1333 Branchwater Ln - Vestavia Hills Real Estate Photographer /
Last week I was contacted by agent Susie Denson of Realty South. She needed me to photograph a home she was listing in Vestavia Hills and needed some great images. Having worked with Susie in the past, and knowing the quality of her listings I was very excited!
This home did not disappoint! It’s in a great neighborhood and had obviously been extensively renovated. The back deck and back yard was especially impressive. I would venture to say that it was one of the nicest back yards I’ve ever photographed!
My other favorite feature was the formal living room. Lights had been embedded in the crown moulding all around the room. This gave it a very unique look that I haven’t seen anywhere else. While it looked great in person it was actually quite the challenge to photograph. Getting the lights to show up in the image without the rest of the room looking too dark required quite the balancing act. I probably spent more time on this room than any other. I think the results speak for themselves!
This is really one of the things I love most about architectural and real estate photography. Each home, building, or business is very unique. Each one requires different photographic techniques and often stretch my technical and creative abilities! That’s why I love my job so very much.
Check out the photos below and you can learn more about this home on the listing page here!
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Mandella Agencies - Birmingham AL Commercial Photography /
Twilight exterior composite really grabs the attention of the viewer.
One of my favorite things about being a commercial photographer is the opportunity to help shape a businesses public image. The photos I take are used to showcase what a business does, convey their ethos to potential clients, and shape their brand. This is especially great with new, start up business. My photographs introduce them to the world. This is something I take great pride in and I recognize the importance of getting it right.
Michael Mandella was creating a new insurance agency in Birmingham. The look of the office was going to be very different from most out there. He wanted to convey to potential agents that this agency was modern, fun, and not the typical old stodgy company. He wanted me to create images that conveyed that. So of course I was excited about the challenge!
These images were to be the main feature of the agency’s website. They had to grab and hold the attention of the viewer quickly. Since the space was a really good looking my job was made somewhat easier. Still, I had to choose the right angle, perspective, lighting, and composition to accomplish the ultimate goals.
We ended up creating images that documented the space and also conveyed action. The twilight exterior really sets the space apart from the competition in a dramatic way!
Check out the website for the Mandella Agencies here to see how it all came together!
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Learn more about my commercial photography and view more of my portfolio here.
3624 Dover Dr - Mountain Brook, AL Real Estate Photography /
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Ordinarily I’d link to the listing for this amazing midcentury modern home that I recently photographed for Kim Maddox of ARC Realty, but it’s already sold! I was a little tardy in posting this but I wasn’t THAT tardy!
This is my favorite style home and especially with the kitchen and living room, I loved photographing this house! The light in the remodeled kitchen was a photographers dream. By far this was the most amazing kitchen I’d ever photographed.
I was honored that Kim hired me to photograph this home. The sellers were good friends of hers and she wanted to go all out in promoting this listing. She choose me in large part because of the twilight exterior images that I can create. The back yard was particularly nice with the two levels of deck and she really wanted to showcase it. Of course I was happy to oblige!
Congratulations to the sellers and the new owners on the quick sale of this amazing home!
Learn more about my real estate photography and portfolio here.
1072 Columbiana Rd - Homewood, AL Real Estate Photography /
Hard to have more impact than a twilight exterior. This single photo takes almost two hours just to shoot.
A couple of weeks ago I got a rare opportunity to use almost all of my bag of tricks on a real estate listing. Melanie Siow, of Realty South had contacted me about photographing now of her most important listings.
She was selling the home of one of her good friends in Homewood. The family had already moved out so the home was vacant. Melanie had painters come in a freshen up the look and a stager to add the lived in touch. As I mentioned in this post, I’m a huge fan of staging. The completely empty look is not a good one. A well styled home adds so much appeal, in photos and in person.
Melanie really wanted to show off all that this home had to offer and that’s why she contacted me. She told me that she’d seen my work before and knew that I would be a good fit for this listing. In addition to the standard daylight images, she also wanted me to create a twilight exterior, and pole arial image. The house itself is beautiful and well situated on the top of a hill. Unusual for this area, there’s a flat front lawn built out with a large retaining wall. Most other homes have little to no yard and a steep slope. This gave me some great opportunities for the exterior front images.
The twilight exterior is really one of my signatures. The shot is actually a composite of about 30 images taken over a two hour time span. I light the home with hand held strobes and then stitch the composite in Photoshop. The result is an image that captures the potential buyers attention like no other. With stained glass windows in the attic, this particular home made for a particularly good twilight exterior.
Something new that I’m starting to offer is the pole arial image. I’ve created a custom pole that allows me to raise the camera 16’ off the ground. The high angle gives an arial perspective without the need for an aircraft. This is something I’ve just started offering so be on the lookout for more of those!
Take a look at the photos below, and to learn more about this home click here to view the listing. You can also contact Melanie to schedule a showing!
Melanie Siow
Realty South
205-305-1158
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Learn more about my real estate photography here.