The old adage, ‘a picture paints a thousand words’ has never been truer in our time where everything is online. For a vendor, when putting your property on the market, photos can be the making or breaking of your success in getting noticed. The property market in the Costa del Sol is competitve, so making your property stand out, is paramount to getting responses, viewings and ultimately, offers.
We have seen some ‘cringe-worthy’ photography over the years that would make your eyes water and your head spin! There is no point in putting poor quality photos online as you are doing yourself damage, delaying responses to view and misrepresenting your property.
We put together some advice on how to get it right. You may want to commission the services of a professional photographer to ensure you get it right first time but we also believe you can still take good quality pictures as an amateur. Smartphones today are powerful tools. If you know how to use them, they can provide a professional finish without shelling out on a photographer. But however you decide to progress, start thinking about how to put your best foot forward in an extremely competitive market, to ensure your property stands out from the crowd and that the features of your property are in the limelight. Here are some of our top tips below.
Add some light to the subject
Ensure that you have plenty of light on your subject. Natural light is always better than artificial light, but sometimes you don’t have a choice if the room is internal or small, but make sure you have a bright day to shoot your images. If you are taking pictures inside, take the image with your back to the windows. Unless you are using a manual DSLR camera where you can alter the shutter speed and light sensitivity, your automatic camera or phone will focus on your light source and therefore all you will see is the windows, with everything else in the dark. Do some experimenting with this until you get it right.Use a wide angle lens
You will have seen the images on some websites where the photographer has captured an entire room in one shot. Then you look through your own camera or phone and wonder how they did that! Professional photographers or real estate agents tend to own cameras or smartphones with wide angle lenses that can capture larger spaces in one go. Wide angle lenses tend to come from anywhere between a 10mm (fish eye) up to 35mm (normal human eye range). We find that 18-20mm is a good level for photographing properties if you are able to invest in a DSLR, or a fancy smart phone with this setting. However beware: you don't want to completely distort the room in order to get the shot. Take shots from the corners of the room or take two isolated shots of a room if it is big. We don't recommend you use a fish eye solution (10mm) because it doesn't give the viewer a good sense of the room size and layout.Use a tripod for steady hands
Sometimes it is easiest to use a tripod. There are some great products on the market that you can also use with your smartphone. If you have a shaky hand we recommend you invest in a tripod because you are going to put some effort into these photos so try and avoid blurry images because you were unable to hold still for the shot.Frame your shot
Framing what you want to shoot, is the most important point for us to labour on. Make sure your view is clear of clutter, beds are made, pillows are plumped up on couches and surfaces are clear and clean. Take your time to ensure objects are displayed well on shelves and mantel pieces. Check you haven’t left the washing out in the background! This may sound like common sense but we have seen this happen, so preparation before the photo shoot costs you nothing but makes for a professional finish. The best solution is to do one room at a time. If you can't display something nicely, then take it out of the room, photograph the room, then return it!Furniture can also make or break a picture so make sure that you have created the desired effect by placing the furniture well, draping throws over couch arms and smoothing wrinkles out of beds and chairs. If you have pieces of art or ornaments that make a good feature shot, don’t be afraid to add these into your portfolio of photos. Make things look warm and inviting, as if someone had been sitting on that couch having a coffee, reading a book!
Go for quality, not quantity
There is a fine line to be drawn between quality and quantity. In our experience, you are better to spend the time preparing your environment and then taking a few shots of each space you create, than snapping furiously. Take your time. Think about what you would want to know about a house if you were buying or renting one – the bedrooms, bathrooms, open spaces, kitchen, lounge / living area, storage, outdoor spaces and so on. Tell a story with your photos!Clean your lens!
Finally, make sure you clean your lens! This is paramount to get a sharp picture, especially with smartphones. You spend time on these where your finger prints and oils from skin get over the lenses both front and back. So check before you start snapping. You will thank us for this!We hope this article has been useful for you. Don’t settle for substandard when it comes to property photos. Make sure you get it right first time and you are happy with the results. As a estate agent that cares about getting it right, we can take the hassle away for you by visiting your property (on a sunny day!) and taking some professional real estate photos for you. Contact us at info@bluegeckoestates.com or call +34 625 416523 if you need assistance!
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