How Important is Real Estate Photography in Selling a Home? with guest Shannon Albright
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Be featured in our neighborhood spotlight and you can subscribe to our podcast. We would love you to be a podcast subscriber. We're available on every major podcasting network. Without further ado, let me introduce Shannon Albright, who is the owner of two 14 Photography. Hello Shannon. Hello. Not only are you a professional photographer and a professional real estate photographer, but you are my, you are my teams.
My firms the only real estate photographer that, that we use. So, uh, you, you come here with a big seal of approval and I appreciate you, uh, joining me today. I so appreciate you guys. I've loved working with y'all. It really is an honor to, to be the, the Gaddes real estate photographer. And, uh, well, it, it is something, it is something that is well earned because your photos are, uh, just incredible.
For those who are listening who love photography and have always thought about, gosh, I'd love to get into real estate photography. Tell a little bit about how you, I know you. Your interest in photography, I don't think came from real estate. I think you were interested in photography first and then you morphed over into real estate.
So talk just a little bit about that. I did. It was a really very sweet, casual story. Um, got into real estate in general through my wedding photographer. I just told her I wanted to be her when I grew up and she said, well then do it. So she really mentored me. Stop, stop talking girl, and go do something. I love that.
I love that. She did, she really did. And she just really mentored me through the process. I, I got a good camera and took some classes and sort of started playing around with portrait photography and, um, After a year or so of friends and family sessions, I, I made a website and ordered business cards and decided I was gonna try my hand at being a real photographer.
And, uh, did that years, did a lot of families and babies and weddings and it was great. My children were little at the time, so I could be home with them during the day. Isn't that great? And then go do work on weekends. And it was really great. And as they got older, those weekend gigs got harder because I was missing a lot of their events doing weekend weddings and that kinda stuff.
Yeah, yeah. You felt, well that was probably causing, that was probably causing trauma for you and for them when you were missing their things. Yes. Yeah. It started getting kind of sad. Yeah. Um, but I had another photographer mentor that had moved into, he was doing Airbnb. Photography and, uh, really walked me through how nice it was to be able to do that during the week.
And so I started learning about architectural and real estate photography and, uh, again, just started offering services and practiced for a year or two and then, Put the pictures up and said, here's what I can do for you if, uh, if you're interested. It's been really great and I think I remember you coming to me or whoever it was and saying, Hey, this is what I'm doing.
Would you guys be interested? And, and good for you for having the guts to do that. I think we've been working together for what, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. I mean, it's been a long time. It has. It's been probably, Eight or nine. Wow, that's amazing. Yeah. That's amazing. So for those who are listening who are curious about what makes good real estate photography, uh, my question for you is what do you find most important as you take photographs of properties that are for sale or will be Yeah.
Yeah. So I think the biggest thing is declutter. Okay. And I know as real estate agents, you guys are, are all about that. Um, Getting, you know, countertops cleaned off. Yep. Appliances put away. Uh, just sort of really minimalizing what's in the house. And then as simple as it sounds, open the blinds. Get some, let the sunshine in.
Let the sunshine in. So it's really as simple as making sure that who's looking at the pictures has plenty of spaces to look at. That can be their space and not your space. And if it has all of my stuff all over the counters, then it doesn't give that buyer, uh, the opportunity to, uh, To, to picture their stuff there.
So as you're taking photos, and I would assume that since you are a professional real estate photographer, I would assume that you look at other people's, uh, photography and, and I, I don't want you to talk names, I don't wanna embarrass anybody here, but like, what are some of the things you see others do that in your opinion kind of ruins a picture that you, where you would do it a little bit differently?
And I might be putting you on the spot, but I'm very curious cuz I know there's gotta be little tricks of the trade. Well, I'll tell you, cell phone photography is the biggest thing that I see and, and it can be done very well and it can be done very poorly. One of the really important sort of technical parts of real estate photography is that a vertical needs to be vertical.
So, um, in a cell phone, if you've got your cell phone angled, all the walls are going to either angle in or angle out. Yeah, you've got some kind of Yes. That perspective shift. So I think probably, um, agents or maybe even photographers just sort of popping through with their phone doesn't do the house justice.
And, uh, of course any, any, uh, Photographer in the mirror is another big no-no. So if you see someone standing in a bathroom mm-hmm. I'm raising my hand by the way, cuz I, I do that, but I'm just taking pictures for, for note purposes. So great information. I mean like, just some great information. So. How do you make the picture just be that perfect picture?
Uh, you know, sometimes it's a little bit of the pictures just a smidge out of focus or whatever it is that makes things show up really well. Like what are, what are a few rules, a few things that you try to remember there in terms of from a technical standpoint, taking the best picture? Yeah. From a technical standpoint, I try to get, uh, three walls Okay.
In every shot. And that allows you to sort of see the size. Size of the room. And then I also do a technique where I take three different exposures and combine them in the editing process so that the highlights and the shadows and the low lights are all blended in a way that makes a more digitally appealing.
Photo. Um, you'll see some that are just lit with flash and you'll be able to see the flash shadows. You'll be some that see some that were not lit with flash and it can be very dark looking in the room. Basements especially are challenging. Um, right. So those are some things that I, so three photos, this one's got better lighting here.
This one's got something else there. This one's got something different. And then you take sort of the best of what you like of all those and put 'em together. Wow. Fascinating. It's amazing the tricks of the trade. One of the things to start, and by the way, if somebody's listening and they want to reach out to you because they want photos, I'm assuming you still do other, all other kind of photos, cuz you still do our photos with Santa, uh, every single year.
Uh, how would somebody reach you if they wanted a family portrait or photos with Santa or wanted to, uh, photograph their home to sell it for sale by owner? Or maybe it's a real estate agent listening who's going like, gosh, I'd like to call Shannon as well. How do they reach you? Yeah, that'd be great. My website is two fourteen-photography.com.
Okay, that's a great way. I'm also on social media under two 14 photography and, uh, would love to be able to help with any of that. And I assume you have like an online order form or something for real estate agents to say what they want or, or something like that. If not, they can just click, I guess, contact us and, and, and get in touch with you.
Thank you. So it's, that's right, yeah. Two two fourteen-photography.com. Two fourteen-photography.com. Is that right? That's it. Awesome. Perfect. Okay. AI is turning into a really big thing. It is amazing. There are all kinds of systems out there that will analyze photos, pick the best photos, all kinds of stuff from an AI standpoint, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on AI creeping in into real estate photography specifically.
Yeah, I think it's gonna be a very interesting time. I have always approached all of my photography and especially real estate photography with the philosophy that it needs to be accurately represented. And, uh, people would joke and portrait, oh, can you take 20 pounds off? And, and that kind of thing. And I just always said, you're beautiful.
Just how you are. Right. And so I've similarly about real estate that it really needs to be, um, represented accurately. There is a new tool in Photoshop that just launched maybe two weeks ago. That is able within a couple of commands to make amazingly realistic looking photos. And so, um, I just think it's gonna be very interesting.
Uh, Sort of walk in the tight rope. A little bit of, of, I think it's important to represent things truthfully and with integrity while showcasing homes in the best light possible. So the way I approach editing on real estate is, uh, if the homeowner is planning to repair, say a mark in the paint on the wall, um, that's the kind of thing I can do in post, right.
Uh, If somebody has a destroyed bathroom and they're like, well just make it look like a new bathroom. You know, to me that's sort of crossing the line. So, yeah, it's just a very interesting time. It is making the editing process much, much faster. Is it? The AI can do in seconds what It takes a human to do in hours.
Wow. So, um, It's a very interesting, exciting, a little scary time, I think. Yeah. We use a lot of, uh, virtual staging, so the photo's not necessarily real. And I'm a believer that, look, if you show somebody something that doesn't actually exist, just make it obvious that, that, that's just a, a representation of what it may look like.
We've got about a minute and 30 seconds left in the segment and you do other photography and, and one of the things you do for us is our photos for Santa. Uh, talk about any other, uh, photography needs that you could handle for, for anybody who might be listening. Yeah, I love that, that Santa event, it's one of my favorite events of the year.
I love being able to see you guys with all your clients. Love that. And sometimes it's, they're not even clients. They're people who, they might not be able to have pictures with Santa without coming there. And to me that is just the coolest thing. I mean, I love it, but the, the, I've only been edit. A coup few times over the years and both of those times I got started to get a little bit emotional.
What else can you do? We've got about 45 seconds left. Yeah. So event photography, portrait photography. I love family photography, especially extended families and multi-generation. Uh, we don't get enough pictures with our parents and grandparents as adults. A lot of people do family pictures when the kids are little.
Yeah. Um, so strong. Feel very strongly about doing those extended family sessions. They become really priceless. Generational photos. I love that. Will you come back and see us sometime soon? I would love to. Awesome. You can reach Shannon@twofourteen-photography.com. We're gonna take a quick break.
Where is one of the most expensive homes in the state of Georgia? It's not where you think it is. And thermal expansion tanks. What are they? Why would a water heater need one? And do you have one? We've got those subjects and more. Stick with us. We'll be back.
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