RE photography job

bug72 · Nov 30, 2011

I'm not sure this is in the correct forum but here goes. I applied for a job doing some RE photography. I'm not a professional photographer but have loved taking photo's of various sorts of architecture.

I interview for it and they look at my work on some local homes. They like it and say they are talking to a bunch of other photographers too.
3 weeks later I get an email from the RE company and they are holding a "contest", all the photographers in the running for the job are to go and take some images of the same RE listing.

Just before getting the email I got injured (at a dog park!) and end up dislocating my knee. I'm on crutches and had the leg in a full brace that won't let me bend my knee. So I email the RE place and tell them I was interested in the job but due to the leg can't do it.
But I did go and look at the house. Lordy. It was an ugly, dark, small, foreclosed on ranch built in the 1950's and probably never updated. Honestly it was a disaster. I was glad I opted out. Now this agency does have some higher end homes too.

So I assume I'm out of the running but yesterday I get an email from the RE agency and they said the people that did the "contest" had the most underwhelming group of photo's they had ever seen. Honestly with that house I don't know how it could be otherwise.

But they did say they loved the work I brought in to the interview and would like to talk to me again. (the leg is still on the mend, i'm off crutches and in a movable brace but getting around still has ups and downs). They really said they want someone to think out of the box and do some really creative work. They want to really "stand out from the crowd." I just need the job!

But my question is for those of you that are creative or have done this type of work... how the heck do you make a very underwhelming house interesting. Or make it stand out, honestly some of these short sales just don't really have much going for them. Some even have damage on the interior. Or should I just be honest and tell them in my opinion a really ugly, damaged home isn't going to ever be a stand out of the crowd house.

Comments?

Thanks, Susan

bazooka · Nov 30, 2011

Sounds like a fun gig if you can get it.

Many serious architecture photographers will use a perspective control lens (or bellows if using larger formats). This keeps vertical lines (the sides of the house) vertical by allowing you to keep the camera level while still moving the viewpoint up or down to some extent.

Secondly, if the house really is a drag, try to shoot it in light that keeps the bad areas in shadow and the good areas lit. Shoot at times when the sky is interesting (consider clouds and time of day). Consider the surroundings. Don't show clutter. Keep the image as clean as possible. This is easiest with a longer focal length, but you may be restricted to wider angle lenses. Use a tripod for sharpness... etc...

bug72 · Nov 30, 2011

Yes they do prefer a wide angle lens, but honestly some of these foreclosed homes are so awful, damaged, no landscaping or its there and totally dead, peeling paint, really just ugly. I can get decent images of a typical run of the mill house but in this real estate market there are a lot of foreclosures and they are not kept up at all. I was hoping for some sort of trick! I guess I knew there wasn't one, it just hard to make some of these places stand out from the crowd!

Susan

Big Mike · Nov 30, 2011

The topic of R.E. photography has come up on the forum before.

The usual consensus is that unless you're shooting high end listings...it's just not worth it (for the photographer). I mean, how much can they really be paying you to shoot a run-down house that will be listed at the bottom end of the market? From the R.E. Agent's point of view, they don't want to give away any of their commission, especially when they can just take a few snapshots themselves...and that would be good enough. I'm sure that many of them know that good photos can help sell a property, but they usually aren't willing to pay a 'professional' photographer to do it.

Now, if we're talking about million dollar listings, then sure, it may be well worth their while to pay a professional for high quality photos.

But that's only half the battle. The photos will reflect the condition of the house/property. So even if you're the best photographer, how are you going to make a great shot out of a house that is terribly messing and in disrepair? Are you going to clean up the yard? Are you going to clean the house and tidy up the rooms to make the photos better? Probably not...especially for the low amount that I'm assuming this type of thing will pay.

bug72 · Nov 30, 2011

Good points, Mike. I could really use the work so I guess I let the idea of actual money carry me away. Yes, I'm sure that they are going to pay very little to take pictures of $150,000 homes and giving the drive time, set up, upload, tweaking... I'm sure I'd put in more then then I'd be earning. I guess I'll have to be honest with the guy and tell him that it is really only worth our time on the more upscale listings.

Thanks again, Susan

gsgary · Nov 30, 2011

If this is going to be your main job i think you could be on bread and water rations

photo guy · Nov 30, 2011

I know in my area, a lot of the real estate agents take their own photos for their ads. I have a relative who is a real estate agent. He even asked me my opinion on f he should have someone do it for him. I told him that it's up to him. He continues to do the photos himself.

mikeyb79 · Feb 18, 2012

I recently shot a house that was this kind of a nightmare. The thing I think you need to look at is just uping the brightness and shooting wide as possible. Find one thing about it that is good and concentrate on that. Unfortunately I don't own the rights to the shots but you can see them for a while here:78D Thompson Road, Speers Point, NSW 2284 - House for Sale #109612236 - realestate.com.au. This place had obviously been rented out and I had to do a bit of clean up work on the floors in photoshop (not too much). But I would say up the birghtness, remove any shadows and just try and make the place look as if SOMETHING can be done to it.

onelove · Feb 18, 2012

I think everyone is entirely missing the point on this assignment. The house they used for the "contest" was intended to be challenging. Making a beautiful, million dollar house look good is easy. Selling it is just as easy.

But there are thousands of abandoned, foreclosed houses in the US and many of them look very bad. I have one across the street from me that was over $2.5 million at the peak of the bubble but is now trashed on the inside with no counters, sinks, toilets etc. Anything that could be stripped out and sold is gone. Outside is in disrepair and the weeds are over my head.

How do you sell stuff like this? How do you as a photographer make this property appealing to the type of buyer who would be interested in this! This house will not be sold to Mr and Mrs Yupster who want a charming dollhouse. Why try to make it look like that?

The target buyer is someone that specifically looks for rehab properties. They know they are buying a problem house and have either the funds or skills to make it better.

You need to be able to show why the property is a good investment. Back away from the property and view the entire street to show that it is an eyesore in an otherwise beautiful neighborhood. Show the solid features of the house that can be restored to functionality. Show the solid structure, or layout features that could make it an astounding home with the right approach. Show the overgrown part of the yard that is big enough for a pool, garden, swing-set or what ever.

The biggest clue to what they want is in this statement:

"They really said they want someone to think out of the box and do some really creative work. They want to really "stand out from the crowd."

Most of the advice given here about how to make the property look better is right on except that it is exactly what this client does not want. They want something different.

You job is to NOT think like a photographer but instead you need to think like the potential buyer. Go talk to a few people that are doing rehabs and see what attracts them to a property. Find out what they look for and then figure out how to show it.

If you can really think out of the box and can show a distressed property in a way that makes it sell, then you might have a lucrative niche market.

Embrace the challenge!

onelove