We’ve recently commented here and there about what not to do when taking photos to market a real estate property.  All too often, people are taking absolutely horrendous photographs, while most others are posting just mediocre pics to their MLS listings and websites.  If you’d like to take the kind of photos that truly stand out and create a perfect impression, here’s what you need to do.

Start With a Real Camera.

Yes, that means you’ll need to pocket your cell phone.  Respect the properties you photograph by at least treating them to a legit camera.  Even the most basic 5 megapixel digital cameras available these days take excellent web quality pictures.  Unless you want to go all out, $150 should put you in the game without any problems at all.  One name brand is just about as good as the next.

Compose Good Photos.

Those giving photography advice often criticize the practice of taking of artistic photos for non-artistic purposes (read real estate).  We’ll go ahead and agree with them, meaning that you should avoid anything too abstract.

To keep things simple, leave your camera in auto mode, but do have a good eye for composition.  Look for angles that produce photos which actually represent the feel of the house.  Invest in a tripod to help you achieve this goal and turn up your camera’s resolution to the highest setting – You can always shrink it back down later if needed.

Proper Lighting is Imperative.

The best times to take outdoor photos are early in the morning or late in the evening.  By doing this, you’ll prevent your subject from being totally washed out by the glare of the mid day sun.  Plus, the moderate shadows which occur at these more extreme sun angles will help give good depth and definition to the details.

And no, your flash is not doing any good whatsoever outside.  Skip the photos on rainy or overcast days; they’ll make people subconsciously depressed.  Show some blue sky when possible.  When inside, turn on all of the lights even if the sunlight is pouring in. 

Edit by Elimination.

Don’t be afraid to take hundreds of photos of any one property.  Your digital camera allows you this freedom and you’ll inevitably have more options to choose from later.  When deciding which photos to use, focus on those that show the big picture as well as those that clearly convey details you’d like to share.

Be wary of any pictures that might leave the viewer asking “what in the heck is this?”  Nobody really wants to see the guest bathroom’s doorknob.  Get the picture?

Make Them Bold and Beautiful.

Do yourself a favor and download Google’s free Picasa photo management and editing software.  Unless you consider yourself a gifted photography guru, this software is much better and way easier to use than anything that came with your camera.  Make yourself familiar with its basic features such as cropping and exporting photos in a certain size.

Crop out any of the crud from your selected pictures.  You don’t want any clutter showing, it give off bad vibes.  Adjust the photos so they highlight exactly what they should.  For example, if you’re trying to show the front of the house, make sure the focal point isn’t the mailbox in front of the house.  Make sure the colors come across brightly and accurately. 

Go Big.

This might be the most important tip of all.  Why spend all of your time and effort taking excellent photos and editing them to perfection if you’re not going to show them off?  Make them big for your site.  600 pixels across will work nicely for most blogs.  Consider going up to around 1000 pixels wide for really showing off the details.  Picasa makes exporting pictures in these sizes a breeze.

Tags:photography tips real estate marketing