How to prepare for your Property Photography

When marketing your house Nock Deighton believe that it is essential to show your property at its best. We therefore use the services of a professional photographer who specialises in this field.

Our aim is to produce appealing high resolution images designed to assist in the marketing of your property, ensuring that they capture the attention of prospective purchasers.

They will take both external and internal images using a range of cameras, lenses and other equipment. They are also able to provide advice to ensure that your house is ready for the camera and that the important rooms are appropriately prepared.

How to Prepare For Photography

In order to make the most of the shoot, it is well worth taking a few moments to have a fresh look at your property and to consider how it will appear to both the ‘all seeing eye’ of the camera and to prospective purchasers as they view your home for the first time.

We have written the following as a guide to help you ensure that your property is ready for photographing and that you get the best out your appointment.

Outside

The most important image is the one which will appear on the front of the sales details, in newspapers and magazines and on the internet. We will discuss with you which elevation of your home will be used (this is usually, but not always the front of the property). We need to ensure that the visit is at the right time of day for the sun to light this elevation correctly. Please help with this by letting the photographer know which direction the house and chosen elevation face and at what time of day the sun is in the best position.

Please ensure that all vehicles, caravans and trailers etc. can be moved into a position where they are not visible. It is also useful to move any children’s toys, wheelie bins and other bright objects, garden hoses should be coiled away and wheel barrows etc. moved. A freshly mown lawn is also important.

The photographer will try to gauge their visit to get good weather however, if it is not suitable, they will take what photographs they can and will return to get the all important main exterior shot. Your presence may not be necessary, however if you are out when he returns the important things to remember are: windows closed, curtains open and no vehicles in shot.

As well as taking photographs toward the property we also take many images of the garden, views from the house and garden and of any outbuildings or garden buildings.

Inside

We usually take images of all the main reception rooms and the kitchen plus two or more bedrooms and bathrooms. 

Please make sure that all ceiling and wall lights are fitted with working bulbs (the most usual culprits are inset spotlights) and that any table or standard lamps are also ready for use. Whilst the main illumination will be provided by flash units, the lighting provided by your lamps will give a warm and cosy glow to the rooms.

If you have fires and wood-burners, it is always appealing to have them lit, however it should be timed so that flames are most visible just at the point that the shutter is pressed! Often it is not necessary to lay a full fire and a good flame can be achieved with just newspaper and a little kindling for the 30 seconds or so that is required.

The kitchen picture is of prime importance and having clear work surfaces helps makes the image clean and inviting. Vases of flowers and bowls of fruit add an appealing finishing touch.

A formal dining room looks fabulous if the table is laid ready for a dinner party; if you choose to take time to do this it will not be wasted. Otherwise, where a dining room is relatively dark with a large, dark, wooden table it is often advisable to try and break it up by using a table runner with a few items on it such as candles, silverware, decanters etc.