There is of course no better real estate photographer in northern Los Angeles than Ryan Carr from Legacy Listing Photo, and although this article doesn’t quote Ryan it is an interesting piece from the Los Angeles Times called “Pro photographers labor to show properties in a better light“.
“Listing your home? It pays to hire a pro photographer.
Everyone seems to be a shutterbug these days, but grainy smartphone pics just don’t cut it when it comes to producing eye-catching images that attract prospective buyers.”
They do go on to make some good points, and acknowledge that good quality photography – the kind that brings in benefits for the agent and the homeowner – is not going to happen at $65 a pop. As they point, some photographers charge “as little as $275 for up to 20 photos for a one-hour shoot“, which is a fair comment.
Of course, this is Los Angeles where photographers will charge more than they would in small town Idaho, but you get the point.
They also spoke with a photographer who pointed out that he likes to photograph a home at the best time of day, and I agree – I think that’s really important. Some real estate agents only want to do the photo shoot at a time that is convenient for them, even if that’s at 8:00am when the sun is low in the sky, the front of the house looks as black as death in the strong shadows, and the view is impossible to see because of the sun.
That’s not how you impress a seller.
A good agent, a really knowledgeable one, will coordinate their day with the best time of day to photograph that particular house, because they know that time of day matters.
Mind you, some photographers don’t always get it right either, and will push to do a shoot that is convenient for them, whereas the booking of the photo shoot should, as much as possible, but at the best time for the photos. After all, that’s why everyone will be there, so you might as well make sure it’s going to be the best it can possibly be.