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Pixangle blog on our photography, floor plan and EPC experiences in London and the South East

Prepping Your Home For A Property Photographer

One thing our clients get asked a lot from their vendors and landlords is how shall I prepare for the visit from the photographer? How can I make sure my property is ready to look its best for the shoot?

This question has never been more important, as in these current times we are not able to touch and move people’s personal belongings, and even under normal circumstances we have limited time to do so. This means that the more prep you can do to ensure your property is camera-ready, the better the photos will look to prospective buyers and renters.

So we’ve put together a guide to getting your property ready for the visit from the photographer! We hope you find it useful, and may your property sell/rent quickly and well!

1.       Clean, clear and tidy

This is the big one. When prospective buyers/renters look at a property, they do not want to see all your stuff. They want to be able to see the space, and envisage what it would be like to live there. So it’s best if you can clear all the surfaces as much as possible and tidy everything away. Big things that look more obvious than you’d think are rubbish/recycling bins and boxes on tops of wardrobes and cabinets. Smaller things are washing up liquid and sponges on kitchen sinks, or tea-towels on ovens.

Unfortunately if there is this much clutter on the surfaces, there is little we can do to edit it out

Unfortunately if there is this much clutter on the surfaces, there is little we can do to edit it out

Henry Doulton Drive 151 - Ph6.jpg
We were able to do some edit on this one - the surfaces look so much better.

We were able to do some edit on this one - the surfaces look so much better.

2.       Bathrooms

Nothing makes a bathroom look more cluttered in a photo than bottles of toiletries. They really draw the eye. These should be moved out of the room if possible, or even just put in the bottom of the bathtub as the camera is unlikely to catch sight of them there. Likewise, implements like loo brushes or bottles of bleach aren’t really what people want to be thinking about as they ponder whether they’d like to use this bathroom. In general, the emptier the better – though if you have beautifully colour coordinated hand wash and cream then by all means show them off!

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Not a big change, but makes a huge difference

Not a big change, but makes a huge difference

3.       Pets

We adore pets here at Pixangle. It’s even an interview question: Do you like dogs? But it’s best if no trace of your family floofs end up in the shots, particularly food bowls and toys. The people looking at your home may have allergies, or they just might not be pet people, and you don’t want to immediately turn them off.

See it yet?

See it yet?

Don’t mind me.

Don’t mind me.

4.       Curtains

Here’s one that would never occur to you but makes a huge difference: Please take down your net curtains. We promise the shot will look better for it. Other points in this area are black out blinds on children’s windows (vital for sleeping babies, but a very quick way to make a room look like a prison), broken curtains or blinds, and, weirdly, shower curtains that you can’t tuck away to hang neatly at the wall.

They were stuck like this, unfortunately.

They were stuck like this, unfortunately.

It would have been really nice to see out of these windows!

It would have been really nice to see out of these windows!

The shower curtain really draws the eye and looks untidy.

The shower curtain really draws the eye and looks untidy.

Net curtains can often make the frames behind them look dirty due to the shadows.

Net curtains can often make the frames behind them look dirty due to the shadows.

5.       Personal items

The nude pregnancy shoot was beautiful and empowering, and it’s lovely to have blown up photos of your kids all over the house, but you never really realise how prominent they are until you see them in marketing shots on the internet. We can blur photos, but it’s best to take them down for the visit if you can.

Just a bit distracting…

Just a bit distracting…

Before…

Before…

After!

After!

6.       Wardrobe doors closed

A niche one, but wardrobe and cupboard doors left even slightly ajar look really untidy and unbalance the lines of the shot. Double the effect if there are pieces of clothes sticking out. A quick and easy fix, and worth prepping in advance.

All done in editing, this one, but not something that we do routinely, so it’s very helpful if this sort of thing is done in advance.

All done in editing, this one, but not something that we do routinely, so it’s very helpful if this sort of thing is done in advance.

7.       Gardens

In the delightful climate of the UK, we are somewhat at the mercy of the weather and the seasons. That being said, it is always best if you can take covers off garden furniture (even if it’s raining), and put up parasols. Washing lines should be collapsed if possible and there really shouldn’t be any clothes on it! And finally, if you managed to have a photographer visit on one of the very few days of the year on which there’s snow about, do ask your agent to request the photographer returns as soon as it’s cleared to reshoot the externals. Aside from Christmas trees, few things date property marketing shots as much as snow.

Ominous.

Ominous.

A drier day, a different angle, and voila

A drier day, a different angle, and voila

Festive!

Festive!

Timeless.

Timeless.

8.       Cars

If you possibly can, it’s worth getting your car off the driveway for the shoot. They take up an enormous amount of the image, and distract from the exterior of the property.

Um…

Um…

Better!

Better!

And it really can be VERY dominant.

And it really can be VERY dominant.

9.       Cushions, pillows and bedding

We can all agree that an unmade bed is not going to look good, but it’s surprising how often we’re asked to edit out wrinkles in the duvet! It’s worth looking twice at how your bed’s made before the photographer shows up, and if the pillows are straight and look appealing. Likewise, it’s good to give your cushions a good thump and place them deliberately on sofas and beds rather than having them flattened from your Game of Thrones binge and strewn around.

Whyyyy

Whyyyy

This is all editing - we built a cushion to make this situation more appealing.

This is all editing - we built a cushion to make this situation more appealing.

And this is how nice it can look!

And this is how nice it can look!

10.       Nice touches

And if you have a little extra time and are invested in showing your property in its best light, vases of flowers and healthy house plants inject a bit of life and colour into a room, and are a lovely addition to marketing shots.

Look at the beautiful balance of the corner plants, and the flowers add a nice touch to the table

Look at the beautiful balance of the corner plants, and the flowers add a nice touch to the table

Fruit AND flowers! Bonus.

Fruit AND flowers! Bonus.

This is such a beautiful kitchen and the owners did a lovely job presenting it

This is such a beautiful kitchen and the owners did a lovely job presenting it

Seen from another angle, the plants really complement the green units and natural wood worktops

Seen from another angle, the plants really complement the green units and natural wood worktops

We hope that this has been helpful if you’re putting your house on the market, and gives you some ideas of how to make your home look its best!

When viewings aren't possible

It goes without saying that, right now, marketing properties is neither essential nor an emergency. The property market is largely at a standstill due to the government lockdown, and the war against the uncompromising and deadly Coronavirus.

However, where possible, work to showcase homes can continue. If a property is vacant and sensible precautions are taken, we can capture it! The 3D Walkthrough tour is becoming a popular way to view a home without making an appointment to see it. Through the comfort of your own home, you can navigate around like you are actually standing in it. And with a VR headset you can really immerse yourself!!

Like this new build house, for example, that we captured last week for Savills in Victoria Park, London.

Kenninghall Rd, Clapton, London E5 8BS, UK.

Savills are now able to show people what they are selling in full detail. Their customers are free to ‘wander’ around the house like they were there to see it. It may not beat feeling the carpet beneath your feet, but in rather challenging times, this could prove to be a vital tool for many.


Project: Draper House, New Cross

We recently had the pleasure of doing a photo shoot at Draper House in New Cross, currently on the market for sale with Winkworth New Cross. Draper House is one of a row of new build homes constructed less than a decade ago, and yet they've been so sympathetically constructed that they fit in really well with the surrounding Victorian architecture.

Draper House has been furnished so beautifully it was hard for us to stop taking photos! Here's a collection of shots of this lovely home, starting with the well-designed external.

 

Ahhhh! This kitchen-reception is the definition of serenity.

 

And these bedrooms are so clean and comfortable:

 

This is a proper family home, and the owners have really made that work with a dedicated playroom and a super cute kid's bedroom:

 

We love the simplicity and cool colours of the bathrooms...

 

One of the nicest features of the house is its wide hallways and landings, making the property feel spacious:

 

And the garden is incredibly spacious with plenty of room for outdoor furniture...

 

One final fantastic feature: an accessible roof with amazing views! As the owner put it: Imagine being up there on New Year's Eve with a glass of champagne watching the fireworks over the city. Perfect!

farewell The Cricketers on the Green

It is always sad to see the closure of a pub. Even when it's those dangerous looking ones where you suspect the music stops when you walk in, I think of times past and what an area and a community must have been like. A long forgotten way of life that has been made obsolete by the demands of modern living. Sitting on prime real estate, only the best can survive. The writing must have been on the wall when photographer Stefan Czapski took this photo below in 2013 along with a caption "Not open for business on the day I took this photograph. You can't fancy its chances when there is a large and thriving pub - The Greyhound - just a minute's walk away."

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Fast forward to 2017 and we found ourselves in Thames Ditton where the premises are available to let for residential use - what a shocker! However, we are not talking six new flats as you might expect. This plot has been converted into two very decent sized houses and many of the architectural features have been kept. The stained coat of arms in the front windows in particular were pleasing to see retained. And I'm sure the cricket team still plays!

Who knows, in 100 years perhaps someone will convert it back to a public house!

Property photography snapshot - Preparation

It may seem obvious, but getting your home ready for a photographer is really very important. An excess of clutter and personal belongings could mean the potential buyer misses how spacious the room is, or how marvellous that shiny granite worktop looks. 

As home photographers, our experience means we can instantly know what should and shouldn't be in shot, and we're happy to assist. However, it is a fine line between being a photographer and being a house clearance company! Far better that all of the big items, like a clothes horse, an ironing board and dirty washing are already all tucked neatly out of sight. Then we can concentrate our time on the finer details and make sure a home looks as best it possibly can.

As a last resort, when access is difficult or permission is not granted to move any items in a property, we do have one or two tricks up our sleeves. Check out Pixangle's photo editing skills on THESE!