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Photography, like the written part of real estate ad’s, is the seller's business card, so to create a positive first impression of the property and to reflect the owner’s careful attitude in the photos, some practical recommendations have to be taken into account, says Ms Ieva Jansone, Head of the Residential Department at ARCO REAL ESTATE.
Analyzing the process of taking pictures of real estates, the expert identifies three stages, which should be taken into account to make a successful photo:
- preparation of the property to be photographed;
- taking photos;
- processing.
Property preparation means it’s putting in order, cleaning and removing of excess things, to reduce probability of disassembly of exposure and to show viewers the possible widest outlook. In turn, taking photos of the exterior or the facade of the building, photographing the interior, as well as drawing the attention of the viewer to a variety of style and aesthetic elements, are the practical part of the photographing, followed by a no less important post-processing or image correction with specially designated programs.
1. Property preparationfor taking photos
It is known that a picture is able to detect and show to viewers any tiny nuances, including property damage and temporary shortages, such as the current tenant or the owner's personal belongings. Without any doubt, in the announcement text there may be included information on ownership of the said items and possibility of vacation of the premises, however, viewing of photos showing disorder, dirt or lack of care, will not be able to create a positive impression for a potential buyer or a new tenant. On the contrary – such photos may become a reason of selection of a competitive property.
In order to avoid a situation, which significantly reduces the possibility to get a phone call from an interested person, you should choose such a shooting angle that demonstrates the most attractive part of the room, while eliminating reflection of negative factors in the pictures. Besides, when looking through the lens at the part of the premises you have to take a photo, pay attention to details. You may notice disgusting items that need to be moved or removed (a garbage can with a visible content, a dusty, smudged window glass, etc.).
2. Taking photos
It is the best to take photos of the facility facade, the building in the perspective and its position in relation to other objects during daylight hours when precipitation (rain, snowfalls, hail) does not interfere with the session. Also it is desirable to take indoor pictures during daytime, thus allowing natural light to enter the room (open curtains, blinds raised, etc.). To reduce the contrast between the natural light source - windows - and the shady premises, turn on artificial lighting fixtures - chandeliers, floor lamps, built-in lights, etc.
Taking care of the picture quality, a camera should be used for taking photos of a real estate, instead of the available mobile phones which are unable to provide enough resolution indoors and which are characterized by a narrow angle.
As the main object of the taking photos is a real estate, it must be ensured that during the time when picture is taken, no people or their reflections are seen in the viewfinder; you should also avoid any flash reflection in a mirror or other reflective objects.
Although facade views are offered to the photo viewers, in addition it is desirable to eternalize the view from the balcony, loggia or terrace. Also a photo taken through the window will create a fuller impression of the environment, infrastructure and traffic.
As we know, an important factor affecting the potential resident's choice, are the details that complement the real estate; for this reason, viewers should be able to gain valuable information about building-related conditions. Therefore, it is recommended to take photos of the stairwell, apartment and exterior doors, attic, lift, basement, barn, storage space, parking place, garage, swimming pool, gym and other places increasing the value of the property. It should be noted that families with children will appreciate if they can see the yard and a children's playground on the photos.
People's impressions about the property may be formed also by details shown in aesthetic way in the pictures, for example, in the "macro" mode, you can take photos of well-looking, fine items (exclusive door handles, different surface structures, interior decoration elements, etc.).
3. Processing
The resulting photographs of the property should be selected according to the author's wishes, and then critically assessed whether the selected pictures are of sufficient quality in order to reach the target audience. In order to improve the quality and attractiveness of the photos, they can be processed with specially designated programs (e. g., "Photoshop", "Gimp"). The most elementary functions - picture contrast enhancement, light/ shadow adjustment and adaptation of the size - can also be done online, namely, with the program "Pixlr" (pixlr.com/editor) or a downloadable program "Picasa".
It is useful to remember for publishing of a photo on the Internet or social networks that it is sufficient if the dimensions are not exceeding 1200: 800 px and 200 to 500 kb.
When publishing the photos, try to structure the album, so the pictures are arranged in a logical sequence from the display of the house facade until indoor demonstration.
17.12.2014.