Spotlight on Real Estate Photography
The Illusion of Perfection
Were they to look through all the photos on our computer, a homeowner might get discouraged about the idea of selling a home - but they shouldn't. Yes, we have thousands of photos of homes with picture-perfect rooms, but what you see in the image is often an illusion.
Don't get me wrong! Part of our job is to capture the actual features of a home. While we choose our angles carefully and are allowed to make edits to exposure and white balance, we are responsible for telling the truth about what we see. If there is a hole in the wall or a spot on the carpet, it has to stay there.
However, the tranquility you see in a sun-filled kitchen or the shine of gleaming porcelain in a bathroom may only be momentary. Often the agent and the family in residence are only a few steps ahead of our photographer and moments after he leaves a room, it is invaded by dogs, cats and kids.
Here are a few of our favorite moments from actual shoots which illustrate this:
The photographer arrives on time, but lunch isn't over yet, because the dining table is littered with take-out bags, so he finds another room to work in.
The photographer has to wait a moment to take a shot, because a small toddler in a diaper is running through the room screaming, chased by a dog.
The picture looks serene, but every minute the photographer was in the house, there was a dog barking desperately in the garage.
As the photographer shoots the rest of the house, the homeowner is moving through the bedrooms unpacking new bedspreads, bed skirts and pillow shams, and putting them on the beds.
The house is empty of furnishings, but there is a cleaning crew, two real estate agents, a homeowner and several dogs frantically running around the house while photographs are being taken.
Our photographer is shooting pictures in the living room, while the agent and the homeowner are loading boxes with the items from the home's kitchen counters.
Photography for Real Life
For us, the real lives of homeowners are just a part of our business, but that's not the case with all photographers. We hear tales of photographers who show up, only to leave again, because the homeowner was not ready, the homeowner hadn't left or pets were in the house. Do we love to shoot a perfectly staged home without any live beings in it? Of course, we do, but we also work with our agents and homeowners to get the images needed, even when the situation isn't perfect.
Our images are beautiful and the quality is great. Our photographer is a trustworthy professional, who treats homeowners with respect and agents with appreciation. Our turn-around time is 24 hours. We provide individualized service to each of our clients, molding our procedures to their needs, rather than their lives to our convenience. In other words, we are flexible with the realities of life.
If that sounds like the way you'd like for you and your homeowners to be treated, then you should give us a call at 214-499-6519. And remember, during November, we're giving first time clients a free drone shot with their first appointment.