Principles of Good Photography The basic principles essential to successful real estate photography may be reduced to just two: Focus attention on the subject, and Keep it simple These principles are easily applied by owners keen to sell through their photographs. In general, effective photographs will engage viewers with a simple but accurate idea of the property seen at its honest best. In order to be able to choose the best images for the purpose, it may be necessary to take a lot of pictures from different angles and under a variety of lighting conditions - fortunately, modern digital cameras make it possible to view the shots without actually printing them. Thoughtful Composition and intelligent use of Lighting are key factors in creating an image with high visual impact. Composition Composition may be defined as 'The arrangement of picture elements and their relationship to the background in such a way as to serve the purpose of the image'. Your aim here is to compose photographs which will: get the prospective buyer's attention, and deliver an attractive message about the property. To achieve good composition for our purpose, here are some practical points to consider: As part of keeping things simple, do a final temporary tidying of as many small loose objects as possible before taking photographs inside. Show as much of the house/room as possible within the picture-space - buyers are not much interested in the state of the sky or the texture of the roadway. The square miles of beautiful background landscape should not imply ownership. Photographs from several angles may give potential buyers a better idea of the property's size and surroundings. Favorable angles may be used to highlight desirable features, whereas a wrong angle can obscure them completely. To avoid strange vertical perspectives, don't take pictures too close to the front of a building; it may be better to take the shot from across the street, and crop out the boring roadway later on. Some things look better in the vertical (i.e., portrait) format - don't forget to occasionally turn your camera sideways to explore this option. A photograph taken from an angle often gains visual appeal from the dramatic interplay of light and shade; it may also convey a better idea of the structure of the building. Diagonal lines are generally seen to impart a sense of liveliness to a composition. A visual focus of interest is something in a picture that naturally draws the eye - bright colours, interesting shapes, striking textures and contrasting tones help to achieve such a focal point. Placing the visual focus in the centre may produce a boringly formal composition; a more lively artistic approach is to try imagining a noughts-and-crosses grid on the picture-space - the best composition often places the focus of interest at one of the intersections of the gridlines. This is commonly known as 'the rule of thirds'. Lower-impact objects placed close to a couple of the other intersections may be used to counterbalance the main focus. Select a room's best feature as the focal point if possible, as the entire room will certainly not be covered in any given picture. Draw extra attention to a 'Best Feature' with the srategic placement of a brightly coloured or otherwise striking decorative object - a vase of flowers or a lit table lamp can make all the difference. Rooms are most easily photographed using a wide angle lens. Coverage of a room may be maximised by shooting from a doorway or a corner; try kneeling shots, angling for a slight upward tilt. However, crooked verticals and horizontals are sometime distracting, and may be overcome by holding the camera square and steady; use a tripod if necessary. Editing software is also useful in this regard. Next Lighting