All home buyers want to be able to visualize themselves living in a new home. However, it can be challenging for potential buyers to imagine their future home if it's empty. Fortunately, there is a solution that is fast, easy, and cost-effective - virtual staging.
Virtual staging involves digital designers creating realistic furniture, decor, and accent pieces and integrating them into an image of an empty room. The best part is that virtual staging is typically faster and cheaper than physically staging a home.
As a real estate photographer, you'll want to adjust your process when shooting a home for virtual staging. Here are some tips to ensure you capture the best possible images for virtual staging:
1. Take top-quality photos
Virtual staging furniture is meticulously designed to resemble real furniture, decor, and appliances found in a home. To make sure your images don't look fake, it's important to take high-resolution real estate photos. Using a DSLR camera and shooting in RAW format will give your virtual staging editors the best chance to make the images look as realistic as possible.
2. Use a camera with high dynamic range (HDR)
Real estate photography often involves a wide range of lighting conditions. To handle this, it's best to use a DSLR camera with an auto exposure bracketing feature, which allows you to use high dynamic range (HDR) imaging. HDR imaging involves taking a series of photos of the same subject at different shutter speeds and exposure levels. These bracketed photos are then blended together using photo-editing software, resulting in a single photo that showcases each detail beautifully.
3. Turn on all the lights
Turning on all the lights in every room is a best practice for any real estate photographer. This not only helps give the rooms a natural and warm look but also helps the virtual stagers deal with shadows and shading, making each room feel natural and realistic once the furniture is added.
4. Keep rooms empty as much as possible
The primary purpose of virtual staging is to bring furniture and decor into a vacant house. Therefore, it's best to keep the rooms as empty as possible. Remove distractions such as extra furniture, decorations, toys, and unnecessary clutter. The emptier the room looks, the better the virtual staging artist can work their magic!
5. Shoot in landscape
When taking photos, make sure to orient your shots in landscape mode, which is wider than it is tall. Landscape-oriented photos show more area, allowing graphic designers to use the maximum amount of space to add virtual furniture. Additionally, landscape photos look better on the MLS and other real estate marketing websites.
6. Get as much of the room as possible in your photo
Position yourself slightly off the corner of the room and include the most prominent features of the space in your shots. Make sure to capture as much of the room as possible in each photo. Typically, you'll only want to stage one or maybe two images per room, so choose your shots wisely!
7. Don't use lenses that give you too wide a view
Using a lens with a focal length between 18mm and 200mm is recommended. Avoid fish-eye lenses or ultra-wide-angle lenses, as they can cause distortion and make the walls, floors, and built-in features appear longer or higher than they are in real life.
8. More room, less ceiling
Ensure that there is twice as much floor and wall area as the ceiling in your photos. This allows for more space to add virtual furniture and decor. Take a few extra minutes to double-check your images and make sure there is enough room for staging in each shot.
9. Shoot during the "golden hour"
The "golden hour" refers to the ideal time for photographers to shoot, which typically happens during dawn (between 6-9 am) and twilight (around 4-7 pm). During this time, the sun is not as high in the sky and not as bright. However, be cautious of windows that face directly east or west, as sunlight shining through them can create harsh shadows or overexpose the image.
10. Choose your best images
Take a variety of photos using different angles and camera settings. The more photos you have, the better. Afterward, select the best photos and send them off to be virtually staged. It's better to have more options and delete unnecessary photos than to redo the entire shoot. Virtual staging companies typically deliver final images within 48 to 72 hours.
With PhotoUp, virtual staging costs 20 credits per final image, and the turnaround time is between 24-48 hours. Sign up for a PhotoUp account, select a furniture set, and upload your images. They'll take care of the rest!
Remember, when photographing homes for virtual staging, aim for high-quality images that showcase the space and allow potential buyers to envision themselves living there. By following these tips, you'll be well on your way to capturing the perfect photos for virtual staging.