Styling and Staging

I was asked recently to review a virtual tour by a virtual tour vendor. The tour had photos of empty rooms, photos of the garage, photos of a hallway and photos of the exterior with no landscaping. The problem is what to do when you need to sell an empty home or new construction. Photographs of empty rooms usually look terrible unless the space itself has some interesting aspect.

You need to remember that real estate photography is not documentary photography. That is, you are not simply documenting the property; you are trying to make it look attractive so someone would want to purchase it. I recommend that real estate photographers and agents work with interior designers sometimes called staggers who can move in furniture and décor items to decorate a home to make it look good. This service may seem expensive but it usually pays off in the long run for the seller.

Another variation of this problem is lived in homes that have too much furniture or furniture that does not present well. Let’s face it, not all home owners have a good sense of home decorating. Many times home sellers would be better served if they just move out and have their home professionally staged. Solving these problems is of course ultimately up to the real estate agent and owner the home. However, it’s the job of the photographer to raise the issue to who ever is having you photograph the home.

A photographer can do a lot to improve the look of a home by simply moving around furniture and making sure clutter is out of photos. Many times I spend half of my time moving stuff out of shots. That’s OK; remember your job as a photographer is to do what ever it takes to make a home look good in the photographs!