Photographers: (JUNE 18, 2010) We are still receiving orders with less than 3 to 4 photos of each area. We must have no less than 3 photos of every room, even if the room is small. ALSO 3-4 of the front, 3-4 of the back, 3-4 of the back yard, 3-4 of the water or lake view if included. Please list the reason on the description form if you did not take 3 to 4 photos of each room. We are also still receiving vertical shots. Remember to take NO vertical (up and down) photos. With a wide angle lens you will be able to get even the smallest bathroom in one shot. Following the above instruction will keep you from having to make a return trip to take extra photos.
Photo Tips / Instructions     - also see the photographers checklist
 
Photographers need to take 4-5 photos of each room from different angles.
Photos need to be as professional as possible.
Photos need to be high quality - set your camera to medium or high quality
Size of photos - Photos need to be no smaller than 1600 pixels wide -by- 1200 pixels tall
Blinds - You get better photos if the blinds are closed or open just a little bit. Sometimes depending on the lighting you will be able to get photos showing outside of windows. These are good to have if the home has nice landscape or is located on the water.
 
Bathrooms - Make sure to put down the toilet seat. We only need one good photo of small bathrooms.
Please take at least 3 good photos of master bathrooms.
 
Remember that we are showcasing the property and it's features not the furniture. We need to take special photos of such things as fireplaces, granite counters or anything else that will help sell the property.
 
Try to include some of the ceiling in each photo if possible.  All photos need to be shot in landscape mode. Do not turn the camera sideways to take the photos. We can not use those photos in the video.
 
We recommend that you do not touch or move anything in the home. The property should be ready to be photographed when you arrive. We recommend that you set up your policies on this and make sure you let your customers know to have everything ready to go when you arrive. We do move or push small things out of the way such as shoes or clothes that may be laying in the middle of the floor. Be very careful if you decide to touch or move anything in the home.
We also recommend that you do not touch, open or move any child safety gates.
 
Simple Lighting Techniques for Real Estate Photos
Getting the right kind of lighting is always a little tricky with real estate photos. The weather may not cooperate for the exterior photos. There may not be enough light for an interior photo or the photo may be under exposed because you were shooting into a window. There are some simple things you can do to help mitigate these circumstances.

Exterior Photos - Check the weather forecast and try to time your exterior photo taking for the best day that you can. Try to time the taking of exterior photos so the sun is slightly to your back or directly overhead (11am to 1pm is a good target time). If the sun is too low in the morning or afternoon you will typically get shading or be shooting into the sun on one side of the house, neither of which will create a good picture.

Interior Photos - It's hard to have too much interior lighting. Turn on as many lights as possible, including table lamps and accent lighting. They will add depth and warmth to the picture.

Interior photos that include windows - It is important to minimize the light coming from a window. Your camera's light sensor will adjust itself to that large light source which will cause the rest of the photo to be underexposed. Close the blinds or pull the drapes shut if you can.

A Great Trick To Know! - If you are taking a photo that includes a window, point your camera to the right or left of the window (so that the window is outside the picture frame). Slightly depress the shutter button so the camera takes the light reading from the wall (you will here the camera make a noise when it has set the focus and light meter). Then turn your camera back to the shot you want (keeping the shutter button depressed half way down) and take the picture. That way the light meter will set itself to the room light and not the light coming in from the window.
If you can't do that, try to take the photo from an angle that will minimize the amount of window in the shot.

Trying to capture the room and the outside scenery at the same time- People often make the mistake of thinking that they will capture both the interior scene and a nice outdoor scene through a window in a single photo. The photo will not show the outdoor scene like you see it in person. If there is a nice view through a window that you want to show, compose the shot so the window as the greatest part of the photo with just enough of the interior to show the viewer that the scene is coming from the inside.
 

Click here for - Bad Photo Examples