Photo Tips
Advice For The Best Shots Possible
Expose For Interior
When photographing the inside of a house, make sure the interior is exposed and not too dark. Don’t expose for the windows, but for the interior. If the interior is too dark or under exposed, it may not be possible to brighten the interior with editing.
Capture The Entire Room
Make sure you step back and capture the entire room, not just a part of the room. This sometimes requires sharp angles and stepping all the way into the corner of a room. It is better to have a wide angle photo as opposed to a photo of half the room.
Don’t Aim At The Ground
Try to aim your camera straight into the room, not towards the ground. It is recommended that you align the edge of your camera with a wall to keep walls straight up and down.
Landscape vs. Portrait
Do your best to keep your camera in landscape mode. There are few occasions where it would be necessary to capture a photo in portrait mode. Sometimes MLS will resize portrait photos and put black bars on the side, resulting in a very small unappealing image.
Wide Angle Lens Adapter For Phone
There are a number of wide angle lenses available for smart phones. We suggest a wide angle lens that minimizes distortion and provides clarity across the frame. We recommend Moment wide lenses. They work with most Apple and Android devices.
Composition & Framing
The way you frame your photos is critical to the finished look. Always consider everything in the frame, foreground and background, and everything from left to right. Each photo should be deliberate and well thought out. Each room should be captured in its entirety, without cutting off part of the room. Try to balance your composition so it is visually appealing, while also properly presenting the space you are photographing.
Toilets, Closets, Laundry Rooms & Garages
We don’t recommend photographing toilet rooms, closets, laundry rooms, garages or any part of a home that isn’t visually appealing. Capture only the best interior and exterior areas, and focus only on rooms and features that are visually appealing. There are exceptions, such as elaborate closets with wooden shelves or garages with game rooms.
Avoid Bright Windows
When photographing interiors it is important to avoid bright windows, or make sure you are exposing for the interior. You may want to adjust blinds or curtains to minimize direct sunlight onto the camera. You can also try to adjust your angle to minimize bright light.
Watch Your Verticals
Verticals are how professional photographers refer to walls. Walls should always be straight up and down. Without a tripod it is nearly impossible to be perfect, and that is okay because Tourdrop will fix any vertical alignment issues. However, it is good practice to try and get it close when you are taking your pictures. Don’t aim the camera at the ground.