3 Steps to Improve Cell Phone Photos for Exteriors

say what??

Why would I want you to take better cell phone photos? Well, think about that listing that needed to be up on the market yesterday. So, you take a quick cell phone pic and post it just to get it listed. In the meantime, because you are such a great realtor and marketing genius, you've made an appointment for your photog to come out and shoot.

So, wouldn't it be nice to know how to improve your frontal shot of the house? Of course it would, so let's do this!

Last summer, a good friend of mine and I went to an island near Cancun called Isla Mujeres. There was a cute little coffee shop that we loved to visit every morning. My friend noticed that they didn't have any good photos online. So, I took some photos with my Iphone 8. It doesn't really have that great of a camera, but I got some decent shots by following some basic principles. The photo below is straight out of my phone with no editing. It's not the best photo, but it's not too bad either. And with a few tweaks, your photos can be "not bad" either!

Take a moment to notice how you see a structure with your own eyes. No matter how you turn your head, the vertical lines will remain vertical. However, you'll notice that a camera will distort the vertical lines when there is even a slight tilt. So, the first rule is to notice the vertical lines when you aim your phone and keep them vertical by keeping your phone level!

Check out the photo above and guess where I am standing? Yup, that's right. Right in front of the wall divider between the glass. If you are photographing a house close enough for your reflection to be seen, just move in front of the brick and you will be well hidden.

When looking for a good angle, try to avoid shooting from the driveway side angle unless there is a really good reason such as a detached garage in the back or a pull through drive. Otherwise, there is no need to shoot over a bunch of concrete that will look unattractive filling up the bottom of the photo. Instead, either shoot straight on and/or shoot on the grassy side of the property. These two photos are great examples (although, these aren't phone photos).

Now that you have these tips under your belt, go out and take some decent frontal shots of your property so you can get that listing on the market A.S.A.P.! Then, give me a call or click the link below to book your appointment!