Luxury Real Estate Photography
Let’s talk a bit about luxury real estate photography, one of my favorite topics.
First of all, photos matter. I still see signs of people using their cell phones to shoot their listings in the million-dollar price range.
Unbelievable. Do not do that.
Everybody is online now, and there is hardly any more print advertising.
You have about one second to capture somebody’s attention online with a phenomenal, captivating, and compelling cover shot of your listing. Click To TweetYou have about one second to capture somebody’s attention online with a phenomenal, captivating, and compelling cover shot of your listing.
Put some thought into your lead photo
When I go on a listing appointment, and I talk to the seller and take notes about the property, I am, in the back of my mind trying to figure out where we are going to set up the tripod for our cover shot.
- Is it going to be from up in the air?
- Is it going to be down from below?
- Which angle is the best?
- What time of the day is the best?
Your job is to capture, compel, and enthrall the viewer, so they want to see more. You are not usually going to sell the house from the photo. You want them to show up and see the house, you want them to be hooked, so they want to see the house, and they want to hear the rest of the story.
Therefore, your picture should be the beginning of a story about the property.
Here is another tip.
Listings are likely to be on the market longer now, potentially, in some markets. So, take two or three cover shots, and then use the best one first. Then in a few weeks, switch out your cover shots. This allows the listing looks fresh and new all the time.
The human eye is such a miraculous thing. You can see things that are really hard to duplicate with a camera. It can look at a room and see out the window and in the room simultaneously. We try to emulate that with a camera, and it’s hard to do. You either have to equalize the light or do what is called HDR photography. So, I am back to hire a real photographer and talk to them about HDR.
Some examples for your listing presentation
It is kind of mean, I know, but it is okay, I am giving you permission.
If you take an expired listing, show the seller the pictures of their house and say, “Would this compel you?” then show them your pictures and how much thought, effort, and time you put into them.
It is okay to be picky during the photography process. We can take several hundred pictures to get down to the 24 or 30 that we are going to use.
We want to tell the story of the house. We want people to feel compelled to come to see it in person because I could only think of maybe one time in my whole career when I sold a house sight unseen.
In other words, use a professional photographer.
They know how to work the camera, all the dials, the light settings, and so much more. Work with your photographer to get really magical and compelling cover shots.
In conclusion, understanding pictures are the hook that brings buyers in. Tell them enough, but not too much. You want to turn them from lurkers to lookers, they are not going to buy until they come and look.
