Photographing property has been a part of my professional work for nearly 10 years this June and although most homes are very similar in nature, property photography has its challenges like any other form of image capture.

The main one is it’s important to show the place in its best light so that, once someone views the images of the home’s rooms, they want to take the next step – contacting the agent or vendor to arrange a real world visit. What shows a home in its best light? Making sure it’s clean, tidy, light and airy. Beds made, kitchen worktops clear of clutter, paintwork clean (and touched up if it’s scuffed) All common sense stuff really. If these steps are carried out, the photography property is so much better at compelling possible buyers to make that call or drop an email.

From my part, I ensure that rooms are well lit by ensuring curtains and blinds open. I also shoot with a strobe light which lifts shadows; making each room look lighter. The trick is to balance the light from my strobe with the lights in each room with the light coming through the windows. That way, the windows don’t look either too dark or too white. If there are details visible through windows, then I have done a good job of balancing the light when I am photographing the property.

It should go without saying that a professional will also ensure that the entire scene is in focus, but given the nature of all good cameras (including those on smartphones) this is easy to achieve. However, for some specialist features on property, occasionally photographers like to have a restricted field of view – what we call a shallow depth of field. This is only possible with high-end professional cameras in camera. Some software apps or programs can fudge this look, but generally, it is poorly achieved meaning anyone looking at the photo will know that it’s fake – even if they can’t put their finger on why it looks wrong. Specialist features of a property may be elements like period fireplaces or plaster work on ceilings. If the vendor has spent money on high-end closets or wardrobes, these would make for great specialist property photos, such as these below.