What you see when you look out at the real world is vastly different from what a camera captures.  Our eyes are magnificent in what we are able to see without even being aware of all they are taking in.  Once we see something our mind is processing it instantly and compiling what what we are seeing without us even being aware of it.  For example next time you are in a room with wood floors or wood cabinets take a minute and look and see if you notice shades or hues of these colors: orange, yellow, red, and purple. You'll may also notice those colors vary with sunlight vs fluorescent light vs incandescent light.  When we look at things with our eyes we take it all in at once and get a composition of the image that's been processed and is constantly updating.  However a camera only transfers the image information (light and shape) back to a disk or film, there is no processing done like the way our mind has just done in the blink of an eye.

Post edit work is the work we photographers do after the photo has been taken.  Programs like Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop or Camera Raw are just a few that can help us process the photo so that it looks more like we see it with our eyes.  Yes, we can use these programs to enhance the photo too and often photographers do.  The reason is that we all want the image to look the best as it possibly can and what may look the best to one person may not look the best to the next.   When it comes to real estate photography post edit work is the toughest.  We have to make sure that it looks the best it can look without looking different than what a client will see.  One thing that is most often brought up is "I don't want it to look fake" or "I don't want the client saying it looks different than the photo".   Whether you photograph in HDR or with multiple flashes you will have heard this at some point in time but what you need to remember is you are providing the best looking image to the client just as an agent is going to show the house when they think it would look best i.e. time of day, all the lights turned on and blinds opened, messy closets closed or marks on the wall covered.  There is nothing fake about, the fact is when we stand in a room our eyes see everything and processes it so we may be in a room and see a beautiful kitchen but the camera shows a nice kitchen with yellow - orangey cabinets and dark shadows in the corners.  It is our job to hopefully get close to the beauty that our eyes and our minds are able to see.

Our work doesn't end after the shutter closes. 

When going to look for a home or to sell their current home people will start searching for "how to pick the real estate agent right for you". And then they are given advice on how to look for an agent:

• Talk with recent clients.
• Pick a winner. -Awards such as Realtor of the month or year
• Select an agent with the right credentials -specializing in residential or commercial 
• Research how long the agent has been in business. 
• Look at their current listings.
• Ask about other houses for sale nearby

So you get that listing that is only going to net you $500 and you decide to spend $100 for professional photos and only make $400 net profit. How does this help you with the list above and in the long run? Here's how:

1. You now have a client that will brag about you for hiring a professional photographer to photograph their home.
2. You put yourself in an elite class of agents who use professional real estate photography
3. Your personal brand looks uniform and more professional. - You never want a client to look at your listings and see that you favor someone else's listing by providing only professional photos to the higher profit houses. 
4. You make their listing stand out from the others in the same price range.
5. When comparing agents, a seller will contact the agent who has the most presentable image and or brand.
6. See #1 - you've made your client feel important to you.

For those of you who want to be able to have professional photos for these listings or to add professional photos to an existing listing for re-marketing. I offer a package for $75 called:

The 7 Highlights (1 picture of each)

• Front exterior
• Back exterior
• Master bedroom
• Master bath
• Kitchen
• Dining
• Living room
• All edited and provided within 24hrs via google dr. or photo cd

I want to help your listing become a buyers home!

Sincerely,

KahunaDrew

We've all seen these types of posts:  "Things buyers do that real estate agents hate" or "Things sellers do that real estate agents hate".  But what about the consumer....does anyone ask "What do real estate agents do that buyers and sellers hate"...actually they do.

Here's just a few things buyers and sellers are complaining and posting about real estate agents:

• don't listen to me about my house
• made me feel like I was stupid and didn't know anything
• I feel like I have to bug my agent to get them to answer the phone or call me back
• rush me off the phone when I call
• show me houses way above our price range
• the pictures of our house are terrible
• tried to make me sign a buyer agreement as soon as I walked into their open house
• showed up dressed like they were going to a football game

"Things written have already been in discussion" and these are real things buyers and sellers are writing. 

These are not complaints professionals hear.  The most successful professionals in any service industry understands their consumers.  Understanding is the ability to see another's point of view and success is the ability to connect with them from their point of view.

*In my personal experience the agents I have worked with have all been professionals. They genuinely care for their clients both buyers and sellers and working with people like that makes all the difference. I'm very proud of all the real estate agents I have worked with.

Sincerly,

KahunaDrew

Most of us know that in order to make our home look as amazing as possible we need do simple things such as: 

• Clearing the yard of debris or mowing the yard
• Move the cars out of the driveway
• Put away kids toys, including the pets they're kids too ;)
• General house cleaning
• Turn on all lights - the more light the better
• Open blinds to horizontal or even a slight tilt up
• Shut toliet lids

Now here are a few more that could help your home photograph amazingly well and drastically improve the look of your home in a listing :

• Take down decorations - i.e. It won't always be Christmas at your house or Halloween
• Move ottoman/foot rests from furniture - these take away from the space of the room in the photo
• Turn on outdoor lights
• Kitchen - remove small appliances i.e. the margarita maker, toaster... these take up your counter space
• Turn on any and all specialty lights such as ones underneath the kitchen cabinets
• Clean up that patio/outdoor siting area - even if it's the dead of winter, let's show off what you have! Uncover and clean that grill, open the patio table umbrella, let's show what you love about it!
• Turn off fans - easier to see the fan and plus you don't want to see a blur in the photo
• Hide ALL trash cans - yes they are perfectly fine to have but they are like a small appliance - they serve no purpose in a photo.
• Remove bath mats and or distracting small rugs - these take away from the space and add a distraction in the photo.
• Remove all items from bathroom counter top
• Remove any signs from your yard (Not the Realtors we can shoot around that)
• Level hanging pictures - THIS helps tremendously! This will do wonders for your homes photography. After all photography is all about keeping horizontals - horizontal and verticals - vertical.

These are just a few tips to help you show off the beauty of your home.

(next blog - How to photograph your kitchen)

KahunaDrew

Then there's you the Agent - you're not just selling a house, you selling you and your professionalism. The more professional your listings look the more likely others are going to want to list with you. If you see an agent with 'ok' photos and then an agent who's listings look professionally done and high quality, who would you want to list with? Being able to tell your potential seller "when you list with me I have a professional real estate photographer come out and take photos of your home" helps give your client a sense of priority.

Key Points

• Thumbnail picture - the cover picture (usually the front exterior) a potential buyer doesn't think "oh let me search the MLS" typically they search google, typing in what they are interested in. This leads to a list of listings all viewed with thumbnail pictures, so you want your thumbnail to stand out, to Pop!
• YES. Homes with photos taken using a professional camera typically fetch more money and sell faster. Sellers who used a high-quality camera and lens for their listing photos got an average of $3,400 more for their properties.
• Professional photos help sell homes faster, too. Homes priced between $400,000 and $499,999 sold three weeks faster when photographed with a professional camera.
• Wide Angle Lens - A professional real estate photographer knows what wide angel lens to use in order to show : right angles, proper horizontal and vertical lines, no fisheye lenses or barrel effects. *These lenses range from $300-$700 used and $500-$1200 new
• Photo Editing - a professional real estate photographer is proficient in photo editing and knows how to highlight the beauty of the home that gives a feeling that invites the potential buyer to physically view the home. After all the goal is to get potential buyers to see it in person.
• TIME - As mentioned before a Realtors life is a busy one and a valuable one. They need as much time designated to income producing activities as possible - not taking photos.  

• Real Estate Knowledge - A PREP like myself has an understanding of the "ins and outs" of Real Estate - from the current market (beach homes need views of the local beach, golf course homes need views of the golf course club house and course) , to the information that the local MLS accepts ( picture file size, number of pictures allowed, slide show requirements etc...)
•  Cost vs Professionalism - You don't ask clients to meet you at Starbucks for a meeting, you have an office. You don't dress in cutoff shorts and a sleeveless shirt, you dress appropriately for your market.  You don't take photos with your iPhone of your clients house to sell, you hire a professional because you're a professional and we take the pictures that help sell your house and become a buyers home.