Introduction
After watching countless hours of videos, scouring the net, and testing, here are the 5 top picks to bring your photos from meh to yeh!
Go for a Wide Angle Lens
Why this is important: To make the pace you are taking look as wide as possible – bigger spaces are more appealing to potential buyers.
I always want my photos of homes to look as big as possible, and to do this, I would want to have a wide field of view. In the photography, how wide the field of view is for a lens is usually indicated by the focal-length or in XXmm. The smaller the number, the wider the field of view. Therefore, I like to use a lens with a focal-length between 12-16mm equivalent. Anything lower than 12mm would be considered fisheye and would cause image distortion. I always want to keep the lines in my photos straight as to reduce the need for post processing.
Adjust For Exposure
Why this is important: To be able to capture the space in it’s best light – easier post processing
If we are only shooting at ISO 100 or 200, and the place is too dark what can we do? When a picture is too dark, it would mean not enough light is hitting the sensor. Which means you must let more light in! To do this, we can adjust for a longer exposure shot, or to decrease the shutter speed. You’ll be able to do this by switching to shutter priority mode!
Under Exposed > Over Exposed
Why this is important: It is easier for software to correct for underexposed photos than it is to correct overexposed photos – if you screw up your shot, you have a higher change to salvage the shot
I always us some post processing software to fine tune pictures, and it is easier to brighten up photos than to darken overexposed pictures. Sometimes I apply a layer mask to brighten only the dark areas while leaving the brighter areas untouched.
Correct White Balance
Why this is important: To ensure what you see in the photo is the same as what you see in real life – nicer photos
It’s easy to set the white balance in camera. To do this I usually set it in camera before the shoot. Otherwise, it is a one button click in my photo editing software to correct it. This makes my photos look better.
Take Photos At Low ISO
Why this is important: To reduce the amount of noise in your photos as much as possible – easier post processing.
Increasing the ISO value increase the amount of noise in images. As such, I want to shoot at a low ISO. Most of the time, I would shoot at ISO 100, however, when needed, I do increase it to 200 or even 400 should the space be dark.
Use A Tripod
Why this is important: To be able to take sharp photos without blur and bring out the full potential of the space – nicer looking photos
Having a tripod allows me to take long exposure shots without fear of motion blur. You don’t need a fancy or expensive tripod to do this, so there’s no excuse. If your tripod is too light or it shakes a little, do consider using the camera’s timer function or, if you have, a remote shutter.
Take Bracketed / HDR / DRO shots
Why this is important: This allows you to capture the highlights and low lights in greater detail – nicer looking photos
All modern cameras should have this option with most processing the photos in camera itself. This allows me to capture more details in each shot. For example, when marketing a high floor unit, I want to be able to capture the view outside the windows and keeping the interior bright. This in turn maks the space look gorgeous without sacrificing the view.
Take In RAW Format
Why this is important: RAW format captures more information about the scene allowing you to do greater post processing than JPG – if you screw up your shot, you have a higher change to salvage the shot
You can always get a bigger memory card; however, you might not be able to take the same shot again. Safe yourself time and money by turning this setting on. Most cameras allow photos to be taken in RAW+JPG.
Key Takeaways
I hope these tips help you in taking the perfect shot of your property so that is can look its best and attract the most buyers! If there is something you will like to be covered in depth do drop a comment below.
As they say a picture speaks a thousand words, in real estate, a good photo can be worth a thousand dollars! How many thousand dollar photos do you want?