Tip sheet for good photography

Why good photos are indispensable

Photography is what sells a property. Good photography must be truthful and present the property the way it really is. As such, we can never stress enough the essential role played by excellent photography on a successful website.

Since the human eye can adapt to sharper contrasts of light and shade than a camera, the photographer needs to carefully select a scene without high contrast, adding lights or adjusting the exposure as necessary, and adjusting the depth of field depending on the results he or she wishes to obtain.

We always recommend that homeowners use the service of a professional photographer specializing in interior photography, equipped with the appropriate sets of lights and a high-end digital camera. This should not be viewed as an expense, but rather as an investment that will deliver returns. However, if one is not available locally and if the homeowner is an experienced amateur, we offer some pointers that should greatly improve one’s pictures for internet publishing.

Equipment

You’ll need a digital camera, a tripod, a directional or external flash (if you want to compensate for light), and a set of lights.

There is absolutely no substitute for a high quality digital camera for Internet publishing. These have come down in price substantially and one can get a good, easy to use digital camera for two to four hundred dollars or euros.

A photographer's tripod

A tripod is also very handy, as it will support the camera and allow pictures to be taken at slow speed for better depth of field.

Ideally, one needs either an external flash or a flash that can be directed away from the subject to be photographed.

Sets of lights are excellent too. Each light should be at least 500 watts. Thousand-watt units or more are even better.

A photographer's light with a 500W bulb

The stronger the light is, the more it will need to be bounced off a wall, the ceiling, or a reflective umbrella. The larger the area to photographed, the greater number of lights will be needed.

Construction lights are a good alternative. They generally output 500 Watts, are inexpensive and easy to find. One can also change the light fixtures in a home to higher power outputs, but tests will have to be done and one should be careful never to exceed the rated wattage of an appliance.

Use of light

The angle of the shot should be chosen so as to avoid zones of high contrast (direct light and shade). If you include a window in your shot on a bright and sunny day, either the window will be properly lit but the room will be dark, or the room will be properly exposed but the window will be overexposed and washed out. Unless you use high power interior lighting to compensate, this shot will fail. To avoid this pitfall, take the shot when it is slightly overcast, or early in the morning (or evening) when the exterior light is much softer. Alternatively, make sure that the window doesn’t steal the show. It is there as part of the supporting cast, not as the lead.

Mount the camera on a tripod, and close the aperture as much as possible to give maximum depth of field. The camera will automatically extend the exposure time to compensate for reduced source of light. Closing the aperture reduces the amount of light coming into the camera. Hence the shutter needs to remain open for a longer period of time to let in the light it needs. The result will be a better depth of field, which means that both the foreground and the background will be crisp and focused, and that there will be no “out-of-focus” areas in the shot. However, the camera must be mounted on a tripod for this shot, or else small movements will blur the shot.

Best results for interior photography are obtained with natural light rather than a direct flash. A flash can be used in some circumstances, but it must be set to give indirect light. This is achieved by “bouncing” the flash off a side wall (outside the shot’s area), the floor or the ceiling. Be careful, if you use a flash, that objects in the foreground do not completely absorb the flash or they will be overexposed. Do a few tests pointing the flash in different directions, and see which ones give the best results. However, never use a direct flash unless there you have no other alternative or you are using powerful set of lights as well.

Condition of the area to photograph

• Make sure the place is spotless and uncluttered. No superfluous items should be there unless they truly belong.
• It is preferable to avoid including humans or animals in the shot. However, if you wish to be in some of the photos – so as to introduce yourselves to your visitors – avoid black and white clothes. Wear pastel colours and stay away from stripes and chequered materials.
• Avoid white for bed or furniture covers. White usually takes all the light available and causes the pictures to have too much contrast.
• Washrooms should have clean folded towels, new bars of soap, and bottles should be full when made of glass.
• When taking exterior shots of the property, park the car at some distance unless it is a collectible car. Put the rake and the lawnmower away. Make sure that everything which is in the shot is tidy and belongs to the scene.
• Have a hose available to sprinkle lawn and flowers for exterior shots. This makes the light sparkle.

Setup of the room and use of props

• Have bouquets of fresh flowers and several vases. The same bouquet can be reused several times as long as it is placed in different vases and reorganized.
• Prepare kindling for the fireplace and light a fire when taking the shot.
• For the kitchen, have loaves of bread, bottles of olive oil and vinegar or similar, bottles of wines, an ice bucket, glasses, an oversized fruit basket, an oversized vegetable basket, a cutting board with a large kitchen knife, various “interesting” cooking utensils, and whatever else you think may epitomize the food culture of your area and the style of the house.
• Have a table set up on the patio with bottles and pitchers, glasses, hors d’oeuvres, flowers, garden furniture, books, and magazines.
• Set up the pool deck with covered chaises longues, umbrellas, drinks and magazines or books. Make sure there are no fallen leaves on the ground or in the water, that the pool robot has been pulled from the water, and there are no floating mattress or toys.