The "Hero" Shot

There is a trend I noticed when looking through some listings the other day:  lack-lustre exterior shots!  And I am actually talking about listings where the agents "get it" and obviously (sometimes more...often less obviously...) hired a "professional" to photograph their listing.
I can tell you, as a photographer, sometimes we get caught up in things that are important to us, the things that we find challenging, or things that we think we do better than others.  And I noticed that by and large, even properties with decent photos of the interior spaces have... well, sub par exteriors.
I am NOT even talking about TWILIGHT shots for your listing - although, looking through listings I can't think of a better way to stand out above the crowd!  It seems that almost no one does these, and I don't know why. You're trying to get people to look at your listing, and nothing combines the qualities of "eye catching" with "inviting" and "welcoming" like a beautiful twilight.  But I digress.
Lets forget about twilights for a minute - they are an additional cost, they require an extensive skill set, and are more time consuming.  But lets just talk about the standard real estate photo shoot.  It looks to me like most exterior shots are shot almost as an after thought, and edited much like it too. 
No real creative composition.  No understanding of how the human eye views images.  No respect for perspective (that's a whole other series of blogs in and of itself).  Just an "oh yeah, we need a front of the house!" shot.
It is beyond me why this happens as a front shot of the house is usually the first one shown, and I know that many MLS services in the USA and Canada at least, REQUIRE that the first shot be of the front of the home.
People! You are simply NOT getting your money's worth if that shot is not done well.  This is your elevator pitch, this is your one chance for people to want to see more.  That's why many real estate photographers call them "the hero shot".  Its the single most important image supplied to you because quite often its the one that determines if anyone looks at the rest.
Let me wrap up by offering up some pointers:

• composition is key.  No amount of editing or sky replacement surgery will make a poorly composed image look interesting.
• know when to get up, know when to get down:  actually, usually its up - many houses are quite a bit above the grade of the street and most photographers are either unequipped or unaware that their camera positions should be elevated to show the house in its best light.
• time of day.  If you don't know how to light an exterior shot or you don't have the equipment, at least know WHEN to photograph it so that people are not presented with murky, inky shadows that obscure entire swaths of the property.  We do move around the sun... that part is done for you by the solar system, doesn't cost a thing - know how to use it!
• THE GARAGE... This is a pet peeve of mine.  The GARAGE with house attached.  See what I did there?  I know, clever monkey I am - but that's how it looks.  Lets be up front about this - most suburban homes have, for decades, been built with packaging and space constraints in mind before any actual architectural achievements. I get it.  But you can walk over to the other side of the house and take what is still a front view, but one that shows the house more than the garage.  Trust me - it looks better!
• the front door black hole.  The pit of despair that is made out of your pretty porch or vestibule by most of these photos.  Sure this goes back to the time of day discussion, but because so many of these are either recessed or covered up, they turn out like caves in the facade of your pretty house, instead of the place you WANT to GO INTO.  A pro will solve that issue with lighting.  Even the "promateurs" who rely on the electronic crutches of HDR can kind of make that look a little bit better with some effort.  This is the one place you absolutely DO NOT want to look dark and foreboding. Yet usually...it does.
  

These are just some of the points that I simply had to get off my chest, but there is much, much more.  These are all things that an experienced and talented photographer does almost as second nature. But many who offer their services to realtors simply don't have the experience, the knowledge, or both.
I guess this post is addressed to the real estate photographer as much as to their client, the agent: have the decency not to charge people for a blow off job on the single most important shot of the set.  And realtors, know what can be done by an actual professional, as opposed to a guy with a camera who pushes a button so you don't have to.
Real estate photography is actually quite difficult to do well:  you have to deliver numerous views, you can't be on site very long, and you have to deliver them quickly!  You have to be a competent architectural photographer, but also have the mindset of a commercial photographer. Oh and did I mention you have to do it QUICKLY?  Its not easy.  Hire a real pro.  I promise you will see the difference.  And so will your client's.  The current ones, and the ones who's business you are yet to earn.  Make it right, make it count!
Especially in your "hero shot"!