Real Estate Photography
This property photography guide is meant to supplement, and help make the most out of our Bangkok real estate photography services. Whether the Siam Home Source photographer is coming to simply take a quick set of snapshots of your small rental property or a careful professional photo set, or you are taking your own photos of your Bangkok luxury property, we suggest you follow these general real estate photography guidelines we elaborate on below. Knowing the very basis about how the human eye views and the human mind comprehends property photos can drastically increase the appeal of your listing and decrease its time on the market. Below we will cover the basic steps you need to take to make sure the photos of your property make it look impressive.
Lighting
Digital photography is the science, art, application and practice of creating images by recording light electronically by means of an image sensor. Without light there is no photography. Unless you’re presenting a bar or night club, real estate photography almost always looks better during the daytime with ample natural (ambient) light. By ample natural light, we mean as much as possible. This means, for all property photo shoots, you should have all the blinds open, curtains and shades drawn at the time of the shooting. Nothing looks less appealing than an dark and dingy looking living space. The exception being if there is strong direct sunlight or extreme glare which over exposes the background and doesn’t allow the camera to collect the light in the interior. Regardless of the presence of ample ambient light the real estate photos will benefit from turning all the lights in your house, townhouse, or condo/apartment the vast majority of the time.
There are 2 reasons for this;
1. Turning on all the lights in your property will allow your potential tenants or buyers to see all the lights that exist in the property. This is especially important for non-standard accent lights, such as those lining a staircase or bar.
2. Daylight is a naturally cool light with a color temperature of 5,000-7,500K that has a blue tint to it. This can can cause the whites to appear bluish and cast cold feeling to the the property which is not good. By turning on your (warm bulb) lights which have a color temperature of about 2,400-3,000K, the ambient light is balanced out, the whites appear white, and your property’s lights will cast a warm, welcoming glow that the human psyche is trained do perceive as inviting.
Preparing the Property
We have already covered the most important aspect of real estate photography, the lighting, but now we will discuss where a little effort can go a long way. People subconsciously want to feel at home when looking at property photos. They are viewing the properties because they are looking for a new home and nothing takes them out of the content feeling of being at home than a dark, poorly prepared property. We are not saying you need to hire an expensive interior designer but there are some basic steps to do, and some extra steps to take which will make your property look most appealing.
Simple Steps to Make Property Photos Look their Best
Remove Clutter
There is a fine line between your condo nicely furnished and decorated and having unnecessary furniture, kid’s toys, your toys, electronics, unorganized books, musical instruments, art, etc. sitting around in the photos. Remove any unnecessary or temporary furniture from the room before you photograph it. Remember, your real estate photos are showcasing the space of your property, not how much junk you can stack on a ฿500 IKEA utility shelf.
Make the Beds
When someone views a photo of a bedroom you want them to see the entire room, feel comfortable and think how much they’d like to sleep in the bedroom. You don’t want them focusing on the uncovered mattress. Make sure all beds are nicely made with full bed sets before the photographer comes to take the photos, it helps show your property a lot more than you probably think compared to bare mattresses or unmade beds.
Set the Dining Table
- Another simple step to take that goes a long way to make your property listing look more appealing is to simply set the dining table. This especially makes a difference if you have a very large dining table, but is also important for small tables. A full dining table setup including table linens, plates, silverware, wine glasses, serviettes and perhaps a bottle of wine or vase of flowers will work wonders for making your property seemed elegant and refined, a true home.
Use Strategic Accent Pieces
The polar opposite of clutter, too many things in not enough space, accent pieces should be used when there is a large amount of empty space. Accent pieces or accent furniture are any items that compliment the room as they stand out in empty space. Accent pieces can be anything from furniture to colorful pillows on a sofa, to potted plants, art, decorative lamps, book shelves and anything up to your imagination. You don’t have to be a Feng Shui master or professional interior designer make your property photos to look their best. Just try your best to balance out the amount of empty space with the amount of furniture and accent pieces in your property before or the photographer.
Conclusion
To summarize everything written above in one quick sentence, allow as much natural light as you can into your property, remove any clutter, nicely make the beds, set the dining table and place accent furniture here and there. Those very simple steps will make your property look like it was just professionally done by a world renowned interior designer and it costs almost nothing and takes no more than 10 minutes. There is a lot of competition when you are trying to rent or sell a fully furnished condo or apartment in Bangkok. By following these simple steps and taking good photos of your property, you will be a step ahead of all the other co-owners. Your property will stand above the rest and it will translate to shorter times on the market and better return on your investment.
Some Examples
Coming soon
Taking Your Real Estate Photography Yourself?
Read more about property photography method (coming soon)