(this image is an example of one of my actual HDR lising photos)

Years ago, I was one of the people who fought for a new Intermountain MLS rule to require at least one photo for each new MLS listing.

The debate over that issue included some MLS members arguing “what if the property doesn’t photograph well?”

Amazingly, it also included the misguided logic of “what if the listing agent doesn’t have a camera?”

(don’t get me started on this!)

Now, every agent has at least one camera, the excuses are gone, and every listing has to include at least one photo.

Which brings us to the current issue of poor photo quality.

When I view listings online, I’m often amazed at the low quality of property photos.

Poor lighting and bad composition are at the top of the list.

Then, we have cars, trucks, bikes, and garbage cans in the driveway.

Or, no front elevation shot; just a few interior shots.

Other examples include dirty dishes in the kitchen sink, raised toilet lids, full cat boxes, crooked door and window frames, photos shot directly into bright sun, dark adjoining rooms, and lawns so Photoshopped they look like bright green rugs.

Here are a few tips for good real estate photography:

• Use a high-quality DSLR camera.
• Avoid using a Smartphone for real estate photography (for a long list of reasons).
• Use a bounce flash (off ceilings/walls) to avoid “hot” direct flash lighting.
• Post-process images with Photoshop or other suitable professional-grade software.
• Post-process images for sharpness and accuracy; not embellishment.
• Shoot from quarter-angles for increased visual interest (straight-on shots are really, really boring!)
• Turn on all interior lights before shooting interior shots (to avoid shooting into dark adjoining rooms).
• Close doors to adjoining rooms where appropriate.
• Use a moderate wide-angle lens for interior shots (I use a 16-35 mm lens).
• Avoid extreme wide-angle lens that distort images (10 mm lenses exaggerate/distort room sizes).
• Shoot horizontally straight and level (waist or chest height) to avoid distorted/angled door and window frames.
• Learn how to use depth-of-field to achieve both near and far focus.
• Use a tripod to achieve optimal focus and sharp images.
• Shoot more images than needed, then choose the best ones during post-processing.
• Always shoot at the camera’s highest quality setting, the resize to suit after post-processing.
• Set up three computer files for images (raw/processed/resized).

If your listing agent hires a professional photographer, realize that the photographer will want to quickly get their shots during one visit to the property.

That means they will be shooting into the sun at some point because you can’t get good west-looking shots in the afternoon and you can’t get good east-looking shots in the morning.

And, direct midday sun sucks.

I prefer to do my own photography so I can take my time and visit the property more than once to get the best shots with optimal lighting.

Rushed photography is seldom quality photography.

I’m a Canon fan and usually shoot with my 20-megapixel Canon 6D, 600EX-RT flash, and a variety of high-end L-series professional quality lenses.

My post-processing workflow includes Photoshop with several Topaz plugins.

I also shoot HDR (high dynamic range) bracketed images where appropriate and use Photomatix and Aurora post-processing software to achieve stunning, vibrant blended images.

My photography skills have been honed over several decades while capturing the 45,000 images stored on my computer’s hard drive.

Check out my virtual tours on this blog (click on the link at the top right of this page) for examples of my photography.

I also created all of the photography included in my slideshow at the top of this page.

If you’re interested in having your home marketed with stunning photography, please call me at (208)938-5533 or e-mail me and let’s talk.

Remember:

• Good real estate photography sells homes!
• When someone requests a showing after viewing quality images of your home, they’ve already approved what they’ve seen and the sale will follow if they like what they see in person.
• Good real estate photography costs you no more than bad photography.
• But, bad real estate photography can prevent your home from selling!