The business side of photography
Imperfections and distractions in family photos aren’t often a big deal and can be easily overlooked. But if a picture is going to be printed large and hung on a wall then you might consider photo retouching to fix any technical errors, remove blemishes and enhance the image to look its best.
People sometimes confuse photo retouching with the generic term “airbrushing.” A person will often ask that their picture be airbrushed when they really mean they want technical errors fixed (e.g. too light, too dark, bad colour, etc.), distractions removed, the background changed, a building straightened, etc.
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Someone sent a business portrait of themselves and asked for it be retouched. The person wanted the brick wall background replaced with “something serious or dramatic.”
What exactly does that mean?
Why do you use spell-check?
To fix spelling mistakes that would otherwise make you look unprofessional.
Why retouch a photograph?
To fix mistakes in a picture that would otherwise make you look unprofessional.
Real estate photographers can spend a lot of time in the bathroom.
Despite being the smallest room in a home, bathrooms are very important. So house photographers know to spend a lot of time making sure the bathroom photos look good.
The same photography principles apply whether a bathroom is large, small or anywhere in between.
Verticals must be 90° vertical, room lights must be properly exposed and the bathroom has to look clean and bright.
Bathroom photos are an important marketing tool for home builders and designers. Since most home owners want to update their bathrooms, builders and designers should have eye-catching bathroom photos on their web site. This will always draw customer interest. Bathrooms (and kitchens) are key selling points to any renovation or new home.
Photography of real estate exteriors is best done when the weather and sunlight are both perfect. But it’s not usually possible to wait for ideal conditions.
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When I used to photograph new model homes, the higher-end properties often had a large wood-burning fireplace. When this type of home was to be photographed, the builder’s sales rep often arrived with a couple of fire logs under their arm. They would start a fire in the main fireplace to make the photos look better.
Today when I photograph houses, I’m often the only person in the home and there are no lit fireplaces. A gas fireplace might not yet be connected or the gas not turned on. Plus, for liability reasons, I won’t turn on any gas appliance. It’s also out of the question for the photographer to start a wood-burning fire, assuming that wood was even available.
Photo retouching to the rescue.
It’s easy to digitally add flames to an otherwise empty fireplace. A glowing fireplace adds life to a photo and will change a dull black hole into a room highlight.
If your real estate pictures have a fireplace, light it up with a nice fire.
