Getting the gear out.
You have scheduled a professional photo shoot of your home to put it up for sale or perhaps to rent it out. What should you do before the photographer arrives? The home owner and the photographer naturally have a shared interest in making the property shine, so here is a solid case for team work.
I shoot slowly. For each photo I will look for the best focal length and composition. I’ll then carefully intervene in the scene to make sure all its elements provide for good framing and visual balance. The more I can focus on the small details (often only visible through the lens), the better the end result we will be. So here’s what you can do to help:
Clear out your personal stuff. I’m referring to the family portraits, the stack of old magazines by the reading chair, and the dog’s food bowl. But also toothbrushes, deodorants, shower gels and nail clippers, as well as all visible items of clothing, including bathrobes. And unless it’s got a six-digit price tag, let’s get the car out of the drive way, too.
Getting everything ready for the shoot.
In the garden, rake or blow away dead leaves, put away the garden hose and store the extendible pool leaf skimmer. Put out the cushions on all garden furniture, including the sun beds. Don’t forget the ones on any upstairs terraces. And a special request: turn off the irrigation system a day before so the grass is dry on the day of the shoot. Not only do I not want to be leaving foot tracks on your terrace, but I also like to make sure my equipment and I don’t get sprayed whilst waiting out in the garden for that killer twilight shot!
In the kitchen, we all love to keep our expensive machines and practical utensils in view and at close hand. But that’s not how guests and potential buyers want to see it. Declutter your kitchen countertops unapologetically before the shoot. Chances are we will add a few things back just for aesthetic measure, but only that. Give me a clean kitchen slate, so we can make a killer picture of one of the most important areas of the house.
No need to un-hook all doors.
Many clients sometimes apologise for not having had time to clean the entire house before the shoot. You know what, it usually doesn’t matter that much. The camera rarely reads a little dust, and if it does, a quick tactical wipe-down is usually enough. But here’s what you do want to get done: Clean all windows, especially the ones that get hit by the irrigation system at night. And make all beds to hotel-style standards. Press sheets and covers so you can stretch them and minimize wrinkles in the bedding. Tuck them in well, and check the laterals of all mattresses for lose bedsheets.
Use the upcoming photoshoot as the perfect excuse to fix what’s broken. The window shades that are stuck half way, the hinged terrace security bars that won’t open, and those dead lightbulbs you never got around to changing.
Finally, get some staging material for the shoot. Flowers (not too tall; they´ll block the view), colorful fruit, orange juice, bottle of wine goes a long way to liven up a lounge area or a coffee table. Make sure there are nice, neutral colored towels available for all bathrooms. But please, no flower petals or towels rolled into swans!
The goal is to make the property look inviting in a natural and unpretentious way, making the viewer feel like they could easily settle in and wind down in the milieu we present to them. When viewing the photographs, we don’t want the prospective client to merely see the property, but to feel it, and that requires the photographer and the owner to work as a team.