How to Photograph Your Home Properly: Use These Expert Photography Tips

While photos are imperative and must be posted online to show your house, there’s little to no point of it if the pictures are terrible. You must show your home in its best light with high quality photos in the listing. Here are the most common mistakes sellers make when it comes to this important step. Take these what not to do tips, they will make all the difference. See: 9 Real Estate Photo Errors to Avoid.

1. Bad lighting
It’s a fact; it is very difficult to shoot inside the home while competing with the sunlight. It makes the photos look bad. While it looks great when you are physically there, when you turn to look at the photos you’ve just taken, often you wonder why they’re terrible.

A good suggestion is to take the photos in the morning after sunrise, or just before the sun sets. Open the shades and let a little bit of outdoor light into the room. Also try to snap a few photos with all of the lights on from inside your home such as lamps and overhead lighting.  Don’t be afraid to use the “flash” setting on your phone, as it will help the room look brighter. Read: Mistakes to Avoid When Listing Your House.

2. Messiness
You want your home to look as it would if you were showing it. If you take poor photos with junk lying around, you don’t get any showings anyway. Put away items like clothes, toys, bills and other standard papers people leave out to remind themselves of it. Buyer’s will find it difficult to focus on the countertops for example, if there is mail lying on it.

3. Reflections
When taking photos of certain rooms, such as a bathroom, there usually is a mirror. It is very difficult to get a photo of rooms such as these, without spotting yourself somewhere in there. Aside from mirrors, it can be very difficult to avoid photographing rooms with reflective surfaces. This is where you will have to practice trial-and-error. You’ll need to play around with different angles and find spots to keep you out of the photo.

4. Out of focus
If you have a tough time keeping your hands steady, use a tripod. It’s better to have no photos than blurry ones. Aside from the fact that a buyer can’t visualize the area, it also reeks of sheer laziness. Yes, it is difficult to get a clear picture, but it can be done, and anyone who has an iPhone knows this.

5. Bad quality
Using your phone to take photos for your listing is an absolute don’t. Use a DSLR camera. If you can’t afford one, there are many places you can go that rent them. Actually, research shows that photos taken with a DSLR sell for more money than those shot with a lower quality camera.

6. Pets and little humans
There is absolutely no excuse for your pet or child to be visible in a photo. Potential buyers need to be able to easily picture themselves in a home, and if they see your kids or pets in photos, that’s not going to help. It also makes buyers wonder what pet damage there is to the house, as pets have accidents, and children can write all over walls. The buyer will inspect each wall and floorboard more than they would have before.

7. Too much editing
You definitely should retouch your photos, and balance setting such as exposure or contrast. However, too much Photoshopping can make it worse. Usually, they look unreal or odd can make buyers wonder if you’re trying to hide something.

One thought on “How to Photograph Your Home Properly: Use These Expert Photography Tips

  • July 28, 2016 at 7:25 am
    Permalink

    Frankly I think that’s absolutely good stuff.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *