2250 Highland Ave - Birmingham AL Residential Real Estate Photography

One of the things I enjoy most about real estate photography is that every job is different. Each home give me new challenges and opportunities to stretch myself technically and creatively. Different construction materials interact with light differently. The time of day and the direction the property faces can have an enormous impact on the final image quality. Understanding and accounting for that is what truly separates the professional photographer from the amateur and great photographers from good ones.

When I photograph a house I virtually scout the location to see where the sun will be in the sky given a specific time and day. I plan my shoots around this to maximize my light. For the interiors I bring my own lighting in. Each space is illuminated by up to three flashes. These are mixed with ambient artificial lighting (lamps, etc) and the natural sunlight. This helps me control the light to showcase the home in the best possible manner.

I look for details such as interesting light fixtures, plumbing, appliances, fireplaces, doors, etc to pay extra attention to. All of this means that I’m not the fastest at photographing a house. I will take time to make sure everything is just right.

You can see how this all comes together with this property I recently photographed for Jimbo Kidd and Lee Marks at Realty South. This condo on Highland Ave in the Highland Plaza is amazing. It has one of the best views and best kitchens I’ve ever seen. The style and feel is truly unique and I wanted to make sure I conveyed that in the photos. Click the thumbnails below to see the photos and you can see the full listing here.

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Interested in learning more about the home? Contact Jimbo Kidd jkidd@realtysouth.com

205-870-5420 and tell him I sent you!

Doctor Doug Lewis, DMD - Birmingham, AL - Google Virtual Tour

Recently a popular business category for the Google Maps Business View Virtual Tour has been dentists. I recently completed tours for Shelby Pediatric Dentistry and Canales Orthodontics (click the links to view those tours).

We all know that it can be a little scary going to the dentist. You want to make sure that it’s a good practice. That’s why the Google Virtual tour is such a great fit. Potential patients are able to see inside the office and treatment rooms. They are able to get a feel for the environment. Then, once they do come in for an appointment they’re more comfortable. There is a higher level of familiarity, like they’ve been there before.

Last week I was able to create a tour and conventional commercial photography for Dr Doug Lewis in Birmingham near UAB. Dr Lewis and his wife, Nancy, are a great team. They are the nicest people you could ever want to meet and you can tell that the entire staff feels like family. The office itself is near downtown but has its own large parking lot (an amazing thing if you’ve ever been down there. Each treatment chair has it’s own TV so you won’t miss your soaps. Most impressively, they have a special machine that allows you to get permanent crowns right there in the office in one day!

So if you are in need of a dentist, and you are close to downtown, I highly recommend checking out Dr Doug Lewis and his team! Learn more about them on their Google + page and website. Be sure to check out the still photography and virtual tour below!

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Sundown Window Tint & Design - Google 360º Virtual Tour

You may be thinking a window tinting business is a place to get your vehicle’s windows tinted. And you would be correct in that assumption. But Sundown Window Tint & Design is not just your average, run-of-the-mill window tinting operation. Nay, Nay. When I arrived at their business to get my car’s windows tinted (by the way, great job there), I was amazed at what all else I learned they could do. If you want your company’s logo tastefully printed on the side of your car, Sunbelt can do that. Or if you want to promote your business by transforming your entire vehicle into a rolling billboard, Sundown is the place to go. If you have a retro VW van that you wish to be recreated into an exact copy of Scooby-Doo’s Mystery Machine, then Sundown can hook you up. Even if you want to change the entire exterior color of your vehicle - say you’ve got a plain Jane gray SUV, Sundown can transform that bad boy into flaming, atomic orange SUV if you so desire, and I swear it will look as good if not better than if it had arrived from the factory that way. But not only does Sundown offer these amazing creations, custom created by their resident graphic designers, their store is a cheery, brightly colored place to do business with. I was excited to have the opportunity to create their Google Virtual Tour photos so I could showcase to the world just how awesome this place is. So go by and take advantage of their free 30 minute consultation, and tell them I led you there via Google’s virtual tour.

Now, to decide if I want to take my wife up on her suggestion that I should have my blue Honda Fit transformed into the Doctor Who TARDIS. Um, I don’t know. What do YOU think?

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Shelby Pediatric Dentistry, Pelham AL - Google 360º Virtual Tour & Commercial Photography

I am kind of weird. When I go into a building or business and see lots of bright, powerful color, I get excited. My wife, Kelly, can tell you that when I see a beautiful space, especially in good light, I get as giddy as a 13 yr old girl at a Justin Bieber concert.

As soon as I walked into Shelby Pediatric Dentistry I knew I had to photograph this business. The color scheme is amazing. Bright teal’s and oranges everywhere you look. The lighting fixtures, furniture, architecture, and colors all came together to create are really fun environment. I knew that parents and kids would love the place. So I wanted to create a Google 360º virtual tour to show it off.

As I’ve mentioned in the past however, a pretty building does not necessarily a  successful business make. You have to have a good business model, and the right people to provide the best possible customer experience. This is especially true in the highly competitive market of pediatric dentistry. In the greater Birmingham area there is no shortage of highly qualified dentists. Separating yourself from your competition is critical.

Dr Baxter has done that with his facility, by having the Google Maps Business View virtual tour, offering a unique experience, and having great staff. I can also speak to personal experience. My 10yr old son, Wilder, can be a bit of a handful at times. Dr Baxter and his team were amazingly patient and efficient. I was truly impressed with how well they did, and Wilder loved the TV’s on the ceiling! 

So if you have kids, and they have teeth, I highly recommend checking out Shelby Pediatric Dentistry in Pelham. You can learn more about them on their website and Google My Business Pages. Be sure to click the thumbnails to view the conventional commercial photography I created and the 360º virtual tour!

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Ernest McCarty Ford - Birmingham, AL Auto Dealer - Google Maps Business View Virtual Tour

For many years Ernest McCarty Ford in Alabaster had the same building. It had served them well, many happy customers had purchased and services their cars and trucks there. As with most things, there came a time where a remodel was needed to stay current. So, over the past year the main new car building was rebuilt with a new facade, showroom, service, and client waiting areas. Of course all of this change is all good and well, but if nobody knows about it, what good does it do?

This is one of the great things about the Google Maps Business View 360º virtual tours that I create. It allows potential customers, some that may have never even considered this dealership in the past, to come in and see how beautiful and modern their facility is. Connecting from Google StreetView, embedded on Google Maps, and Ernest McCarty’s Google + Local page, people are invited to “see inside”. Once they click that button they can walk around outside, through the showroom, into the waiting area, and into the service departments.

Once customers come into the dealership it’s like they’ve been there before. The comfort level is higher because it’s familiar. The unknown is one of our greatest sources of fear. So anything that can help reduce that will create a better customer experience. 

As part of the Google Business View program I also create high quality, conventional commercial still photography. I photograph the outside, inside, logo, signage, and other things the business would like to highlight. These images are free for the business to use on their website, social media, and even print media.

Unlike traditional forms of advertising, the Google Maps Business View virtual tour helps improve a businesses presence on Google, doesn’t expire, and has no recurring costs. This makes it one of the best values in advertising possible!

Learn more about Ernest McCarty on their Google + Local Page and Website, and take a look at the commercial photography and virtual tour below!

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