Property Photography – Top Tips for getting the best images
Much of my work is property photography. I work for estate agents in York, as well as directly for vendors selling with online agencies. I also do one off jobs for Air B and B’s, guest houses and hotels. And I provide detailed floor plans.
My top tips for getting the best photographic images of your property to sell or rent:
- Always have the camera on a tripod or monopod
- Shoot in landscape format
- Show all angles possible of each room from the corners
- Show unique details of each property
- Use a wide angle lens for the overall shots
- Shoot from shoulder height (approx 5 feet)
- Keep the verticals of the walls straight
- Use flash bounced off the ceiling or a wall
- Use an aperture of around f/11 to get a good depth of field
- Use a monopod to get a high up exterior shot
- Where possible, get an exterior shot when the sun is shining on to the property
- Lights on or off? This is a tricky one… different photographers prefer one or the other and there are pros and cons for both. Personally, I prefer lights off, as when they are on it creates burnt out light patches on the ceiling and walls that can be distracting to the eye. If there is good natural light I would always leave lights off. Some would argue lights on give a warmer feel to the images….
And here are my top tips for vendors to get their property ready for photography to sell or rent:
- Declutter as much as possible
- Hide items away in cupboards
- Kitchen surfaces cleared
- Dress the property – fresh flowers are perfect
- Personal photos away
- Cars off the driveway
- Toilet roll, towels and bath stuff away
- Bins out of sight
- Generally have the property looking it’s absolute best for the shoot
My Latest Galleries
WHAT MY CUSTOMERS SAY
Hazelwood Castle, Leeds
Haxby Methodist Church & The Grange Hotel, Bootham, York
Christina and Simon
Aldwark Manor, Aldwark, York
Nikki was fantastic! She worked with us from the very first informal meeting to discuss our budget and what we wanted to achieve. She gave us guidance and ideas about the best photographic places in our wedding venue and what options we had. Nikki was not only very professional but friendly too and had the perfect tone for gathering everyone together for the photographs so there was no waiting around. I have since recommended Nikki to a few brides to be with no hesitation.
Josie and Alan
The Alma Inn, Laneshawbridge
Nikki was brilliant on our wedding day: Professional, but personal at the same time. She made everyone feel so comfortable and, consequently, captured some really beautiful moments. As a "stressed out" bride, I really cannot compliment Nikki enough... in both the run up to our wedding, and afterwards, her communication was excellent - so proactive. She was incredibly organised and efficient. It really made this part of organising the wedding effortless. We would highly recommend her.
Rowan and Ian
Fairfield Manor, York
I am so glad Nikki did our wedding photography, she went way beyond our expectations of our photograph's! We had a wonderful happy day with our family and friends, and she captured the atmosphere perfectly. She more than delivered the outline I had given her, and we have beautiful artistic memento's of our very special day. I love how she seized the moments of different parts of our day, both the formal and informal. We will treasure these photographs, and I could not recommend her highly enough! The trouble will be now just deciding what to leave out of the album!
Nicola and Gareth
The Pavilion Hotel, York
The wonderful Nikki Bowling captured our day from bridal prep to the first dance (and beyond). We got the set pieces we requested and a plethora of candid, natural shots which capture our day perfectly. Nikki was very familiar with our venue and knew all the good nooks and crannies to get really wonderful pictures. A number of our guests commented on how great she was on the day. Getting her job done without imposing on the day and special time with family and friends. I would recommend her to anyone.