We see 100's of RE photos coming through all the time here at http://MNRealty.com (Thank you!) and we're committed to "improving" each and every one one through better scanning and/or "digital darkroom" techniques. However, my first posting in this series will concentrate on just a few things you can do long before we receive the image - things you can do to *shoot* better photos....
Personal Notes: (Skip ahead if I'm boring you) Here's the very very short version of my own photographic history. ..... I started in "professional photography" while in high school - shooting (and selling!) pictures of little league teams. I had a large darkroom in my basement and we did the whole thing in B&W glossies. In college, I shot some industrial documentation stuff and developed it in the boiler room of one of the dorms. Before moving to MN in '87, I had helped to start and run two of the main professional photo labs in Pittsburgh. If you get a couple drinks in me on the right day, you can get me to show you the "artistic" stuff from "street shooting" in the 70's. Nowadays, I like to do "street-travel" shooting, and I'm loving my new digital camera. - more on digitals later in this series...
1) Decide what is the best exterior marketing feature(s) for the listing; often the front, but sometimes it's the lake view, or tremendous rear deck, or maybe it's a condo and you need to take a photo of the entrance, or sign, or pool - *Marketing* is what we do! Think ahead and plan.
2) Note the Position of the home (Compass direction,) and Shoot at the right time of day!
3) Don't shoot head-on. Usually, front shots are better when taken at an angle. Eliminate phone/power wires (or those ugly green lawn utility boxes) Keep the garage farther away to "minimize" it if it's boxy. Large homes show too much street/curb when shot too far away - get closer at an angle, sometimes from the property next door! This technique also helps when you have too many trees in front - get behind/beside them and shoot at an angle.
4) Walk Around. Get out of the car! :) Actually walk around the home and shoot from various angles. (Often the diff. between a professional and amateur photographer is that the pro shoots a lot on speculation and gets lucky...) The extra 10 minutes and $2 in film/processing is well worth it, considering your time to get to the house and the uses for those photos later! Wouldn't it be great to have a back view, and the porch, and the garden, and, and, and....
5) Indoors.... Tricky! I would recommend a 24-28mm lens equivalent for quality inside shooting - usually beyond the range of most "standard" camera zooms. In the same way, you really should have a "bounce" flash (shooting upward at the ceiling to soften and eliminate glare/reflections,) and these aren't standard equip either.
So here's a way to get a decent interior shot with typical "all-in-one" cameras:
(And I really only recommend taking 1 or 2 unless you have all the lenses, etc.)
A) Choose a room or area with LOTS of natural light/windows. Open the blinds & curtains where possible.
B) Choose the best time of day for light to come into the room.
C) Pick an area or view where you can move the camera as far away as possible, such as in a doorway, adjoining room, or hallway. This lets you get a wider shot without the wider lens.
D) Set the camera up on a tripod. Get an inexpensive tripod if you don't have one. It's a lot cheaper than the flash equipment!
E) Turn OFF the camera's flash. This allows a longer exposure.
F) Shoot. More than one if your camera allows for adjusting over-exposure. (By the way, review your camera's manual for nifty features and buttons that most of us don't use or know about....)
** I shoot 200 speed film for all my Real Estate shooting because it is a good balance for indoor and outdoor mixed conditions. It also has lower contrast, meaning more detail in the shadows... I buy Fuji200 4-packs at Target usually for $6-7. I also get my film processed at Target - very inexpensive and it is all going to a large Kodak-sanctioned lab overnight for $5.99 for double prints, 24exp. 4x6 glossy. I understand that Target is now also starting 1 hour service and also has "Digital" capability.
So get on out there and Shoot! And while you're on your way... why not take a couple extra shots of the park down the road from the listing, or maybe the beautiful sign that they put up at the entrance to the development? And if you really want to go crazy, why not keep the camera in the car and shoot some interesting stuff around town for your web site..... ;)