As Real Estate Photographers we are always trying to impress upon clients that having professionally taken and edited photos of a home will give you better quality than you can get with your standard point and shoot camera or smart phone. But since photography is a visual medium, let's take some pictures to show the differences and limitations. One pet peeve of mine is when articles say they are going to do comparison photos, yet they don't even take pictures of the same room or same angle! How is THAT a comparison!? Here I have taken 3 photographs of an average looking room, in an average home. The photos are taken with 3 different cameras, from the same exact spot, at the same time, at the same height, and the same angle. Let's see the results!
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| Point and Shoot |
Photo #1 - was taken with a standard point and shoot digital camera. Don't get me wrong, those cameras can take some really good shots, and their appeal is that they are small and compact. But they have their limits, and when it comes to getting the best possible home photos, results are what matter. For the optimal real estate photos you are looking for square footage, clarity, brightness, realistic color saturation, and image sharpness. In this photo the window is overly bright to the point of being a distraction, the wall hangings are softly focused, and the room colors are muted.
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| iPhone |
Photo #2 - was taken with a camera on a current smart phone. Amazing photography right on our phones! I know, as a photographer, I was thrilled at the idea of having a good quality camera on me at all times, imagine all the "in the moment" shots I could capture that I otherwise wouldn't have. A glance at Instagram, Facebook, or Flickr will show you all the incredible photo's people can take with their smart phone - the talent is endless out there! However, for the purpose of real estate photo's is the quality there? This photo is hazy, dark, you can't tell exactly what the colors of the room are, and again the window is overly bright. My experience is that smart phones take much better pictures outdoors in natural light, then they do indoors.
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| DSLR with editing |
Photo #3 - was taken with a digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera, and edited for exposure and contrast with software to enhance clarity and definition. One benefit of the SLR is that you can change lens sizes based on the photo wanted and the situation. In real estate photography this means we can use a wide angle lens to capture a broader perspective of each room, and the camera itself allows more control over depth of focus and light. In this photo the SLR has given us a much brighter image, it has very sharp focus, provides more detail, and the colors are true to the room. Notice that the wide angle lens has given us a larger and wider view of the room now. Overall this is a much more appealing, inviting, and eye catching photo! Now your potential home-buyer is paying attention to the expanse of floor space in the room, the great amount of light this room gets from the windows, and the spaciousness of the room for entertaining!
Keep in mind that just because someone owns a professional DSLR camera does not make them a professional photographer. Just like owning a professional knife does not make me a Chef, just ask anyone who has eaten my food! Professional photographers do it for a living, they understand light, composition, and depth of field, they practice often, and are constantly learning new techniques to improve their photography skills.
So there you have it, 3 photos, taken with 3 different cameras. I think we have clearly shown how having professional photos brings an increased level of quality to attract potential home buyers. Beautiful photos grab your attention and create an emotional response and THAT is what helps sell a home...emotion! A home buyer wants to envision their children having room to lay around on the floor and watch cartoons. They imagine walking through the home and the bright sunlight energizing the start of their day! Or see that the space has lots of seating room for family and friends for the next holiday or Superbowl party! Capture attention, capture emotion, with professional quality real estate photos.
Side Note: Some of you may be crying "foul" since the 3rd shot was edited with professional software and the others were not! You think I violated my own pet peeve - that I have not taken 3 EQUAL shots for comparison. HOWEVER, this is to show you yet another limit of the point and shoot and smart phone cameras. Currently they shoot in a digital format that is unable to utilize the professional editing software to their fullest capabilities. That's not to say that editing software can NOT be used with those cameras, but the average person is not going to have that software, know how to use it, nor want to spend the money or time on it. At Full House Photography this software is just one of the tools we use to help us capture and create our quality photographs.
FullHousePhoto.com
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