Tips

Small Rooms: Take Off The Door

When shooting a very small room, there are several things to remember.

First, take the photos at an angle, especially if there is a mirror in the room. It will give the room a greater feeling of depth.

Second, if you don't have a digital camera with a wide angle lens, get one. We highly recommend  The Kodak EasyShare v705.

And here is a tip I like personally. Take off the door. This is particularly helpful in very small bathrooms.

The top photo was taken with a wide angle lens with the door on. The bottom photo was taken with the door off. You can see the subtle, but important difference it makes. The room feels larger, less cramped. It takes only a few seconds to remove most doors and the sellers will be very impressed with the results.

This will not only improve the quality of the photos in your printed material, but give you more range for movement in your Real Estate Shows. Give it a try!

Sell Your Camera On eBay & Buy This One!

I realize that's a strong headline, but I want to make sure I'm clear about this. The Kodak EasyShare v705 is, without question, the best camera for the Real Estate Professional I've ever come across. I have searched high and low to find a camera I could feel comfortable personally recommending. This is it.

The two images below were taken with the settings right out of the box. I did not turn on any lights or open any drapes. I just used the basic settings, pointed the camera at the room and clicked. For the photo on the left, I used the standard 35mm lens, the one found on most point and shoot cameras. Then I took the photo on the right, two seconds later, from the exact same spot, in the exact same lighting. Only the photo on the right uses the v705's default "ultra wide angle lens." [click on the images to view them larger]

You'll notice that the photo on the left is probably a lot like photos you might expect from a standard, 35mm point and shoot digital camera. Even though this is a large room, it doesn't feel large in the photo. The lighting is also poor, though not as bad as it could have been. It is certainly typical of amateur interior photos.

The photo on the right is a dramatic improvement. The ultra wide lens captures more light, so the room is significantly brighter (again, this was shot in the exact same lighting conditions). The room also feels substantially larger. There is no question in my mind. If you buy this camera, you will take better photos right out of the box. As a result, the homes you sell will look better in your marketing materials and your Real Estate Shows will be more powerful.

Here is another set of examples. This time from the curb. There were cars in front of this house, as is often the case, so I couldn't go across the street to get a better shot of the front. I'm sure you've been in that situation. Notice the improvement.

This camera also allows you to create panoramic shots with an ease I've never experienced. Three shots creates a 180 degree view of a scene and all of the alignment and stitching happens right in the camera. The following was my first attempt. I was so amazed at how simple it looked, I rushed out to sit on the love seat with my wife and forced her to watch me do it. So she was leaning up against me as I did, shaking the camera. You can see my feet in the photo (sorry). I could have done another shot, but I wanted to show you the very first attempt! It was even simpler than I thought it would be.

For $299, you are simply not going to find a better camera. So, do yourself a favor. Sell your old digital camera on eBay and take my advice. Buy this camera.

Jeff Turner, President, Real Estate Shows

Don't Leave Dates On Photos

One of the best things about the commercials you create using RealEstateShows.com is that they feel like video. Our unique process creates the illustion that you are standing in the room with a video camera "zooming" in and around the area. But one of the surest ways to destroy that illusion is have your digital camera imprint a date into the photo. See below. (click on image to view larger)

This date will move around the image as the camera pans and it will not receive the added benefit of the video illusion.

Digital cameras record the date in the image's "metadata", which is saved in the digital file, so this "feature" is a hold over from traditional photo days. Turn that feature off on your digital camera when shooting a home and your commercials will feel more video like. If you are scanning in photos from a traditional 35mm camera, then crop the date out in your editing software. You'll appreciate the difference.