A simple checklist to prepare your home for pictures.

Here is a checklist that homeowners can use to prepare their home for photos:

  1. Clean and declutter: Make sure your home is clean and organized. Remove all clutter, personal items, and excess furniture to make your space look more spacious and inviting.

  2. Remove personal items: Take down all personal photos and items that may distract from the overall look of the room.

  3. Preparing the exterior: Make sure the exterior of your home is clean and well maintained. Trim bushes and trees, mow the lawn, and remove any debris or clutter.

  4. Clear countertops and tables: Clear all surfaces in your home including countertops, tables, and desks. This will help to create a clean and organized look.

  5. Add decor and accessories: Add some decor and accessories to enhance the look and feel of your home. This can include fresh flowers, decorative pillows, and throw blankets.

  6. Turn on all lights: Turn on all lights in your home, including lamps and overhead lights. This will help to create a bright and welcoming atmosphere.

  7. Open curtains and blinds: Open all curtains and blinds to let in natural light. This will help to create a warm and inviting feel.

  8. Hide cords and cables: Hide all cords and cables from view. This will help to create a clean and organized look.

  9. Check for repairs: Make sure all repairs have been completed, including small fixes like replacing light bulbs or fixing leaky faucets.

  10. Consider staging: Consider hiring a professional stager to help you prepare your home for photos. They can help you create a cohesive look and feel throughout your home, which will make it more appealing to potential buyers.

By following this checklist, you can ensure that your home looks its best for photos, which can help to attract more potential buyers and sell your home faster.

Guest Blogger from Redfin Real Estate - Ryan Castillo

6 Ways Twilight Photography Can Make Your Real Estate Listing Shine

If you are looking to take your real estate listing to the next level, consider incorporating twilight photography to complement your professional interior and exterior photos. Twilight photos are pictures of a home that are usually captured around dusk when there are plenty of colors in the sky. They are used to showcase a property by highlighting features like pools, fire pits, views, and even sunsets. They require extensive skill, multiple flash exposures, and a little bit of editing magic to create a beautiful photo of your home.

There are many benefits to adding twilight photography to your list of real estate photos. It gives your listing a premium feel, helps it stand out against the competition, and highlights details of your home that you typically can’t see in the daytime. Most importantly, twilight photography creates a welcoming glow that entices prospective buyers to learn more about your home. So if you’re preparing to sell your house, here are 6 reasons working with a professional twilight photographer can make your real estate listing shine.

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First you must decided what type of photographer you are, and then what type of work that you want to do.

Sounds easy, what type of photographer are you? What type of photography work do you enjoy doing and producing? Two simple, honest questions that you must ask your self, before you decided to open that door for clients.

When I started my interest into photography, all those decades ago, I didn't have a preference, I just wanted to make money as a photographer. Sounds simple to a young teenage artist, do what you love and make money from it.

I never consider what it would take to achieve that status. I never figured it would take lots of hard work, working with different people, and on different types of subjects, twenty four seven.

After studying photography in two locations, RIT and Salzburg college, I ended up with a government job. Working in the photography department, working my way up from the bottom.

I started out in their photo processing unit because the pay was better then photographing fingerprints. I moved into the forensic studio after several years and photograph things and places that no one in their right mind would want to go see. You see, I ended up as a law enforcement photographer.

In it self, a very interesting career. Many different situations, places and events, all which I can not talk about. Goes along way towards proving to a client that you have over thirty four years as a professional photographer, but can't show any portfolio from those years.

When I wasn't traveling for the government, I would be taking on photography assignments. I joined a non-profit group that taught teenagers photography, I photographed weddings, portraits, theater, events assignments and had few commercial clients. As you can tell, I've tried to keep my hands busy and make a few bucks on the side.

I even joined a professional organization supporting photographers and won several awards. Which made me feel like, I would finally make it in the photography industry. I dapple here and there, but mostly photographing people. I guess in the end, I'm a people photographer. Knowing what you like to photograph is half the battle, and important to deciding the direction you want to take in the next step of your photography career.