Taking Good Pictures

Often times, the pictures are the first thing our clients see of a home, and they will significantly influence a client’s decisions. It is, therefore, critical to take good pictures. Here are a few tips.

• Landscape photos are better than portrait photos. But portrait is sometimes the right choice.
• Use angles to make the image appear 3D or spaces seem larger, but don’t get too clever with unusual perspectives.
• Avoid clutter or damages. You may have to rearrange the room or only photograph certain areas.
• Avoid taking pictures of pictures of people, license plates, television shows, and people.
• Watch out for shadows and glares.

Editing Pictures

Don’t worry too much about taking the perfect picture because some things can be improved in editing.

• Crop unwanted parts from the edges.
• Adjust brightness/saturation.
• Blur faces, family photos, license plates, and television shows.
• Make sure the dimensions of the image are large enough.

Adding Pictures to the Database

In order to make life easier in the future, there are a few extra steps that need to be followed correctly right off the bat.

1. Email and text messages decrease the quality of images. If you don’t have direct access to the drives, try uploading the pictures to our NextCloud server or (last resort) use WhatsApp.
2. Ensure the folder name (in FacilityPictures/Completed) is exactly the same as the Facility Name in the Home Record.
   • Do not end the Facility Name or picture folder name with punctuation.
3. Name each picture something descriptive but not specific.

• bathroom.jpg
• 4 – master bathroom.jpg

• Peter’s New Test Home-bathroom.jpg
• IMG4007.jpg

3. The number beside the image in the home record serves two purposes.
   • It tells the website what the pictures are.
   • It designates the order of pictures shown in the referral list.

• 0 is for videos only. It allows the website to handle it properly and the referral to skip it.
• 1 is for the street / front view. This will be the featured image on the website and referral lists.
• 2 is for maps only. It allows the website to skip it and the referral to put it in the right place.

For all other pictures, try to think which ones help sell the home best to the client. Does this home have something unique that other homes don’t? Is the client more interested in seeing the size of a bedroom or the side yard? If there are multiple bathrooms, give a lower number to the one with the best features or the best quality image.

Capturing the Map

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind when taking the screenshot of the map.

• Try to catch the nearest freeway, major streets, or recognizable landmarks to give a good idea of the area.
• Don’t include other businesses. A good way to do this is to take the screenshot from our web app instead of google maps.
• Don’t clutter the map.