Q&A from a Professional Photographer

Now - instead of me writing endless copy (which, most of you know that I love to do!), I thought I'd do a Q&A with Natasha on how to circumvent the most common problems that sellers and realtors face when taking photos.

Light Issues

What do most bad real estate photos have in common?

Lighting is often the biggest issue when taking interior pictures. Most of the time the room will look really bright and washed out followed by a series of dark shadows. Sometimes those shadows hide important detail or space that is important to showcase the home at its best!

Can you talk about improving the light in a photo?

You can improve lighting in a room by turning on all the lights in the room. Open all the blinds and pull back curtains to allow the most amount of natural light as possible. The window itself will look washed out, but it should provide the best lighting situation for the interior.

Flash on or off?

To flash or not to flash! This is the big question, isn't it? Your best bet is to do BOTH! Having options when you get back to the office is always smart. So try taking pictures with and without the flash. 

However, when you are taking pictures indoors WITHOUT the flash, it would be a good idea to use a tripod. They make several small tripods for point and shoot cameras these days, some that can even sit on furniture. If a tripod is not an option or you're stuck without one, then sit the camera on a flat, sturdy surface (desk, counter, dresser), keeping the camera as steady as possible, press the button.

Wide Angle Issues

For realtors, it's important to get as much information in a room about a photo - but the result is often distorted.  Can you give some reasons why this happens and how they can improve these shots?

Point-and-shoot cameras are wide angle lenses, which is optimal when taking interior photographs. But the camera is not the issue here, you are! Don't worry, I'm going to tell you how to fix it. Take several steps backwards. Still have more room behind you? Take more steps backwards until you back into a wall! By doing this you are capturing the most amount space in the room on the camera. If it still looks distorted, then the room is too small for the camera. The only other option you have is to invest in a very expensive camera with a super-wide angle! e

Can you talk about some of the other things that you do as a professional photographer - that go beyond the reach of the good but amateur photographer - that help real estate  photos?

One of the biggest no-nos I see in a lot of photography, not just real estate, but general portrait photographs too, is when people place the object or subject in the middle of the picture, leaving too much space above or below. When looking through the lens, glance at all four corners of the viewer to make sure you aren't cutting off doors or floors. In real estate photography, always try to include the floor, wall and ceiling of a room, and if you have to cut something off due to lack of space, point the lens down and cut off the ceiling.

If you would like to contact Natasha, here is her information:

Natasha Beccaria Photography

Sayville, New York

NatashaBeccaria.com

(631) 965-6671

NatashaBeccaria@aol.com

On another note - I just signed up for a service that will improve your digital images for a very small fee.  I have a million older pictures from past clients that I needed some help with, so I decided to give it a try.  So far, two pictures came back much improved (they were able to fix some glare on walls that I couldn't get rid of otherwise).  MegaFixels