Creating Excellent Property Photography Mike Miriello, creator of the Real Estate Photography podcast available on iTunes is going to photograph two Washington, DC-area properties and use them as case studies to walk through how good photography can be created, the tools to manipulate it, and how it can be syndicated and distributed. Mike will show us the power of imagery done right, and what to ask for from your photographers (or when you do it yourself.) Mike Miriello, Principal, Miriello Photography and Producer of the Real Estate Photography iTunes Podcast

1. Creating Excellent Property Photography By: Mike Miriello

2. Introduction Who am I?

3. Introduction Who am I?

4. Topics We’ll Be Covering -The Importance of Interior Photography -Case Studies -Tips for Taking Photos for Yourself -Hiring a Professional Photographer -Opinions on Web-Presence and Photography in the Apartments Industry -Q and A (think of questions as we go)

5. The Importance of Interior Photography Photojournalism vs Commercial Photography -Documenting vs Story Telling -Documenting allows viewers to think for themselves -Story Telling dictates what viewers should be thinking -Images must elicit an Emotional Response

6. Case-in-Point: Want to Vacation Here?

7. Case-in-Point: Want to Vacation Here? I’ve decided: -What to show -What to hide -Time of Day -How ‘intense’ the effect is -Nothing not to like

8. The Importance of Interior Photography Images Must… -Capture the viewer’s attention -Be in-control of the narrative -Elicit an emotional response

9. Case Studies Our Experiment: -Two Washington D.C.-area ‘B’ Properties -Have them professionally photographed -Bring them to AIM 2011 -Talk about it

10. Case Study #1

11. Case Study #1

12. Case Study #1

13. Case Study #1

14. Case Study #1

15. Case Study #1

16. Case Study #1

17. Case Study #1

18. Case Study #2

19. Case Study #2

20. Case Study #2

21. Case Study #2

22. Case Study #2

23. Case Study #2

24. Case Studies Summary

25. Behind-the-Scenes

26. Behind-the-Scenes Lights Turned ‘on’ Darker than foreground Matching ‘color’, varying degrees of exposure

27. Behind-the-Scenes Minimal Staging Cropped ceiling

28. Behind-the-Scenes

29. Behind-the-Scenes Exposure set so we can slightly see the surroundings Morning light is not ‘blown-out’, but instead detailed Cropped wide, also cut lampshade in 1/2

30. Behind-the-Scenes Two-flash setup using walls/ceiling corner for diffusion

31. Behind-the-Scenes Separation distance is gained by standing outside of the room

32. Behind-the-Scenes ‘ Ambient’ light is minimal

33. Behind-the-Scenes Two-light Setup Lights triggered by pop-up flash

34. Behind-the-Scenes Two-light Setup Lights triggered by pop-up flash

35. Behind-the-Scenes This illustrates just how much light is being added to any given shot

36. Behind-the-Scenes This reiterates the positioning of lights and distance-to-subject

37. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself

38. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself Height -Eye level is far too high -Chest-to-shoulder height is good for large spaces -Waist-to-chest height is good for small spaces

39. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself (not my photo)

40. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself Straight Lines -Don’t look ‘down’ into the room -Look ‘straight’ into the room instead -Lenses are circular and are the weakest in the corners -If you point ‘down’, walls bend at the corners

41. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself (not my photo)

42. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself Turn the Flash Off -‘Direct ’ Flash is awful -It ‘flattens’ spaces and removes depth -It also creates harsh shadows where shadows don’t belong -If you know how, use off-camera-flash

43. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself (my photo, intentionally bad)

44. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself Turn the Lights On -Lamps, Ceiling Lights, Recessed Lighting, Under-Cabinet Lighting, etc. -It looks odd when these are off -These small details make a difference

45. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself (not my photo)

46. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself Don’t over-do it -HDR (High-Dynamic-Range) -Easy way to capture more dynamic range -Can easily be over-done -Will scream ‘FAKE!’

47. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself (not my photo)

48. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself Wide-Angle-Lenses Cause more harm than good (usually) -Very, very weak corners -Images become stretched -Small focal-lengths, forcing one to get close -Bad combination

49. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself (not my photo)

50. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself Learn how to do Basic Image Editing -Exposure, Contrast, Saturation adjustments -Learn how to Crop an image -Learn how to Straighten an image

51. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself (this kitchen was built on a hill)

52. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself Learn how to do Basic Image Composition -What are you taking a picture of?

53. Tips for Taking Pictures Yourself (not my photo)

54. Exterior Photography

55. Exterior Photography

56. Exterior Photography

57. Hiring A Professional

58. Hiring A Professional What to expect: -$1K to $1.5K/day -Travel costs (hotel, fuel, meals, etc.) -If hiring from an Ad Agency, expect 2x-3x the price -Negotiation is almost always available

60. Hiring A Professional What you should demand: -Digital and Print rights to the images produced -No limits or expirations -Rights/limits/expirations are non-negotiable -Discuss spaces, not numbers of images

61. Opinions on Web-Presence and Photography

62. Opinions on Web-Presence and Photography The value of Web-Presence -Your online presence is more important than your print presence -No duh -How positive is your web-presence’s impact?

63. Opinions on Web-Presence and Photography Social-Media -‘Very little to gain, a lot to lose’ - Can be very useful, often times misused -Don’t annoy your audience -Fun-facts, Announcements, etc.

64. Opinions on Web-Presence and Photography -People read differently online than offline

65. Opinions on Web-Presence and Photography Words vs Images -Many of the websites I see are dominated by text -Photos are buried and a chore to find -When Photos are found, they are often small and poorly presented

66. Opinions on Web-Presence and Photography Words vs Images -People aren’t interested in reading unless you have their attention first -Great images get attention -Images should be the primary focus, text second

67. Opinions on Web-Presence and Photography Images vs Video -Online attention span is finite -It’s also very, very limited Quick Poll -How many here have tried to load a media-rich webpage or video and become frustrated with how long it takes to load?

68. Opinions on Web-Presence and Photography Images vs Video -Video can be helpful -Often, it’s under-produced, cumbersome, drags, and loses the viewer’s attention -It’s also more expensive than still images

69. Opinions on Web-Presence and Photography Images vs Video -Video is an added layer of depth viewers want later , when they can’t get enough info -I may be biased towards still photography -However, I’m 26, part of the millennial generation, and I don’t like waiting for sites/video to load, I have things to do

70. Wrap-Up -The Importance of Interior Photography -Case Studies -Behind-the-scenes -Tips for Shooting Interiors Yourself -Hiring a Professional Photographer -Opinions

71. Q and A -Ask anything! -Please share your own experiences

72. The End -Thanks for having me