May 10th - 2007

Do your listing photos reflect your professionalism?

A picture tells a thousand words as the saying goes. But, when it comes to listing photos, a bad picture can tell a negative story and can hamper your ability to sell a house for the best price possible.

A picture tells a thousand words as the saying goes. But, when it comes to listing photos, a bad picture can tell a negative story and can hamper your ability to sell a house for the best price possible.
 
In CREA’s most recent survey about mls.ca®, consumers said they want photos and lots of them when they are searching for homes online. But dark, out of focus photos are not what those consumers had in mind. On the other hand, high quality photos can go a long way to market a home in its best light. The trick is to learn the fundamentals of good photography and apply them to every listing photo you take. If you haven’t already, purchase a high quality digital camera with a 28mm (35mm equivalent) lens or one that will accept a wide angle lens. An external flash and a tripod are also helpful for taking interior shots. Here are a few tips to turn your next photo session into a successful shoot:
 
Lighting
One of the most common problems when taking interior shots is backlighting – typically from a window with sunlight streaming through it. Backlighting causes the inside of a room to appear dark because the light coming in from the windows tends to be enough to fool any camera's light meter. It’s very difficult to show both the inside and window views as they appear to your eye. Instead, lock the focus and exposure of your camera on an object, such as a chair or table, which is close to the window. Hold the shutter-release button half way down (not all the way so that it takes a picture). While holding the shutter-release button, recompose the image. Then press the shutter-release button all the way to take the picture. Another option is to use fill flash to soften dark areas or shadows and bring out details that may be lost in shadows. This can be accomplished with the built-in flash on your camera or with an external flash. A built-in camera flash triggers automatically in low light conditions when set to auto mode, but some digital cameras have a dedicated button to activate the flash. An external flash produces the best results; it offers much more versatility and power than a fixed built-in flash.
 
Staging
Whether you are preparing for an open house or taking photos for the listing your objective is to make the best first impression possible. Think of those online photos as a virtual open house – you want to make it easy for a potential buyer to visualize living in the space as his or her own.
 
Start by having your sellers eliminate clutter, personal belongings and as much furniture as possible – even temporarily – to open up the room and help the viewer imagine their own belongings in the space. There’s nothing less appealing than a photo of a room jammed with furniture, books, toys, plants, and pictures. Try to keep backgrounds and walls as simple as possible and turn on all the lights in the room. Highlight positive areas of a property by lighting them or showcasing them as the main focal point of the photo.
 
Remember that kitchens and bathrooms should be especially clean and tidy before taking photos. Remove all the magnets, photos and notes from the fridge door and tuck away counter clutter such as appliances and canisters.
 
Make a habit of checking the composition in the viewfinder or on the LCD before taking a photo. There are no hard and fast rules for framing a shot, but there are some tried and true principles of composition to keep in mind:

  • Highlight positive areas of property.
  • When framing a shot, check that strong vertical or horizontal lines are straight.
  • Temporarily move things from the scene such as a car in the driveway or a For Sale sign on the lawn.
  • Take shots from different angles so nothing obstructs an important part of the scene. Shooting straight on tends to create a boring photograph, but shots taken at dynamic angles can catch the eye of prospective buyers.
  • Keep backgrounds as simple as possible. Busy, cluttered backgrounds distract from the main subject.
  • Create a centre of interest: a photograph should have one strong centre of interest so that the eye is drawn to it.
  • Take lots of shots. It’s better to have many, many shots of the same scene so you can choose the best of the bunch.

If you really want to get good at taking photographs indoors and out, consider signing up for a digital camera workshop. Many camera retailers offer a number of general and specialized classes in photography. Listing photos are part of the overall marketing package you offer your clients and should be as professional as you are.

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For more information contact

Ontario Real Estate Association

Jean-Adrien Delicano

Senior Manager, Media Relations

JeanAdrienD@orea.com

416-445-9910 ext. 246

Ontario Real Estate Association
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The trademarks REALTOR®, REALTORS®, and the REALTOR® logo are controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA. The trademarks MLS®, Multiple Listing Service® and the associated logos are owned by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license.

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