Has it been a few years since you updated your property photos? Good photos can make or break a listing and it could mean the difference between early and late sign up and could impact how much you charge.

Use Up to Date Equipment

Nobody is saying you should rush out and spend £1,000 on a DSLR and multiple lenses. However, that 10-year-old pocket camera will not have the quality of your smartphone. Even basic and cheap smartphones today have better quality cameras than cheap cameras from back then.

Clean and Bright Rooms

There is nothing worse than a messy room. Not only does it look unappealing, but messiness also makes the room(s) look smaller.

If you’re taking photos in autumn or winter, your chances of a bright day are low. On a dull day, use a few strategically placed lamps to light dark corners. When photographing in the evening or at night, aim to create a warm and cosy ambience.

Composition Techniques

You don’t need to become an amateur photographer for this part. But it is important to correctly frame the accommodation to make it look attractive.

•         Rule of Thirds: Simply, dividing images into three sections. A horizon line should not be in the centre. Instead, create a 2/3 and 1/3 section. Look at any element in a photo and if it creates a one-third section, it’s using this rule
•         Leading Lines: Using lines to guide the line of sight towards something that you want to draw the eye of the viewer
•         Golden Ratio: This is creating a rule of nine sections from nature and applying it as a photographic technique. It starts with a strong focal point and works outwards in a spiral

Use these techniques and the untrained eye won’t understand what it is about the property they find appealing. Don’t be afraid to use props, or move furniture, to create these effects.

Post-Production

Regardless of what you feel about “photoshopping,” few photos on the web these days are posted as taken. Virtually every image has had something done to it.

There is where it’s useful to use your smartphone. You don’t need Photoshop. Your smartphone should have a basic editor. This is all you need to modify your images.

•         Temperature: This setting will allow you to create a warmer or cooler image
•         Shadows: Got dark areas in the photo? Raise the shadows. That will define more of the room
•         Highlights: The opposite to shadows. If you have any over-exposed or bright areas (for interiors, this is normally near windows) lower them for better definition

Those are the only three functions you should need 99% of the time. Play around, but don’t go overboard. You’re not creating art, just enhancing images for a best view of the property.