A PHOTOGRAPHER’S GUIDE TO A REAL ESTATE PHOTO SHOOT
So you’re selling your house. That’s exciting. And probably a little overwhelming.
There’s a lot to do between deciding to sell and handing someone else the keys. I’d suggest letting the photo shoot be the first step in moving.
Get some boxes. Start packing.
Not everything, obviously. You still have to live here. But you already know you’re leaving, and there are plenty of things you won’t need between now and moving day. Packing some of them now makes the photographs better, the showings easier, and moving day a little less painful.
I walk in with my camera. Someone looks around and asks:
And then we begin. Shoes. Shampoo bottles. Family photographs. Extra kitchen appliances. Mail. Small rugs. The things sitting on counters and furniture simply because that’s where they’ve always lived.
None of it is unusual. It’s just everyday life.
But somewhere along the way it occurred to me: we’re asking the right question at the wrong time.
A FIRST STEP.
Not a cleaning checklist. Not a staging bible. And not a list of things your photographer personally dislikes.
Just a simple way to look at your house a little differently before I show up.
You’re moving anyway. So start now. Pack what you can, give the house some breathing room, and let the photography be the beginning of the move instead of a one-day cleanup for the camera.
Because the question isn’t:
It’s:
WHAT SHOULD WE CHANGE BECAUSE WE’RE SELLING THE HOUSE?
The photographs are a promise.
They aren’t supposed to be a beautiful snapshot of a fake reality that exists only while I’m standing there with a camera.
This is how the house feels.
This is the light.
This is the space.
This is the kitchen you can imagine making coffee in.
And when someone likes that promise enough to get in the car and come see the house:
we should keep it.
What happens if we don’t?
The photographs showed clean counters and open rooms.
Then the buyer arrives.
Toothbrushes on the sink.
Appliances covering the kitchen.
Blinds closed.
Everything we hid for picture day returned to its natural habitat.
Something small but important has happened.
We broke the promise.
Maybe they don’t consciously think that.
They just feel a little disappointment.
And disappointment is a terrible first emotion to create when someone walks into a house you’re asking them to fall in love with.
You probably can’t see your house the way a buyer will.
Why? Because you live there.
Your brain stopped noticing a lot of this stuff years ago. The basket in the corner. The printer on the desk. The appliances on the counter. The shoes by the door. The bath mat. The extra little table.
None of those things are bad. They’re simply part of a life being lived there.
But now we’re asking someone else to imagine their life there. A little breathing room helps them do that.
So start moving out.
You’re selling the house anyway.
Pack the family photographs. Put away the shoes, shampoo bottles, vitamins, mail and collections. Clear the counters. Clear the tops of furniture. Take a look at bath mats and small rugs, too. If the floor looks cleaner and more open without them, pack them.
And when you clear something, whenever possible, actually pack it rather than simply finding it another temporary home.
You’re moving anyway. This is a head start.
About that refrigerator.
The refrigerator is one of those places that quietly collects a lot of life: photographs, schedules, magnets, school papers, reminders.
For selling, simpler is better. Clear the doors and the top completely if you can.
Pack it. You’re moving anyway.
Why does clutter matter?
Because clutter isn’t really about mess.
It’s about attention.
The giant plant competes with the window. The recliner competes with the fireplace. The appliance convention competes with the kitchen. Your family photographs compete, ever so slightly, with someone imagining theirs.
All of it creates visual noise.
Quiet things down enough, and the house finally gets to speak.
Clutter makes claims about the house.
Random stacks. Stuff on furniture. Boxes in corners. Closets packed so tightly they look vacuum sealed.
What does a buyer think?
Maybe not:
Maybe:
Not enough storage.
Not enough closet.
Not enough kitchen.
Not enough house.
And they may never consciously know why they passed.
If the house is already full, they can’t mentally move into it.
Space is not something we forgot to fill.
An empty corner is allowed to remain an empty corner.
The corner does not need a chair.
The chair does not need a table.
The table does not need a basket.
The basket does not need three blankets.
Space is one of the things we’re selling.
Keep what makes the room make sense.
If a couch or chair is unusually large for the room, worn out, blocking a feature, or there simply because it has always been there, and you can reasonably move it, this may be a good time to let it go early.
Sometimes it can’t go. That’s okay.
Kids. Dogs. Work. Boxes. Nowhere to put the couch.
Life is still happening while you sell a house. Do what you can.
Bad photographs can become the memory of the house.
People look at a lot of listings, and after a while they start reducing them to a feeling.
“That was the cluttered one.”
“That one felt kind of depressing.”
“That was the one that looked really small.”
They may not remember exactly what gave them that impression. It could have been one dark room, too much furniture, closed blinds, a cluttered kitchen, or just a few photographs that didn’t give the house much of a chance.
But the feeling sticks.
And that’s a shame, because sometimes the house itself isn’t dark, cramped or depressing at all. The photographs just introduced it that way.
That’s why the goal isn’t to make a bad house look good. It’s to make sure a good house gets a fair hearing.
Sometimes. But that’s not really the point.
Technology can remove an incredible number of things from photographs now. But whenever possible, I’d rather photograph the house we actually want a buyer to experience.
There are practical reasons for that. Rules around altered real estate photography continue to evolve, and a digitally perfected room doesn’t help much if the buyer walks in and sees something entirely different.
The simpler answer is usually the better one: get the real house ready. Then keep it that way for the showing.
We’re not preparing for photographs.
We’re preparing the house to sell.
The photograph makes the promise.
The showing keeps it.
Give it some air.
Give it some light.
Give somebody enough room to imagine their Tuesday morning there.
Let them see the house before they see your stuff.
That’s it.
Now we’re ready for pictures.
THE RUNDOWN.
The short version: start moving before you move. You’re going to pack this stuff eventually anyway. Doing some of it now makes the house feel larger, brighter and easier for someone else to imagine living in. You may even look around afterward and think, “This place looks so good I sort of want to keep it.” That’s the goal.
OUTSIDE + FIRST IMPRESSION
Edge and trim the front walk, sidewalks and entrance. Pick up sticks and leaves. Coil hoses neatly. Put away tools, toys, empty planters, random pots and outdoor items. Clean up extension cords and loose electrical cables. Tidy the backyard, patio, deck and porch. Outdoor space is living space, too.
GARAGE
This is a great place for neatly packed boxes, but don’t simply move the entire house into it. Keep enough order that a buyer can understand the size and usefulness of the garage. Park outside for photography and showings if that helps open it up.
ENTRY + LIVING SPACES
No shoes piled in the foyer. Clear horizontal surfaces: tables, counters, dressers, consoles, shelves and furniture tops. Pack family photographs and highly personal items. Remove extra or oddly placed furniture that makes a room feel smaller.
WINDOWS + LIGHT
Open the blinds and keep them open. Clean obvious fingerprints, smudges and haze from windows and mirrors. Don’t close blinds just to hide a less-than-perfect view. Natural light almost always makes a room feel better, larger and more inviting. Light is king.
KITCHEN
Nothing on top of the refrigerator. Nothing stuck to the refrigerator. Pack unused countertop appliances and put the box in the garage. Clear counters. Put away dish brushes, drying racks and cleaning supplies. For photography and showings, move trash cans out of sight when possible, especially cans with open plastic liners.
BATHROOMS
Put away toothbrushes, toothpaste, toilet brushes, plungers, medications, bath products, hand soap and soap dispensers. Clear the counters. Remove bath mats and small random rugs unless they genuinely improve the room. Keep towels simple and neatly hung. Clean mirrors and glass.
BEDROOMS
Make beds carefully and tuck everything neatly. Put away CPAP machines and other bedside medical equipment for photography and showings. Mattresses and box springs should be properly covered. Clear nightstands and dressers. Remove posters and excessive wall clutter where practical, especially in kids’ rooms. Pack toys and miscellaneous clutter. And don’t hide everything under the bed. The camera sees under there more often than you think.
PETS
For photography and showings, put away dog bowls, dog beds, crates when practical, cat litter boxes, scratching posts, cat towers and other pet gear. Your animals still live here. We’re simply letting the room be the first thing a buyer notices.
CLOSETS + STORAGE
Don’t ignore them. Buyers look. A closet packed floor to ceiling can unintentionally suggest that the house doesn’t have enough storage. Pack off-season clothing, extra shoes, linens and anything you won’t need before moving. Leave some breathing room so the storage itself is visible.
LAUNDRY + UTILITY SPACES
Remove random hangers, empty detergent bottles, boxes, bags, cleaning supplies and the miscellaneous stuff that has been sitting there forever. These rooms count. A clean laundry room feels like useful space instead of overflow storage.
TISSUE BOXES
Somehow one little tissue box can make an otherwise beautiful room feel surprisingly cluttered. Put them away for photographs and showings. It’s a tiny thing, but you’ll notice the difference immediately.
EVERYWHERE
Look at floors for little rugs and mats that unnecessarily divide the space. Look at every horizontal surface for things that accumulated there simply because there was room. Look at corners for objects you stopped noticing years ago. Then look again.
You don’t need to make the house sterile. It should still feel like a home.
Just give it some room.
Pack what you can now. You’ll have less to do later, the photographs will be better, the showings will feel better, and buyers will have an easier time seeing the house instead of everything inside it.
Thank you for your time.
I hope this answers a few questions and helps make the process a little easier.
Sorry for being long-winded, but I’ve photographed enough homes to know that the little things really do matter.
Do what you can, grab some boxes, and get started. You’ll be glad you did.