( Todays Photography )

Real estate photography has become a very hot topic when selling a home. From the Realtor to the person selling a home “By owner”, really great photos of the property enhance the chances of selling the property.

There are many key benefits to using real estate photos when selling a house:

• Homes with great photos sell faster
• Homes selling faster could bring a higher sales price
• Picture perfect real estate listings will appeal to more potential buyers

For realtors:

• Your clients will be more satisfied which could lead to more referrals
• Your client base will grow and you could gain more listings

Taking photos of real estate has many benefits, but there certainly are some aspects that need to be considered by the novice or professional when taking the photos.

• Using a wide angle zoom lens. This is highly recommended for individuals taking real estate photos. When the photographer uses the wide angle lens, more of the scene can be captured. Wide angle lens allow you to stand closer to the property and still fit it in the frame. Also, you can move closer to the property so you can stay clear of unwanted items in the photo.
• Using an external flash on a camera. Real estate photography does not mean only taking photos of the outside of house. The inside of the property is sometimes the best selling point. By using an external flash indoors, you can get photos that have more natural and diffused light. The picture will most likely be free of harsh shadows.
• Having proper lighting. Having proper lighting inside and outside is essential to a “perfect” photo shoot of you real estate property.
• Outside lighting of the property should be well lit. The best time to shoot a photo is during the day when the skies are blue and small clouds can be seen. If the shot must be taken during the winter or fall, it is important to do on a day when the sun is bright and shining.
• Inside lighting should be done on a bright day and not when it’s overcast. By following this rule of thumb, the streams of stark daylight entering the interior of the home can be avoided. Another key point is to make sure the all the lights are on in the rooms being photographed. The best pictures are produced when combining natural and artificial light.

Even when a novice or professional real estate photographer follows the points listed above, there could still be some issues. Below is a list of some of the main issues that could arise:

• Photographing reflective surfaces. When taking photos of reflective surfaces make sure to shoot from an angle and without a flash.
• Camera Shake. When taking photos, try to avoid shaking the camera. A solution to this issue is to use a tripod.
• Barrel distortion. Barrel distortion sometimes occurs when using a wide angle lens. To avoid this problem, zoom the lens in closer to the subject and move back to get more to the property in the frame.