To support their article, The Best Shot_A Photography Lesson for Homeowners, the Wall Street Journal approached me for expertise and insight on how to photograph residential interiors with a target audience of real estate professionals. I was flattered to be asked.
Because of their tight deadline (I could NEVER be a reporter, much less a press photographer) I quickly provided them some essential guidelines that I have developed as part of my "How to Photograph Residential Real Estate" seminar I presents to real estate agents and firms throughout the region.
Because most real estate professionals take their own images with point and shoot cameras, the topics covered in the seminar are easy, general tasks that can dramatically improve the impact of their images, and even more importantly, catch the eye of the prospective buyers. These guidelines discuss points of view, lighting, color casts, perspective, clutter, and lenses.
The article can be found at the following link:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125086600376449445.html
Whether you were there or not, and whether we are your photographer on a project or not, if you have any questions or comments about commissioning architectural photography, please feel free to drop us a line anytime. We'd be happy to help!
Kimberly Blom-Roemer
Photographer
R2 Photography, LLC
r2-photography.com
As part of traveling to any destination on assignment, I try to include time to photograph local landmarks.
On August 21st, after leaving 11" of rain in 36 hours and an office flooding, I was in Chicago and had the most glorious weather one could ever hope for to photograph the busting and exciting downtown area. Setting a land speed record, here are a few rough images from my adventure.
The last image, which looks like a bizarre abstract is actually the underside of "The Bean". In it, you can count my reflection at least 13 times.
Whether you were there or not, and whether we are your photographer on a project or not, if you have any questions or comments about commissioning architectural photography, please feel free to drop us a line anytime. We'd be happy to help!
Kimberly Blom-Roemer
Photographer
R2 Photography, LLC
r2-photography.com
With the significant preparation needed to complete a successful architectural photography shoot, not to mention the costs involved, great attention should be given to how well prepared the location is for the photography day.
Everyone seems to be very busy these days and the importance of this step can sometimes be diminished or overlooked in the budgeting and scheduling process. As our Client, you want your images to look perfect, and we of course want you to be happy with the images. But sometimes, there can be an over reliance on what can be accomplished with photo retouching in post production, and even then, the costs to do so.
The best approach to ensure your images are the best they can be, and your costs (post-production) are kept as low as possible, is review all aspects of the shoot with the property manager and maintenance staff. A simple checklist comes in handy.
Interiors
- make sure the desired furniture and fixtures have been installed,
- make sure all fixtures are operational (no burned out bulbs),
- painting has been completed,
- are any seasonal or event specific items removed,
- desktops, counter tops, or anywhere papers, etc. can be left sitting is cleaned and organized,
- is the facility clean? (you'd be surprised).
Exteriors
- are the green spaces and trees maintained?
- are seasonal or temporary signage or structures removed?
- are other firms/companies, etc. working on site that day?
Sometimes property owners schedule multiple parties on the same day as it's convenient to them. It is often difficult or impossible for each party to stay out of each others way when trying to achieve their goals. Sometime it's inevitable, so try to determine potential conflicts before hand and see if it will affect the shoot plan.
Whether you were there or not, and whether we are your photographer on a project or not, if you have any questions or comments about commissioning architectural photography, please feel free to drop us a line anytime. We'd be happy to help!
Kimberly Blom-Roemer
Photographer
R2 Photography, LLC
r2-photography.com
