Comments on: Composition In Real Estate Photography

By: Photo News Today » Blog Archive » Composition In Real Estate Photography - Larry Lohrman

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:44:04 +0000

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By: Jay Zenner

Jay Zenner — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:30:23 +0000

Getting good photographs of a home is one of many things we as agents need to get better at to serve clients in a market were the sellers outnumber the buyers by a wide margin. I’m amazed flipping through homes on the MLS how many really awful pictures are used.

The purpose of most marketing materials should be to get showings. This would dictate that the purpose of the photographs is more to entice than reveal. Few houses are bought based on pictures on-line or in a brochure.

By: Luis Toledo

Luis Toledo — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:47:51 +0000

Composition can also be constrained by client request, unfortunately. I shot a house yesterday where on of the appliances in the kitchen was mismatched and the homeowner insisted that it be obscurred in the photo. This really limited me in composing the shot and made me shoot at a much lower angle to the countertop than I thought looked “good.” The end result was a shot that prominently features the backs of bar chairs in the foreground and doesn’t really show off any of the appliances. Client seems happy though, so I’m marking it business one, art zero.

By: Ty Mattheu

Ty Mattheu — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:31:42 +0000

I agree with regards to the rules that aren’t rules. One of the things I try to do is hit the “4 corners” of the most important rooms in the house: Kitchen, Master, Living/Great room, and maybe another room that shows uniquely and well. It’s no substitute for asking myself “If I were buying this house, what’s the most important feature”. But it is a little insurance for when I get back to the computer. Occasionally I am surprised when one of these “extras” turns out to do a better job telling the story than the anticipated “keeper.”

By: Michael Yearout

Michael Yearout — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:55:17 +0000

Very good post Larry. Composition is so important. I like to keep a few things in mind: the two wall rule (show no more than two walls in any photograph – although this is not a hard rule, some rooms benefit from the addition of the 3rd wall. I always try to remember the rule of thirds and finally the so called “golden rule” which is much like the rule of thirds. I find it helps in composing any photograph.

I also discuss with each agent/builder what they want to show as the most important aspect of the scene. I find this helps a lot and makes me focus on what they want, even if I disagree.

Michael