YOU’VE CAPTURED THE ALL-IMPORTANT KITCHEN. The lounge – tick. Family bathroom – tick. You’ve even got some detail shots that look like they’ve been ripped out of an interior design magazine. They’ll definitely bump up interest in the property.
What about outside?
The standard exterior shots are: facing the property straight on. Or, taken from a 45-degree angle to capture the front and gable-end, where possible. That gives the shot a bit of depth. The main reason the above photo wasn’t shot at 45 degrees is because the trees at the drive entrance would then have been blocking the view of the front of the house.
Usually, when doing exterior shots, you don’t need too much sky or the surroundings because the property itself is, generally speaking, king.
It’s tree o’clock
But there are times when the surroundings are the most sumptuous thing about the property. At times like that, you’ll want to stand back a little and open up your wide-angle lens.
This Herefordshire property is surrounded by so much natural beauty you wouldn’t be surprised to see David Attenborough lurking around it.
It’s not just that it has a lovely approach – though it really does have a lovely approach. It’s not just the quasi-feral garden. It’s also the thought of that view. Just look at it! When the owners of this country shack stick their head out the front door, they’re greeted by a sea of green. Untamed, uninterrupted green. It’s to die for.
Divine setting
We haven’t even had to worry too much about the weather for once. This was shot on a fairly dreary day in November. No morning sun glinting off sills. No dusky light warming the stonework. This is a bog standard, autumnal middle-of-the-day shot. With very little editing done on top of the original photo because I’m not omniscient and don’t have the skills to compete with whoever laid the divine groundwork.
Of course, an overcast day is often the best time to take exterior shots. That’s because clouds act as a massive soft box in front of the sun, diffusing its direct light. Cloudless days often result in harsh shadows. Which, even the best photographers struggle to work around.
Opt for a double take
It’s worth taking exterior shots before going inside and after the interior shots have been taken. That gives you two chances of capturing properties in decent light. The images may still not be perfect. But at least you have more options to work with.
I’ve written about bracketing before – merging multiple shots of the same image taken at different shutter speeds. That’s usually the best option.
But it’s also quite tricky to do and is more time-consuming. Especially the editing process. Having similar exterior shots taken at different times is another way of tackling exterior property shots.
That’s it. That’s all I have to say about exterior shooting. After all, I know you’re thinking I need to get out more…
Please drop me a line if you have any questions. I’d be happy to chat to you about photographs that help sell properties in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Let’s start exploring ways to give your marketing even more kerb appeal.
– Lucas
Spick Brick Pics
Info@spickbrickpics.co.uk