Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Make your Images Better with Basic Styling

Photo: Karen Palmer

There's a lot of advice out there on styling homes for photo shoots. I've mentioned in previous articles the importance of decluttering and cleaning.  I've also mentioned how a well placed plant or flower arrangement can soften a room and make it more inviting.

One of my favorite architectural photographers David Duncan Livingston has a good summary for photo styling.  He says:

"At the “simplest” level and the quickest way to style a room for photography, is to make the room clean and tidy: fluff pillows, straighten drapes, clean surfaces. Next, edit and de-clutter.  Our homes become little stash pads for too many things; remove piles and organize collections. Then to keep the styling simple, work with what you have in the home: move a vase or a bowl, stack some great books. Go outside and add some foliage to the vase, pick some lemons for the bowl. Living things bring life to the room and the photography."    

To read more and view his fabulous magazine shots check out his web page at
www.davidduncanlivingston.com/photo-styling-for-interiors/

www.karenpalmer-photography.com

Saturday, November 21, 2015

The Blank TV Screen

These days, there are some huge television screens popping up.  Popping up on walls, over fireplaces, in the kitchen and even in bathrooms.  So what can you do if you think the big black massive rectangle is pulling focus from the room?

Here is a before photo of a living room and its television.


An obvious solution is to avoid photographing the television. However, if that's not an option, adding an image to the television can add  a nice touch.  How about inserting a photo from the exterior of the house or adding a lovely landscape from a local park?


Keep in mind that if you choose to replace the blank television screen,  use an image that  you own the copyright to.  Also, let some of those screen highlights show through so the final result is much more realistic.

Monday, October 19, 2015

Show. Don't Tell.


A Journal of Real Estate study found that buyers looking at online Real-Estate Listings spend 60% of their time viewing the property's photos.  


Out of the photos, the majority of time was spent looking at the exterior photo, then the living room,  and views from windows.  The study found the least amount of time was spent looking at the master bathroom.  

Check out the Wall Street Journal's entire video and article.

If you're in  need of professional real estate photos give me a call at 314-629-7719 or visit kprealestatephotos.com


Sunday, October 11, 2015

Does Clutter Ruin the Shot?


One of the best things that can be done to prepare for  a home photo shoot is to diminish  clutter.  For this article we'll be using a bathroom as an example.  Often when we are in a "real" place our brains ignore items like shampoo bottles, tissue boxes, toothpaste etc.   However, when we look at a photo something happens and all those items steal the show.

Here's an example of a bathroom that hasn't been groomed to showcase the room.  Instead we are mostly aware of the many hygiene items left  about and we wonder about the homeowner's cleaning habits.



Looking at the above image, you're brain probably doesn't even register that this bathroom has lots of counter space and a lovely glass shower door.  However, after taking a couple of minutes to put everything away, the result is a much more pleasing image that showcases the room's features.



Also note how a bit of greenery was  placed into the shot, which adds softness and color.  For more on plants refer back to my previous article, Flower Power.

Thursday, October 8, 2015

12158 Trailway House



Yesterday I spent the morning shooting this beautifully maintained and nicely decorated residence in the Creve Coeur area.

The home is for sale by owner Kristyn Newbern, who also happens to be an agent with Red Key Realty, and a really nice lady.   I tried to keep the images true to the experience of being in the home and thanks to Kristyn's eye for styling, it made my job much easier.

Photos by:  Karen Palmer

Friday, August 21, 2015

Let's Get This Straight

Have you ever looked at a real estate photo and thought, 'that seems to be a great looking room but something's wrong with it?'  Maybe you even felt a bit sea sick.

Just so you can see what I'm talking about, take a look at this photo.  (I purposely used an image with straight verticals and made them crooked.)


An image with crooked verticals

Images with crooked verticals send a message that something's wrong.  We live in a world where a safe and sound home has straight up and down walls!! You may say  'so what?  They'll figure out it's just the photograph,'  but you may have also planted in the viewer's subconscious  that the house has something wrong with it.

Now take a look at the same image, but this time with straight verticals.  Which one is easier to look at?


How do  verticals get crooked?  Sometimes it happens because the camera isn't lined up correctly.  Tilting the camera down, up, or to the side can greatly effect the outcome of your image.  Other times  a wide angle lens introduces barrel distortion  and you may get some strange looking lines at the edges of your photos.

How do you avoid crooked lines?  The main prevention is making sure you take the time to set up your shot with all the walls vertical.   Once you start using a wide angle lens this can become more of a challenge.  Sometimes there's nothing but image editing software to fix the problem.


Saturday, July 25, 2015

Do your photos scream out - "Come see me"

A friend of mine has her house for sale.  She hasn't had  too many lookers.  I happened to see the photos that are marketing her house and suggested a few professional photos may be the ticket.

She has a cute house, but her current photos, in my mind, did not scream out 'come look at me.'  I thought I'd share a couple of the new images she  can now use to entice house hunters.

Here we have a fresh, inviting image that  invites the viewer to come in and relax.
Photo by:  Karen Palmer

After we did a bit of staging and set up a careful composition, her charming kitchen was captured.   
Photo by: Karen Palmer
That's all for now.



Friday, July 10, 2015

For A Better Viewing Experience - Calibrate Your Monitor


Have you ever wondered why the images you're viewing look different from monitor to monitor?   It could be,  your monitor is in need of a "calibration tune up."

Here are a couple of useful calibration cards.





http://www.photofriday.com/calibrate.php




Happy Viewing!

Karen Palmer
www.kprealestatephotos.com

Friday, July 3, 2015

Capturing the Kitchen

My latest work took me to a beautiful home hidden in the woods within Chesterfield, Missouri.

For this photo shoot I was working closely with the client's vision and purpose. We agreed upon the angle required and one of the first shots was this.



Then, after completing the staging, adding the lighting, and post-processing we ended up with this:



Add in a few other shots to complete the package:


Now we're talking.  We've captured a great kitchen - fit for a Queen or King.


Sunday, June 21, 2015

Flower Power

You may be wondering how to make your home stand out in the crowd.  Let's assume the home has been de-cluttered, depersonalized, and scrubbed shining clean.  I find flowers (the real kind) can make a photo stand out.  Flowers are an inexpensive way to add in a shot of color, beauty, balance a blank wall, draw attention away from a flaw, and the list goes on.

Look at this photo below.

Karen Palmer - Real Estate Photography, dining room
Photo by:  Karen Palmer



The wall at the left was originally blank, but by filling the empty space with a simple chair and a vase of flowers interest was created that draws the eye through the  photograph.  Imagine the photo without the flowers - it would not have had the same impact.

For more ideas on the power of flowers check out this Houzz article.