Danberry at Inverness - Hoover, AL Assisted Living and Retirement Community by nikonic1976@yahoo.com

When I retire, Danberry at Inverness is the kind of place where I would want to be! Located in-between Valleydale Rd and Hwy 280 in Hoover, is the most amazing retirement community you will ever find in the Birmingham area. The facilities are modern and feel like a luxury resort. They have an art studio, exercise facility, a bar, library, screened in back porch, out door dining, nail and hair salons, massage, swimming, a conference room, medical facilities, private dining, a fire pit, and much more. From the very first time I walked in I was amazed at how nice the place is. I actually overheard on resident say that she’d “already died and gone to heaven” it was so nice at Danberry!

For me, this was an exciting photographic challenge. For the Google Maps Virtual tour, this would be the largest place I’d ever attempted to create a tour of. I knew it would be challenging but I was up for the task! One thing that made it so much easier was all of then cheerful help I got from Lori Krueger (Marketing/Sales Manager) and her team. They worked tirelessly to help make sure each shot and each panorama was perfect. It would have a much more difficult task without them assisting!

Speaking of Lori and her team, I was really impressed on how each staff member knew each residents name and called them by it. There was a real sense of caring and attention to the needs, both comfort and social, of everyone who calls Danberry home. I know that if I had to find a place for my parents to retire to, Danberry would be at the top of my list!

To learn more about Danberry at Inverness check out their website and Google My Business Page. See the conventional architectural commercial photography I created and the 360º virtual tour below!

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Sonnet House - Google Maps Business View Virtual Tour - Leeds Alabama by nikonic1976@yahoo.com

I’m thrilled to announce that the Google Maps Business View Virtual tour and conventional commercial still photography images of Sonnet House in Leeds is now live!

The Sonnet House is one of the most beautiful wedding venues in the greater Birmingham area. It was always one of my dreams to photograph a wedding there. Sadly, while I did photograph many beautiful weddings in many beautiful locations, I was never able to shoot one there. Now that I’m retired from wedding photography that opportunity has passed but I think this kind of makes up for it!

The Google 360º virtual tour of Sonnet House is one of the largest and most complex that I’ve done to date. I was excited, but also a little nervous about the challenge. I wanted to make sure that the true beauty of this venue came through in the final product. I wanted Jared and his team to take pride in showing it to potential clients. I think the results speak for themselves! I couldn’t be more proud of how it all came together and I look forward to showing it off to my clients as well.

Click below to see the conventional still images I created and view the virtual tour. You can learn more about the Sonnet House on their website and Google My Business Pages. If you are in need of a venue for a wedding or special event, make sure you check out the Sonnet House!

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walkthrough the Sonnet House with the virtual tour below

1004 Highland Village Trail - Birmingham Alabama Professional Real Estate Photography by nikonic1976@yahoo.com

A couple of weeks ago I photographed a beautiful home in Birmingham at The Village at Highland Lakes. The homeowner contacted me after seeing my work online. She and her husband had moved out of state and were highly motivated to sell their home back in Alabama. She knew that with homes, as with most things you’re trying to sell, presentation is a key to successful marketing. While the photos the agent took were fine by most standards, she knew that the home wasn’t being displayed in the best possible manner. She wanted high quality, professional photography of the home. So after discussing with the home owner what they were looking for, and coordinating with the agent (Sarah Eddy), we went out to create some amazing real estate photos of the home. I will say that I appreciate Sarah very much. While on the market the home is being rented and the tenant, while not messy, isn’t the owner. Sarah and I worked for several hours to get everything set and in perfect shape for presentation. This really is the most important aspect of real estate photography. It doesn’t matter how great my technical skills are if the home is a mess and things are out of place. Even though people live there it must be treated like a showroom. After all you are selling the home. You want to present it in the best possible light.

So one bit of advice if you are selling your home or looking to photograph a home for sale, take a few minutes to really look around and see everything that’s visible. Are there any stray items left out, power cords, or personal items? Go through and straighten pictures on the walls, clean the glass, and put everything away. Look at home magazines and compare those rooms to the ones in the home. Try to make them look as close as possible. Not only will this make the photos look better, potential buyers will come away with a more positive impression when viewing the home in person.

Take a look at the photos I created by clicking on the thumbnails below. If you’re interested in more information on this home you can see the listing online here. Of course if you are looking to sell your home, or are a real estate agent with a luxury home property, please contact me today to discuss your needs and schedule the session!

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Olexa's Catering, Cafe, and Cakes in Mountain Brook Alabama - Google Maps Business View by nikonic1976@yahoo.com

Back in my wedding photography days the main way to get business was to have a booth at a bridal show. These are usually long events, on your feet all day, and can be exhausting. One thing than made them more bearable was the samples of wedding cake from the Olexa’s booth! They were always a big hit with brides and wedding vendors alike. I can tell you from photographing weddings with their cakes as always a treat (see what I did there). The cakes were always beautiful, and the best part, they tasted great too!

When I got the opportunity to create a Google Maps Business View virtual tour of Olexa’s cafe in Mountain Brook, I was very excited! It’s a fantastic little place in English Village. From personal experience I will say that the food rivals the cake in excellence. Everything I had was delicious, and the staff was great to work with. Diane has an incredible level of attention to detail. Nothing escapes her notice and she will work to make sure everything is perfect for her clients.

I highly recommend Olexa’s for anyone needing a cake (they do more than just weddings), or a great meal in Mountain Brook! Learn more about Olexa’s on their website: http://www.olexas.com/

Click on the thumbnail below to view the full size image

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check out the 360º virtual tour below

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Azia Medical Spa - Google Maps Business View Virtual Tour in Birmingham, Alabama by nikonic1976@yahoo.com

Last week I created a Google Maps Business View Virtual Tour and commercial still images of Azia medical spa. This beautiful spa presented some unique challenges in creating the tour and images. It’s much larger on the inside than it looks like on the outside (kinda like the Tardis). There is a room for each type of service and they were all to be covered. Getting the angles just right proved to be challenging but I think the final result speaks for itself!

Azia Medical Spa in Birmingham (near Chelsea), is not your average spa. Sure, they do manicures, pedicures, massage, spray tan, sauna, steam room, and the like. They also offer laser liposuction, skin tightening, acne control, smoothing of skin color and texture, and even wellness nutrition. Owners Alex and Dee have an amazing level of attention to detail. You can see it in how beautiful the spa is and how well his staff is trained. It was a great pleasure working with them and I'm excited to show off their spa!

You can learn more about Azia on their website. Be sure to check out the virtual tour and conventional commercial still photography I created for them on their Google + page.

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Tommy Daspit is a commercial, editorial, and Google Maps Business View professional photographer in Birmingham, Alabama. He offers the best in residential and commercial real estate photography in the greater Birmingham area.