Imagine an ad for a local restaurant. In this ad are photos of the restaurant’s tasty dishes. One dish – let’s say it’s a roasted chicken with sautéed green beans and grilled, baby red potatoes (yum) – is pictured. The food itself looks delicious, healthy and is exactly what you’ve been craving. However, the plate that the food sits on is chipped. Also, the tablecloth under the plate is yellowed, marked with questionable stains and a few cigarette burns. Oh yeah, and there are a few flies hovering near the plate. Now, even though this restaurant is offering the very food you’ve been craving and looking for, you would never eat there. The picture is disgusting.

Of course, no restaurant would dare to market their food this way (at least, I hope not). Usually, restaurant marketers take great care in making sure the food and the surrounding environment is visually appealing, pristine and appetizing in their ads. They have to or else no one would be tempted to visit their restaurant and taste their food.

The same logic applies for many industries. Great care should be taken when photographing any product for marketing. This is especially true when marketing real estate. A lot of real estate professionals will argue that a potential buyer’s emotional response to a home is what motivates the buyer to view the house and, often times, helps to seal the deal. Why, oh why then, do some agents think it’s okay to use their cell phone camera to photograph filthy, cluttered homes and post those images on their MLS? Just take a look at some of these very ineffective, and disgusting, photos found on varying MLS sites (via www.orlandorealestatephotography.com):

Is this a kitchen, living room or fun house? I'm feeling a little green... might throw up!

What a lovely combination bedroom, suntanning studio and gym.

I can smell the mold from here. Dark, cluttered rooms are distracting to buyers.

More unbelievably bad real estate photos may be found here.

Pictures like these definitely will not compel buyers to run right over and view the property. In fact, pictures like these do not reflect so well on the selling agent either. So, if you are a listing agent taking photos of the property listing yourself, here are some basic photography tips to consider:

• First off, make sure your client understands that a clean house will have a better chance at selling faster. They’ll need to help you clear out the clutter, spruce up, and maybe even slap a fresh coat of paint on the walls. It’s a small investment that will garner big returns when all is said and done.

• Get a decent digital camera with a flash. Taking photos on an inexpensive digital camera rather than your cell phone will produce much better photos. A camera with a flash can brighten a poorly lit room and can make important details more visible in the photo.

• Invest in a tripod. A tripod will not only help you take a sharp and focused photo, but it can assist you in generating 360 degree views of a tight room or a panorama of a gorgeous view from the house.

• Get creative with your camera angles, but not too creative. Taking a picture of a wall, just a baseboard or corner of a room doesn’t tell the potential buyer much about the space. Get on a ladder to take a bird’s eye view of a small room if necessary. Whatever the angle, though, make sure enough information is captured to tell the potential buyer what they need to know about that room.

• Make sure there’s adequate lighting available before taking pictures. Dark images denote dark and dingy spaces. Therefore, it’s wise to open the blinds and bring in extra lighting sources if needed.

• Lastly, hire a photographer if you cannot take great pictures of your property listing. There are many services available that specialize in architectural photography for real estate. You can also ping photography students from your local community college to take the photos for you for an affordable price.

Do any of you have other tips you can share? Help us all prevent real estate photography fails!

Good day.