5 Photography Secrets to Make Your Home Stand Out

Now more than ever before, people are turning to the internet during their property searches. According to a study conducted by the National Association of REALTORS®, an astonishing 97% of buyers look online when trying to find a home to purchase. Due to the strong influence of technology and digital mediums in the real estate industry, capturing great photographic images of a home to include in an online listing is absolutely crucial for sellers. In order to generate substantial interest from buyers, homeowners should never underestimate the importance of high-quality real estate photography for their sale.

 

When it comes to photographing a home, the process is far more complex than just pointing at a camera and clicking the shutter. In order for images to possess the kind of quality seen in magazines and editorials, properties need to be photographed with top-notch equipment, and the shoot needs to be thoroughly planned. Learning how to take professional home photos is one of the best ways a seller can set their listing up for success. Due to the substantial role these images will play in attracting potential buyers, many homeowners also choose to work with a professional real estate photographer before listing their property on the market.

 

To make your home stand out from the rest once it’s listed on the market, use these top five photography secrets to your advantage while planning your shoot to capture stunning images and captivate potential buyers.

The first step to achieving fantastic images of your home is scheduling the shoot at the right time of day. Natural lighting has an enormous impact on the way photographs appear, so choose a time when the sun will illuminate your property the most. Shooting during the hours right after sunrise or the hour right before sunset is the best time to aim for since the lighting will be bright but still soft enough to not be overpowering. The best circumstance is while the sun is positioned behind the property rather than in front of it, so depending on your home’s specific location, choose either the morning or early evening hours based on where the sun falls. You’ll also want to check the weather ahead of time to make sure it won’t be a cloudy or rainy day while you shoot.

All the best photographs convey a feeling when you look at them, and this applies to real estate images as well. One of the greatest secrets to making a home listing stand out from the rest is by creating an atmosphere with the season it is shot during. Depending on what time of year your property is being put on the market, you can set the stage for how the final project will appear. For instance, if you’re listing in the spring, put a few vases of fresh flowers on the tables or plant some around the house outside to give it a colorful boost.

 

If it’s wintertime, turn on the fireplace in the living room or place a decorative blanket over the couch to make the home look cozy and inviting. By paying careful attention to the ambiance, you’ll be able to instill a sense of emotion in buyers viewing your listing as they immediately begin to imagine what living in the property would be like.

In addition to the benefits natural lighting will provide by scheduling the shoot for the right time, artificial lighting can be used to your advantage as well. When shooting the exterior of a home, turning all of the lights on first instead of having it be dark inside the windows can make the property really glow and appear more welcoming to buyers. When shooting the interior of a home, you can use LED panels and reflectors to choose which parts of the room the light hits in order to highlight those areas and make them pop. You’ll also want to use an external flash rather than relying on the sun and lightbulbs alone.

There’s a huge variety of different cameras, lenses, and accessories in the photography world, and you’ll want to make sure you pick the right equipment to work with for your shoot. You’ll want to select a wide-angle lens so you can fully capture each room and make the space appear larger. Making sure the camera is on the right settings will also have a large effect, so choose the shutter speed based on the amount of lighting in the room. If the camera moves while the photograph is being taken, it has the potential to totally distort the final result. To prevent this from happening, you’ll want to use a tripod and place it at the right level so the camera remains completely still during the shot.

While the actual shooting of the photographs is a crucial step, the final editing process should never be overlooked. Photographic editing has the power to completely transform images and make them appear brighter, bolder, and sleeker. High-end software such as Photoshop can bring any image from being a basic photograph to looking like a professional editorial-grade shot. Color correcting plays a huge impact on the end result, allowing images to be manipulated so they have the right temperature, shade, and contrast. Editing can also work to draw the eye to certain areas of the photograph by raising or lowering the highlights, shadows, white balance, and saturation.

 

If you’re planning to sell your home in the Valley Village real estate market or its surrounding neighborhoods and are looking for further guidance from an expert, Jonelle Lewin, a real estate agent in California, can happily assist you. With extensive knowledge of all the top property sale strategies and valuable insight into all the best Valley Village homes for sale, she will help you ensure your property is presented in tip-top shape so you earn the substantial profit you deserve.