperture, shutter and ISO).

Next time you are photographing the kids indoors, try getting the fastest shutter speed before resorting to your flash, which sometimes is the only way to avoid blurry shots.

Flexible solution
In summary, aperture priority mode offers the most flexible exposure control when striving to create certain picture dynamics on demand. Experience will teach you when to use another mode such as Shutter Priority, Program Mode or Manual. The ultimate goal is to go manual and take full control of exposure and other features.

Photography Tips - Understanding Aperture Settings

Photography Tips

Photography Tips - Understanding Aperture Settings

Photography Tips - Understanding Aperture Settings
Photography Tips - Understanding Aperture Settings

Photography Tips


Photo's I have taken of the railway. Most photos were taken in 2013. Almost all photos were taken in the Adelaide Hills, and all were taken in Australia!

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Deconstructing, Part V Ep 114: Photo on the Go with Joe McNally: Adorama Photography TV

Video Clips. Duration : 8.53 Mins.

Deconstructing, Part V Ep 114: Photo on the Go with Joe McNally: Adorama Photography TV

http://www.adorama.com Adorama Photography TV Presents Photo on the Go with Joe McNally. Join Joe as he deconstructs the lighting set-up from a shoot for Nat...

Deconstructing, Part V Ep 114: Photo on the Go with Joe McNally: Adorama Photography TV

Deconstructing, Part V Ep 114: Photo on the Go with Joe McNally: Adorama Photography TV

Deconstructing, Part V Ep 114: Photo on the Go with Joe McNally: Adorama Photography TV

Deconstructing, Part V Ep 114: Photo on the Go with Joe McNally: Adorama Photography TV

No URL Deconstructing, Part V Ep 114: Photo on the Go with Joe McNally: Adorama Photography TV

Tips on Framing Black & White Photography

Black and white photographs have remained popular since their inception roughly 150 years ago. The ability of black and white images to fit many decorating styles has contributed to their increased popularity. As such, people have become more open to alternative, more sophisticated framing designs for these items.

How to best frame a black and white photograph is a subject for much conjecture. Plain and simple to take nothing from the art, or more ornate to complement the subject matter? Add colour in the frame design to help draw the eye to the picture, or stick with a rigid two-tone approach to ensure dramatic elegance?

So where does that leave us? Well to be honest somewhere in the middle. The fact is that there is as much variety in black and white photography as in any other art form. Think of it this way, if we asked everyone to dress in the same way the look would suit a few but be terrible for most. However, there are some simple rules and techniques you should keep in mind when framing black and white photographs.

- Some framers believe a pristine white mount is best for all black and white images, on the basis that it does not detract from the picture itself. However, for pictures with a white focal point, a pristine white mount can be too bright and will compete with the image for attention.

- Another common mistake is to try to 'lighten' dark art by surrounding it with a light mount. In reality, a light mount border causes the dark colours in the photo to look even darker.

- Mounts should be black, white or grey. Any other colour adds an element that isn't present in the picture. If you have a customer who insists on a colourful mount, a common suggestion is to go for a white mat with a small accent of colour as a second mount. However, this accent actually pulls the eye away from the photo. A better solution is to use the colour as the predominant top mount and place the accent of black or grey below it to work as a transition into the photo. With all that colour surrounding the photo it isolates the image, in affect, drawing attention to it.

- When it comes to the moulding, consider the era, style and location of the photograph. As in framing any art piece, each frame must enhance the style and mood of the photograph itself. Many framers believe you should stick to a narrow, basic frame for black and white photographs, but this may not co-ordinate with the subject of the photo. For example, a picture of an ornate piece of architecture may look better with a more classical moulding design.

- Elongation is often a good treatment for portrait photographs, images with vertical subjects or strong vertical lines. By making the top and bottom borders wider, it dramatises all those vertical elements.

- A mountslip which matches the moulding can create a strong, classic outline around the photograph. This helps pull the viewer's attention in from the frame to focus on the picture. Mountslips can also help enhance the customised appearance of the design, adding character and perceived value.

When any item is framed properly the frame design should add a sense of value to the finished product. So a good frame design will help a mediocre shot look good and an unimaginative framing job will bring even the best picture to the level of a cheap poster.

Remember, just because the subject lacks colour doesn't mean the framing should lack imagination.

For more help or to discuss any of the points raised above please do not hesitate to contact us or visit us in person.

Tips on Framing Black & White Photography

Photography Tips

Tips on Framing Black & White Photography

Tips on Framing Black & White Photography
Tips on Framing Black & White Photography

Photography Tips


http://www.adorama.com Adorama Photography TV Presents Photo on the Go with Joe McNally. Join Joe as he deconstructs the lighting set-up from a shoot for Nat...

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