View of St. Paul
People looking for homes to buy or rentals complain about wanting to see more photographs and better photographs. What could be easier than marketing property on the internet with photographs?
Many of the photographs of homes for sale are of very poor quality. Pictures of apartments are often poor and there are few of them. It is hard to photograph an apartment occupied by a tennant and even though the iPhone has a great built in camera most people can not get a really great interior shot with their phone.
Interior photographs are the hardest kind to take. Personally i like to use a wide angle lens, a tripod some on camera and off camera lighting and then use a little tone mapping or HDR when I process them.
Photographs of the outside of the building, lobbies, mailrooms, party rooms, patios and nearby parks can also help potential tenants. It is also a good idea to include views from the windows and even photographs taken at night if the view includes city lights and local landmarks.
A couple of weeks ago I found several of my own photographs being used to market apartments. They were on various web sites and some even had my water mark on them. I went ahead and sent out some invoices.
If you have an apartment to rent you need photographs. You can steal them or you can hire me to take them for you.
In recent months I have been taking photographs of apartments and apartment buildings for owners and property management companies. I love photography and would be happy to do it for free but I have bills to pay.
The interent is a visual kind of place. Advertising anything on the internet without photos just doesn’t make sense . .neither does stealing mine.
I agree that a large number of listings have terrible pictures. While I have not spent much time trying to master this art myself, I would say 80% of the pictures I take of my own house are disappointing. I am looking to market my own house as a rental in the near future. Do you use a special camera lens? What tips or tricks can you offer for taking better pictures of houses or apartments in general?
I am wer to the St. Paul area and started following your blog about one month ago. I appreciate the information you provide on the area, as well as the real estate topics.
Most people don’t have the right equipment. I use a wide angle lens on a DSLR camera, a tripos and a couple of lights. I suppose for tips I could suggest keeping the camera level, aim the flash at the ceiling not at appliances, dark woodwork, mirrors or windows. Shoot durin g the day and let as much light in as possible. use a tripod and process the photos to bring out the best. That should do it. good luck to you.
Buyers or not most of us are visual when it comes to things. I myself would love to see pictures of the property before I even think of renting or buying. You brought up a lot of interesting facts here Teresa. A good DSLR with the right lens and photoshop (if necessary) is a great investment.
I actually love it when I see listings out there with terrible photography because I see it as an opportunity to point out what hiring a non dedicated and non professional agent can look like. Given that you can properly photography a home for a couple hundred dollars it doesn’t make sense to me why anyone wouldn’t. Of course I am talking only about for sale listings, not rentals. Rentals in San Diego typically don’t pay much unless they are $!0,000 plus per month.
I agree. I will also add that it is always ok to hire a pro not all real estate agents are architectural phtographers