Stamm Photography Blog

Ok, now that you've completely gone through the home and done on the prep work, it's time to begin the job you were hired to do, creating a great set of photos of the home. Where to start?  That's pretty much your own decision.  I've seen colleagues of mine start from the inside and finish with the outside or start from the outside and finish with the inside. I personally started from the front of the house and finished with the backyard.  Just my own preference if being kinda orderly.  No matter which way you start, its up to you, the process should be pretty much the same. What makes the best photos?  This again is your own preference, but I don't recommend using a single shot with flash format.  Most new cameras now have an HDR function and since they only take 2 or 3 different exposures (brackets) I also don't recommend using this either. My personal recommendation is to shoot at least 5 different exposures (brackets) of the same shot.  Sev...

Have you ever been looking through the MLS or online "Homes For Sale" listings and wonder why some of the homes you see listed there look so horrible? Well let's take a look at what is the needed to make your clients, or your home stand out from the crowd. As a photographer, upon arrival at a home for a shoot, the very first thing after unpacking and bringing the equipment you're going to use inside the home, is to do a thorough walk through of the home with the seller or real estate agent if possible.  In some cases, however, neither the real estate agent nor the seller will be available to accompany you on this walk through.  What you are looking for are things which are out of place, things which need to be properly arranged or removed, toilet seats which are up and need to be put down, shower curtains which need to be either closed or straightened, throw rugs which need to be properly arranged or removed, nick knacks which may clutter the shot, bathroom and k...

Now some of you will say, this is not true.  Golf can be a team sport.  Yes you're right as well, but think about this.  Football, Basketball, Soccer, Cricket, Baseball, and even Tennis you have to have an opponent. In golf, you don't always have an opponent, except in tournaments, but even there you are competing against yourself. Again you say, How? Well let's break it down.  In golf, you can play at your own pace, by yourself or with friends.  You're always trying to improve your scores and handicap. Only you can do this, no other can do it for you. When playing a leisurely round of golf, if you hit a bad shot, then this can and sometimes does have an effect on you final score. It also can have an effect on your mental state in the game as well and thus affecting the final score also.  Now let's look at the competition side of golf. Assuming you like to bet with your friends, golf is also a competitive sport, but even in this type of friendl...

So you want to be a Real Estate Photographer.  What does it take? Do I have the expertise? Anyone can enter the field of Real Estate Photography, or take Real Estate Photos.  All it takes is any camera off the shelf, or use of your cell phone or pad.  Right? Absolutely wrong!! In my years as Professional Real Estate Photographer, I have seen all kinds of photos of Real Estate taken.  Some were done expertly, and most were done with a cell phone or pad.  Those taken with the cell phones and pads were absolutely, atrociously horrible, and yet the agents who took them thought these were the best in the world and even convinced their clients they were no better, until, the house sat on the market with little or no activity for over 30 days, when other homes in the neighborhood were selling and closing within 1 to 2 weeks. If a person wishes to enter the lucrative world of Real Estate Photography, they must know a bit about photography, such as the "4 basic c...

Many people have asked me, "Vernon, how do you produce such great photos of houses for sale"? Most of the time I tell them, "It's just a matter of the artform and preparations, and secondly, the equipment you use." Most anyone can shoot real estate photography if they have a basic idea of what they want the photos to show in their "mind's eye" before even starting the shoot. The second aspect is the equipment you use.  Most cameras can be used, provided they have a wide enough lens to do the job and, if the shooter knows how to use lighting, composition, composure and angles, or the "Basic Concepts of Photography", properly in Real Estate Photography.  The artistry basically comes from looking over the entire home before setting up my camera to begin to shoot.  Doing a walk through and getting an idea of how you want to do the shoot is just as important as the shoot itself.  Turning on lights to emulate that perfect lightin...

Most of us aren’t professional photographers, but many of us take our amateur photography seriously. Over time, we come to realize that there’s a lot more to taking pictures than just pointing and shooting! In fact, a photographer who’s serious about his hobby should learn about topics such as lighting, exposure, composition and camera angles, to name a few. Lighting and Exposure Have you ever taken pictures that are so light or so dark that you can hardly make out the subjects? If so, you’re aware of how important the proper lighting and exposure can be in photography. How the lighting of a scene affects the exposure of the film is one of the most basic photography concepts. The more light within the scene, the more the film will be exposed.   Conversely, the less light a scene has, the less the film will be exposed. While overexposed film turns out pictures that are too bright , underexposed film will be too dark, appearing “blacked-out.” Understanding how...

You must have been familiar with the proverb “a picture's worth more than a thousand words”. Photos, when incorporated in websites or newspapers change the total worth of the news or the content as visitors or readers feel more interested in reading something when it is supported by an image. Similarly, if you have a website and you want to boost the sales of your company online, you should integrate some good photographs that are professionally presented. If things look shabby and unprofessional, not only will the buyers find the property to be unappealing, but also associate you and your company with unprofessionalism. According to a Realtor's Association survey, it has been revealed that when it comes to the online features that most visitors consider, 85% of them cited pictures or images, 80% cited a Will you go for article exchange ?detailed representation of the real estate property and 55% cited virtual tours. As the real estate buyers begin to search and narrow down ...

Gone are the days when photographers used black and white film. The introduction of color, around thirty to forty years ago, replaced black and white in the global market, the same has occurred today, with digital replacing color film. Everywhere you go, you see digital cameras and camcorders. The only place you will see black and white film being used almost exclusively is in the area of newspaper photojournalism. Even some of the worlds best magazines use digital photographs. An Internet search is about the only other place you will find people using B&W, or by visiting the local art galleries and museums. There are very few B&W photographers left. But I guess that's progress. What happened? Most of the great B&W photographers, including American photographer Ansel Adams, French photographer Eugene Atget, British photographer and Bill Brandt, have died, leaving just their legacies. Today, people have realized the ease of digital, thus making B&W a lost art. ...