Taking better photographs – an interview with Jay Groccia

Since January I have been beta testing a technology coaching program, I have 12 students, and every month we have a live online class where we review some of the top technology issues that my students need coaching on. We cover everything from Facebook and Twitter for Business to bringing video in to your marketing mix.

This past month we did an in depth class on taking better photographs.

Why, well have you looked at MLS lately?

Because most of us are taking our own photos with our point and shoot digital camera. I asked Jay Groccia, Principal Photographer of OnSite Studios™ and Founder of the OnlinePropertyShowcase™ to discuss the 7 most important photography tips that a real estate agent needs to learn.

Remember back in the day when you chose the houses to show buyers? Remember when curb appeal was defined as how a house stood out relative to it’s neighboring properties from the curb?

Jay coined a new term, Curb Appeal 2.0 which is defined as how a house stands out relative to similar properties on the web.

With a click of the mouse, the buyer is now INSIDE the house.Statistics have proved to us that Web surfers feel no sales pressure or even a need to be polite – if they don’t like what they see – then can CLICK away. Pictures may not ‘sell’ the house, but they will absolutely kill the sale. A COMPELLING online presentation must be the foundation of your marketing plan.

So I asked Jay, “What makes a compelling online presentation? He supplied me with the following points.

“The photography isn’t for an insurance report or a bank appraisal – it is to sell the lifestyle of the home.

1. Angle – No security camera mentality, most people hold the camera up high. Lower the camera the bigger the room. Think about where the average women’s eye go, it is usually about 5 feet off the ground. Take a look at that angle next. time. Keep the camera low – a camera looking down makes the room look small.

First picture – looking down, not wide angle enought and lighting poor:

The after – correct angle, and lighting

2. Exposure – Lighting. Balanced light is critical. Do you have blown out white windows, where it looks like an atomic bomb went off outside? Expose for the window and correct for the room. Increase shutter speed and fill with flash but don’t use the camera’s built-in flash – use a flash slave. Windows should be brighter than the room.

3. Unless the toilet is made of gold keep it out of the shot, if you can’t at least close the lid.

4. Give the viewer a sense of space. Walls should be PLUMB, counters and tables should be level. Homes shouldn’t lean back left right or forward. Would you buy a crooked house? A wide angle lens is useful to accomplish this.

5. Staging and decluttering is a must. Another post on this coming . . .

6. Color Fidelity – Color is relative to the light that is eliminating the object. Learn how to adjust your camera’s white balance to compensate and have great photos. Find the white balance adjustment on your camera. The camera default is for daylight, so play witht he settings. Remember the halogen and tungsten lights give yellow cast to pictures and make them look brown.

7. Time of day to take photography – the early morning or late afternoon can work best. Always take exterior pictures with blue sky.

Jay and I will be holding a free webinar – explaining these points in more detail with a check list to follow up with. To register click here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/739529725

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