omebuyers are using the talk with a knowledgeable
Internet as their primary salesperson. At a minimum, the
means to search for homes. camera must take wide-angle
How have real estate agents photos and work with an external
responded? By providing low flash or "slave flash." Another
quality photography of the houses useful accessory is an easily
they are selling. Wrong! Realtors adjusted tripod.
still don't seem to understand
that marketing a home properly Once you have purchased your
always includes first rate camera, here are a few simple
photography. High quality digital tips to get you started:
photography should be a major
component of every real estate •Wide-angle, wide-angle,
agent’s marketing efforts. An wide-angle. Use a wide-angle
agent’s goal in photo marketing lens. For most interiors, you'll
is to provide a quality want to take in the largest
collection of photos showing home possible area of the room.
exteriors and interiors for both
buyers and sellers. These photos •Decide what part of the room is
are used for listing most interesting from a visual
presentations, flyers, emails, standpoint and make that your
multiple listing services and focus. You want to photograph the
agent web sites. most appealing areas of the room
and compose your photo so that
There are many excellent cameras these key areas are emphasized in
on the market. It's important to your photograph.
choose one that takes quality
photos in almost any kind of •Eliminate excessive clutter. A
interior lighting. Visit a famous photographer observed that
quality photography store and photography is "ten percent
creativity and ninety percent camera."
moving furniture."
Another potential problem is the
•Keep vertical lines vertical. It red-eye reduction feature. You'll
confuses your viewer when either need to turn this feature
vertical lines are tilted. Also off or purchase a flash unit that
try to keep horizontal lines can work with it. Some of the
parallel to the top and bottom of slave flash units are designed
the frame. Finally, keep your specifically to work with cameras
camera level and don't tilt it up having red-eye reduction and will
or down. fire at the right time, but it's
usually easier to turn the
The main problem in indoor feature off on the camera.
photography is lighting. The
built-in flash of the digital There are a number of other
cameras simply isn't bright things that you can do to improve
enough light up an entire room. the lighting of your indoor
However, there is an easy photography. Turn on all of the
solution called a "slave flash." lights in the room. A low cost
A slave flash has an electric eye solution that you may want to
that senses when your built-in consider is buying one or two
flash fires, and then the slave clamp-on flood light units from a
flash fires at the same time. home improvement store and
These flash units are usually bouncing their light off the
battery powered, and run from ceiling in darker rooms. Be sure
about $75 up depending on the to open all curtains to allow as
brightness and features. You can much natural lighting as
find them at your local camera possible, but try to avoid
store, or do a search on the Web shooting directly into a window
for "slave flash" and "digital where glare may overexpose your
photograph.
After you have taken your photos, size="-2">http://www.microsoft.co
a mistake often made by agents is m/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/x
sending photos to clients via ppowertoys.mspx
email that, in terms of file
size, are much larger than need Rather than send photos directly
be. Your client is not going to to clients, you may also choose a
be happy if they use a modem to photo sharing service like
connect to the internet and you Shutterfy.com to create an online
send them twenty megabytes of album. To share photos, go to
photos! Shutterfly and open an account.
The various screens will guide
There is an easy solution to this you through uploading your
problem. Microsoft has a free pictures to its web site. Then
program named Image Resizer that you can send an email to your
is included in PowerToys for client with a link to the online
Windows XP. Image Resizer enables Shutterfly album.
you to resize one or many image
files with a right-click and If you follow these simple
reduce the file size to one tenth suggestions, you'll be amazed at
its original size and still how much improvement you'll see
provide an excellent image. You in your interior photos. A
may download this program by well-taken picture is worth a
going to the Microsoft download thousand words.
web site at:
About the Author:
Michael Allison is President and co-founder of http://www.BozemanMontanaRealty.com . http://BozemanMontanaRealty.com is a comprehensive online real estate property search and agent referral service for Bozeman, Montana, real estate.
Read more articles by:
Michael Allison
This article is distributed by: www.iSnare.com 
