How to photograph your property for max impact and quick sale

A majority of homebuyers today research online prior to checking out a house in person, and surprisingly few listings include anything other than mediocre photos. So good photography immediately sets you apart from other sellers.

If possible, it’s a good idea to hire a professional real estate photographer. Real estate photography is a specialty unto itself, and these pros know what to highlight and what angles to use to showcase property.

But if you choose to take your own photos, there are steps you can take to make them stand out from the competition:

– Good lighting. Natural light is best, as it is softest and provides the most accurate representation of colors. So try to shoot your interior photos when it’s sunny outside.

– Beware of backlighting. Windows with bright light are great for overall lighting, but be careful when pointing your camera straight at them. You’ll wind up with a bleached-out window and a dark interior. You can solve this by using a flash to fill in the room. Another option is to have the camera lock in its exposure on an interior (read: darker) section, then re-adjust the composition of the photo to include everything you want. This ensures that you haven’t allowed the brightness of the window to throw off the rest of the picture.

– Shoot from the corner. Shooting from the doorway or a corner typically gives you the best perspective and allows you to capture the entire room.

– Don’t use that fisheye lens. It’s enticing to use a fisheye lens in a small space, but resist the urge. The photos curve on either end and scream “small space” to buyers, not to mention they can be deceiving. A nice wide-angle on an actual camera — not a smartphone — is a great alternative.

– Clear the clutter. Get the countertops and other spaces as clutter-free as possible so you are showing the room itself and not the stuff in it.