First real estate shoot C&C please

Hi everyone. This random company paid me $20 to take photos of a house they want to 'publish'.. The company sounds dodgy as hell but I did get paid, and therefore have sent these photos off to be published.. I'm hoping to make a portfolio of real estate so I can apply for real photography jobs so please give me some feedback on these photos..

Photo 1

I like them. I mean I`m no expert, but if I was searching for a house to buy, those photos would give me enough detail to make an opinion. The kitchen shot is the nicest one.

Thanks mate.. I like the kitchen one best too..

To be honest, real estate is probably my least favourite type of photography and I know nothing about it so I just fudged my way through this.

Should have charged them an extra $400 and staged it proper. For $20 though they got more than they should have. This isn't my cup of tea, but I'll still tell you what stands out to me.

1. Should have closed the door. More on the shelves or nothing at all. Power strip. Wrinkled uneven rug. OCF in shot.

2. Unkempt bed, dirty rug, empty shelves again, uneven blinds, water damage/sheetrock damage top left, cropped out the vent all the way.

3. Strip light is ugly and off center, I'd have left it out. Window too closed looks like it's hiding a nudist neighbor overlook. Cords, cluttered on left, boombox in a kitchen, bare branded soap.

4. Not much saving that bath... But still branded soap, used toilet tissue roll, brush in the corner, cracks in the wall, and (know not your fault) God awful colors to work with. Color balance is off and under exposed a bit. Smears on the mirror.

I mean so much of this stuff is prep work and staging. If you want to get into this type of photography you have to give them more than a GWC can. Obviously this company didn't want that. I've only worked with a few (from construction days) that didn't bother with a fresh coat of paint... always... That said, I think you gave them more than they deserved and you didn't really get much value back in the way of portfolio material. Not your fault really. You should be asking about what the staging arrangements are and if there aren't any, then add that to your quotes and either do it yourself or develop a relationship with someone you can bring in on a regular basis.

Again, I know you couldn't do it with this company. The photography isn't bad. Just watch out for cords, shooting into multiple rooms through multiple doorways, and don't be afraid to photoshop the heck out of the rooms when you're compensated for it. I mean up to removing vents, receptacles, cords, stains. Cracks are a no no too. Fake, yes. But your job is to get potential customers to go look at it. It's the agents job to sell them in spite of the imperfections.

Thanks for all the feedback. It's all very valid and I can't believe I didn't see that OCF in #1 lol

To be honest, the owner of the house was kind of hovering around me and she was quite strange.. Not to mention the company sent me to the wrong address first and got the clients name wrong. All this combined kind of made me hit want to get the hell out of there.. But some of the things you mentioned I wouldn't have noticed in a million years so thanks

I have seen a lot of real estate photography here in the DC area. Some of the houses are over a few million dollars, but are so beautiful. The best advice I have for your work above is to take the little shelf things off, close doors and remove even the shelves that are empty in the bathroom and bedroom. Less is more and extra distractions don't help an image. But otherwise, they are sharp and definitely useful images.

LucasCK wrote in post #14433754
Thanks for all the feedback. It's all very valid and I can't believe I didn't see that OCF in #1 lol

To be honest, the owner of the house was kind of hovering around me and she was quite strange.. Not to mention the company sent me to the wrong address first and got the clients name wrong. All this combined kind of made me hit want to get the hell out of there.. But some of the things you mentioned I wouldn't have noticed in a million years so thanks

Yeah, no doubt on the hovering and uneasiness! You have your feet wet now, so the hard part is out of the way.. They are good pics as Suzy's pointed out. I figured it was a cluster from the OP so all that stuff said was just for the next shoot you do!

By OCF, you guys mean off camera flash - the flash on the shelf on the left side of the picture?

Ispriluc wrote in post #14433955
By OCF, you guys mean off camera flash - the flash on the shelf on the left side of the picture?

Yes

And actually if it weren't for the reflective surfaces on the wall right beside it, I don't think I'd have noticed it.