The internet has changed the Real Estate industry in a whole lot of ways. It has made is easier for both the public and the agents. One of the most telling statistics is 88% of all buyers starting their home search begin looking online first. Today, buyers are more educated than ever and do a lot of research on multiple sites before starting to actually tour homes. There are a million Real Estate sites out there in cyber space. Some sites are easier to follow, some have better search options, some have more information, and some have a higher page rank. But one thing they all have in common is the person viewing the site is seeing the same pictures the Real Estate agent took for that particular listing. That being said, if almost 90% of buyers start their search online looking at pictures of homes, investing in the proper equipment and taking great photos should be one of the agent’s top priorities.
If you look some pictures online they look like they have been taken with a camera phone. This is a pretty funny blog that I would guess that over 90% of agents use a small pocket camera to take their photos. There have been huge advances in point and shoots over the past, and there are some that take GREAT photos. The biggest problem with point and shoot cameras is the lack of lens length. Most P&S cameras are limited to 25mm to a 35mm lenses. It is very important to have an ultra wide angle lens for interior photography.
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35mm Setting |
24mm Setting |
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17mm Setting |
10mm Setting |
I just got a Canon 10-22mm lens (good review here) and it is amazing the difference using an ultra wide angle lens makes. I am now able to get the WHOLE room in the photo. Even small laundry rooms and bathrooms are able to get in the photo. The four photos above were taken using a very high quality Canon DSLR camera. I wanted to demonstrate the difference between a standard 35mm lens shot compared to a 24mm, 17mm and even the ultra wide 10mm lens shots. You can really get a good example of see how much more of the room we are able to feature using the wider angle lens that is simply not available on the small pocket sized digital cameras. My dad always taught me you have to have the right tools for the job. In the case of Real Estate photography, he was right!
Here is some of my favorite listing photos. Don’t they just make you want to schedule a showing right now!
